The release of millions of documents linked to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has led to a flood of disturbing allegations on social media platforms, including claims of cannibalism and “ritualistic sacrifice.” The documents were unsealed after US President Donald Trump allowed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to declassify documents related to Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The DOJ released the documents on January 30. Shortly after, social media platforms were filled with messages claiming that the documents contained evidence that Epstein and people within his circle were cannibals who killed babies.
‘Cream cheese’ Messages spark online speculation
Most of the claims on social media platforms are based on excerpts of emails that are included in the documents. In one of the emails attributed to Epstein, it is written: “There are millions of babies, very little good vegatble (vegetable) cream cheese.” Another part of the email reads: “Lol, I don't know if cream cheese and baby are on the same level.”
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Later releases of the exchange identify the other participant as “Nadia,” believed to be Nadia Marcinko, also known as Nada Marcinkova, a former pilot linked to Epstein. The documents don’t explain the context of the conversation, though.
As per a report by the Hindustan Times, while references to “cream cheese” appear in the records several times, most of them are related to plain food talk or event planning discussions. There is nothing in the DOJ files to demonstrate that the term was coded language for violence or cannibalism.
Old video adds fuel to conspiracy narratives
The claims picked up steam after a 2009 video resurfaced of model Gabriela Rico Jiménez yelling about elites eating people and conducting rituals while detained in Guadalajara. Layered onto the Epstein document releases, the video helped spread conspiracy-driven chatter online.
What fact-checkers found
Fact-checking website Snopes reviewed the DOJ records following the viral claims. According to its analysis, the files do contain mentions of cannibalism-related terms, but none substantiate the allegations circulating online.
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Snopes pointed out that the term "cannibal" was used 52 times and "cannibalism" was used six times throughout the documents. Most of those references go back to an alleged 2019 interview that took place between the FBI officials and an unnamed person.
The report stated, “In short, the claim that the Epstein files contain such allegations and references was true, based on Snopes' review of the federal records.”
Unverified allegations, no supporting evidence
According to DOJ records cited by Snopes, the anonymous man alleged that he witnessed extreme abuse on Epstein’s yacht back in 2000, which involved ritual violence and the eating of faeces from another person. However, the male failed to provide evidence for the claims he was making.
Snopes noted that while the allegations exist in the files but remain unconfirmed and without corroborating evidence.
