The release of more than three million files linked to the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein has sparked a wave of lurid claims online, including allegations of cannibalism and “ritual sacrifice”.
Jeffrey Epstein with his partner and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell (AFP)The files were released after US President Donald Trump allowed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release material linked to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
On January 30, the Justice Department released a massive trove of Epstein-related records. Soon, social media posts began circulating claims that the files accused Epstein or people in his social circle of child eating, engaging in cannibalism and participating in ritual killings.
The allegations quickly gained traction, with users selectively quoting snippets from emails and interview summaries contained in the document
‘Cream cheese’ referenceOne message attributed to Epstein and widely shared online: “There are millions of children, hardly any good vegetables. [vegetable] cream cheese.”
Another line from the same exchange says: “Haha, I don’t know if cream cheese and babies are on the same level.”
In later versions of the exchange, the other participant is identified as “Nadia”. Although the full identity is unclear, Epstein’s former pilot was Nadia Marcinko, also known as Nada Marcinkova, who has been missing since early 2024.
The documents do not clarify the context of the conversation, but the combination of the words “baby” and “cream cheese” has fueled cannibalistic claims online.
References to “cream cheese” appear multiple times in the DOJ files. However, in most cases, the context is mundane and related to food or event planning.
There is no indication in the record that the term was used as a coded reference to violence or cannibalism.
The ‘elites eat people’ claimAdding to the speculation, a 2009 video has resurfaced online, showing 21-year-old model Gabriela Rico Jimenez detained in Guadalajara while yelling at the elite for engaging in cannibals, rituals and sacrifices at an elite party.
The video, combined with the newly released Epstein files, amplified the conspiracy-driven narrative across the platform.
Fact-checking cannibalistic claimsOnline, fact-checking websites are driven by widespread claims Snopes DOJ reviewed the documents and resolved the viral complaint. According to Snopes, while the files included references to cannibals and ritual sacrifice, the validity of those claims could not be verified.
According to the fact-checking website, “cannibal” appears 52 times in the Epstein files, while “cannibal” is mentioned six times. However, none of the viral claims are directly supported.
“In short, the claim that the Epstein files contained such allegations and references was true snopes’ Review of Federal Records,” the report said.
But the website didn’t just stop there, according to Snopesthe allegations date back to an alleged 2019 interview between an FBI official and an anonymous person.
‘Dismemberment of children, disembowelment’According to DOJ records cited by Snopesthe anonymous person claimed he witnessed extreme abuse on Epstein’s yacht in 2000.
In an email to FBI officials, the man alleged that he had “been the victim of some kind of ritual sacrifice where his legs were cut with a scimitar, but no scars were left. On the yacht, he saw children being dismembered, their intestines removed, and people eating feces from these intestines.”
The man also accused Epstein and other celebrities of sexual assault during the same incident.
However, DOJ records show that he provided no evidence to support his claim.
Snopes points out that the anonymous man did not explicitly complain of cannibalism, but rather of eating human feces.
