Unverified conspiracy theories have taken social media by storm in recent weeks, tying Jeffrey Epstein to rumours of designer babies, cannibalism, and torture. Misinformation and gossip are again trumping truth, as people share stories and algorithms falsify social media feeds. Despite an utter lack of evidence or documentation, most people believe their friends and their phones.
Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker and felon, died in his jail cell in 2019. Epstein was originally an elementary school math teacher before he entered the banking and finance industry. While cultivating an elite social circle of prominent individuals, he made millions providing tax and estate services to billionaires.
“When I hear Epstein, I think of child molesters and manipulative people who hold a lot of power,” sophomore India Croy said. “They’re taking advantage of other people, but using their money to cover it up so they never get into any trouble.“
Florida authorities arrested Epstein in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution. He served 13 months. Authorities arrested him again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. Since his death, the court has released more and more implicating files. Currently, all of the files officials have released total to 3.5 million pages. This means that 2% of the total files are available to the public.
Many people argue that authorities should release the Epstein files in full, but others have more complicated views on it. “I feel like the public should know because it’s dangerous and it’s good to be aware. But it’s also to a point where [the Epstein files] can scare a lot of people, and not everyone needs to know what’s in there,” freshman Lucia Biondo said.
The Epstein files implicate many people of power. Britain’s former Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump are among the names mentioned. President Trump, implicated 38,000 times in the files, has evaded much criticism from the government.
“I think that they should release more [files], but I think they should stop censoring them so much,” Croy said. “They’re protecting the names of all these higher ups. It doesn’t make any sense to release files to the public when the whole point is to hold these people accountable, but then censor out their names. They’re not actually holding anybody accountable.”
The Epstein files contain documents collected as evidence in the criminal cases against Epstein and his associates. Stored as over 300 gigabytes of data, the files reside in the FBI’s Sentinel case management system alongside other media. They include Epstein’s flight logs, court documents, emails, and phone calls. The Department of Justice houses the files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law in November, 2025.
“I originally heard about the Epstein files in Trump’s campaign to become president, saying that he was gonna release the Epstein files,” Croy said. “Now I’ve looked at the Epstein files themselves, because you can find them on the Internet. I’ve looked at pictures and different articles online, like one in the New York Times about how Donald Trump has been mentioned more times in the files than Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series.”
With the release of the files, more theories have emerged about the meaning of the documents. Among the most recent conspiracies are that of designer babies. According to many TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and even articles, Epstein was in the process of trying to genetically clone himself. His “designer baby” project, supposedly the goal was to create a clone using his DNA samples. He would then employ underage girls to birth the babies.
Using equipment located on Epstein’s island, which he purchased in 1988, Bryan Bishop, a bio-hacker and cryptocurrency enthusiast, supposedly had the goal of the first live birth of a designer baby. The only evidence behind this plan is a series of emails between Epstein and Bishop discussing a ‘designer baby project,’ lab equipment and funding.
“I think there should be more arrests of people,” Biondo said. ”So many people that were in the Epstein Files and took part… are still walking around and continuing on with their lives as normal.”
Adding to the cloned baby theory, a rumor about infant cannibalism appeared. According to conspiracy, Epstein held a cannibalism ring on his island that included many powerful and influential names. The people included would consume the designer babies that were not total clones. The people involved referred to the babies as ‘cream cheese,’ due to the fact that the milk in the baby’s intestines tasted like cream cheese.
This highly disturbing rumor has zero evidence behind it. The main file being cited to support this idea is a correspondence between Epstein and one of his employees. In it, Epstein says that “there are millions of babies, very little good vegetable cream cheese.” He then says that he doesn’t think cream cheese and baby are on the same level. While this does seem highly implicative, investigations and further reading bring no real proof.
Students at Arcata High are having trouble finding the truth in the rumors. “With so much of the stuff that is true, it’s really easy to believe [the rumors] are true,” Biondo said. “But it’s also so out of the blue, like, random… It’s not normal, but then again, nothing in it is normal… so it’s hard to know.”
Along with designer babies and cannibalism, files containing mild evidence for torture have been released. Startlingly enough, torture is the rumor with the most evidence behind it compared to designer babies and cannibalism. In a heavily redacted report given to the FBI by a man claiming to be a victim of Epstein, he said he witnessed Epstein torture women on a yacht. The report says Epstein tied them up and slashed their backs, also removing the intestines of infants.
While most of the report seems like it could be used as evidence, some major parts undermine its credibility. The victim admitted he had used psychedelic drugs prior, potentially altering his mental state. His dates also don’t add up. According to the report, the victim was on the yacht in 2000. He states that President Trump was also present and married to Melania Trump at the time. President Trump didn’t marry Melania until 2005, making the report seem improbable.
Stories like these bring to light the importance of media literacy and critical thinking skills. As A.I. and fake news grows in content and believability, our ability to process information in a skeptical way becomes a necessity. The designer babies, cannibalism, and torture rumors circulating in the news is a perfect opportunity to practice these skills. The absence of empirical evidence and documents proves these claims as unfounded.
“Sometimes, when people get their information on social media they don’t look for their own information. I think that what people say on social media, others take at face value, and won’t actually fact check whether it’s true or not,” Croy said. “That’s how the conspiracy theories have been created: by just one person saying something and then it blowing up from other people hearing it.”
These conspiracies can begin to overshadow the real issues at hand. The Epstein files reveal disturbing evidence that officials have yet to deal with. Those who haven’t been held accountable need to be, which is the main issue. It’s important to stay skeptical and not take everything you hear and see at face value. Wait for more credible information to support your ideas. Remember that just one document or video can change everything you think you know.
