Is Epstein alive? Conspiracy theories get new life after release of files
Even years after his death, Jeffrey Epstein is still stoking conspiracy theories. From viral images to newly released documents, there are claims that the convicted sex offender who supplied minor girls to elite clients might still be alive. While official probes said he died by suicide, security lapses and contradictions in prison records are fuelling claims.
While he was alive, Jeffrey Epstein moved in niche circles of the super wealthy and influential, and made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Even after his death, he continues to generate controversy. And that's not just related to the Epstein Files. People are fuelling a conspiracy theory that the convicted sex offender who supplied girls to powerful leaders and celebrities might still be alive. Security lapses and contradictions in his prison record, which was recently released, have helped fan the frenzy and the rumour mills.
The conspiracy theory that Epstein might still be alive appears across social media platforms. Some people claim he was too important to powerful figures to be "allowed to die". Others insinuate that because of his ties with powerful American capitalists allegedly involved in pedophilia at his New York mansion and private island, he might have been helped in faking his death, and ensured a safe passage out of the US.
For the record, official documents say Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell in New York on August 10, 2019.
WHO WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN? WHAT ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES?
Jeffrey Epstein was a billionaire financier who was convicted in 2008 in Florida for trafficking and pushing a child into sex work. Initially, he served a short sentence. In 2019, he again faced federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
Epstein was accused of running a network that sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls, often recruiting them under the guise of massages or modelling opportunities.
He associated with several prominent figures, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew of the UK Royal family.
These names, along with hundreds of others, have featured in the tranche of records known as the Epstein Files. However, the mere mention of names in the Epstein Files does not suggest any wrongdoing.
IS EPSTEIN ALIVE? WHY CONSPIRACY THEORIES GOT NEW LIFE?
The conspiracy theory that Epstein is still alive gained fresh attention, soon after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) made 3.5 million documents from the Epstein Files public.
A photo of a bearded man resembling Jeffrey Epstein also went viral on social media recently, fuelling speculation that the convicted sex offender might still be alive. However, it could be an unfortunate person with a similar appearance to that of a pedophile, or just an AI-generated image.
Even US Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, posted a poll on X, asking his followers about Epstein. The poll, which drew responses from over 147,000 accounts in one instance, showed that over 47% respondents believe that Epstein was still alive.
Another post that circulated widely came from an X user named Jack Straw, from a verified handle. He shared a photo purporting to show Epstein lying on a bed in a hospital gown after his death.
In the post, Straw said, "Honestly, he was so important to the military and Trump that he would have been more heavily guarded than Fort Knox. I genuinely believe he's still alive and being held at GITMO [Guantanamo Bay], cooperating with investigators."
Such claims, though unverified, have swarmed social media, and added to the narrative that Epstein's death was faked, with his body possibly replaced or the scene staged.
SECURITY LAPSES AROUND THE TIME OF EPSTEIN'S DEATH?
Official investigations have consistently ruled Epstein's death a suicide, but details from reports are seemingly contradictory.
A 2023 US Department of Justice report highlighted multiple failures at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, reported New York-based news outlet Daily Express US. Epstein had excessive prison blankets, linens, and clothing in his cell, some ripped to create nooses, the report said. The report noted that cell searches were not properly conducted or documented, allowing safety hazards to remain.
On August 9, 2019 — just a day before his death, Epstein's cellmate was transferred out, and no replacement was assigned. This, again, was highly unusual, according to jail staff interviewed by CBS.
After lockdown in the jail around 8 pm on August 9, no 30-minute wellness checks were carried out after about 10.40 pm, said the CBS news report on newly-released video logs related to Epstein's death.
Staff falsified records to show rounds had been done — which was a major slip. The next morning, two guards found Epstein unresponsive, hanging from the top bunk in a near-seated position with his buttocks about 1 to 1.5 inches off the floor. They removed an orange string (likely from a shirt or sheet) around his neck, causing his body to fall, and attempted chest compressions before medical help arrived. Epstein was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The guards faced charges of falsifying records. But there is a twist.
NEW VIDEO LOGS REPORT 'FLASH OF ORANGE' GOING TOWARDS EPSTEIN'S CELL
The newly released video logs, reviewed by the Department of Justice, show an orange-coloured shape moving upstairs toward Epstein's isolated tier around 10.39 pm on August 9, 2019. Epstein was found dead, according to records, on August 10.
One log described it as "a flash of orange" possibly an inmate being escorted. The FBI memo also called it "possibly an inmate", while the Inspector General's report described it as an unidentified corrections officer carrying orange linen or bedding to the prison cell.
Official statements, including from then-Attorney General Bill Barr, said "No one entered the tier that night."
However, independent video analysis, conducted by CBS through experts, suggested the movement looked more like someone in an orange prison uniform than a guard.
Prison staff noted that escorting an inmate at that hour was "unusual".
The camera angle partially obscured the approach to the tier, leaving room for uncertainty about whether someone could have entered unseen.
In the Special Housing Unit of the prison, the night was described as quiet.
Interviews with guards revealed gaps in memory, falsified counts — including a drop from 73 to 72 inmates between 10 pm and 3 am — and possible sleeping on duty.
The CBS report says the noose Jeffrey Epstein used was never definitively identified, and one collected at the scene did not match the ligature.
These inconsistencies and hints of security lapses in the New York prison that housed Epstein have kept conspiracy theories alive.
No credible evidence supports Epstein being alive. However, gaping holes in Epstein's death probe are now documented in the Justice Department, and will very likely continue to spark theories.
While he was alive, Jeffrey Epstein moved in niche circles of the super wealthy and influential, and made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Even after his death, he continues to generate controversy. And that's not just related to the Epstein Files. People are fuelling a conspiracy theory that the convicted sex offender who supplied girls to powerful leaders and celebrities might still be alive. Security lapses and contradictions in his prison record, which was recently released, have helped fan the frenzy and the rumour mills.
The conspiracy theory that Epstein might still be alive appears across social media platforms. Some people claim he was too important to powerful figures to be "allowed to die". Others insinuate that because of his ties with powerful American capitalists allegedly involved in pedophilia at his New York mansion and private island, he might have been helped in faking his death, and ensured a safe passage out of the US.
For the record, official documents say Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell in New York on August 10, 2019.
WHO WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN? WHAT ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES?
Jeffrey Epstein was a billionaire financier who was convicted in 2008 in Florida for trafficking and pushing a child into sex work. Initially, he served a short sentence. In 2019, he again faced federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.
Epstein was accused of running a network that sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls, often recruiting them under the guise of massages or modelling opportunities.
He associated with several prominent figures, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew of the UK Royal family.
These names, along with hundreds of others, have featured in the tranche of records known as the Epstein Files. However, the mere mention of names in the Epstein Files does not suggest any wrongdoing.
IS EPSTEIN ALIVE? WHY CONSPIRACY THEORIES GOT NEW LIFE?
The conspiracy theory that Epstein is still alive gained fresh attention, soon after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) made 3.5 million documents from the Epstein Files public.
A photo of a bearded man resembling Jeffrey Epstein also went viral on social media recently, fuelling speculation that the convicted sex offender might still be alive. However, it could be an unfortunate person with a similar appearance to that of a pedophile, or just an AI-generated image.
Even US Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, posted a poll on X, asking his followers about Epstein. The poll, which drew responses from over 147,000 accounts in one instance, showed that over 47% respondents believe that Epstein was still alive.
Another post that circulated widely came from an X user named Jack Straw, from a verified handle. He shared a photo purporting to show Epstein lying on a bed in a hospital gown after his death.
In the post, Straw said, "Honestly, he was so important to the military and Trump that he would have been more heavily guarded than Fort Knox. I genuinely believe he's still alive and being held at GITMO [Guantanamo Bay], cooperating with investigators."
Such claims, though unverified, have swarmed social media, and added to the narrative that Epstein's death was faked, with his body possibly replaced or the scene staged.
SECURITY LAPSES AROUND THE TIME OF EPSTEIN'S DEATH?
Official investigations have consistently ruled Epstein's death a suicide, but details from reports are seemingly contradictory.
A 2023 US Department of Justice report highlighted multiple failures at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, reported New York-based news outlet Daily Express US. Epstein had excessive prison blankets, linens, and clothing in his cell, some ripped to create nooses, the report said. The report noted that cell searches were not properly conducted or documented, allowing safety hazards to remain.
On August 9, 2019 — just a day before his death, Epstein's cellmate was transferred out, and no replacement was assigned. This, again, was highly unusual, according to jail staff interviewed by CBS.
After lockdown in the jail around 8 pm on August 9, no 30-minute wellness checks were carried out after about 10.40 pm, said the CBS news report on newly-released video logs related to Epstein's death.
Staff falsified records to show rounds had been done — which was a major slip. The next morning, two guards found Epstein unresponsive, hanging from the top bunk in a near-seated position with his buttocks about 1 to 1.5 inches off the floor. They removed an orange string (likely from a shirt or sheet) around his neck, causing his body to fall, and attempted chest compressions before medical help arrived. Epstein was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The guards faced charges of falsifying records. But there is a twist.
NEW VIDEO LOGS REPORT 'FLASH OF ORANGE' GOING TOWARDS EPSTEIN'S CELL
The newly released video logs, reviewed by the Department of Justice, show an orange-coloured shape moving upstairs toward Epstein's isolated tier around 10.39 pm on August 9, 2019. Epstein was found dead, according to records, on August 10.
One log described it as "a flash of orange" possibly an inmate being escorted. The FBI memo also called it "possibly an inmate", while the Inspector General's report described it as an unidentified corrections officer carrying orange linen or bedding to the prison cell.
Official statements, including from then-Attorney General Bill Barr, said "No one entered the tier that night."
However, independent video analysis, conducted by CBS through experts, suggested the movement looked more like someone in an orange prison uniform than a guard.
Prison staff noted that escorting an inmate at that hour was "unusual".
The camera angle partially obscured the approach to the tier, leaving room for uncertainty about whether someone could have entered unseen.
In the Special Housing Unit of the prison, the night was described as quiet.
Interviews with guards revealed gaps in memory, falsified counts — including a drop from 73 to 72 inmates between 10 pm and 3 am — and possible sleeping on duty.
The CBS report says the noose Jeffrey Epstein used was never definitively identified, and one collected at the scene did not match the ligature.
These inconsistencies and hints of security lapses in the New York prison that housed Epstein have kept conspiracy theories alive.
No credible evidence supports Epstein being alive. However, gaping holes in Epstein's death probe are now documented in the Justice Department, and will very likely continue to spark theories.