The release of more than three million files linked to the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein has triggered a wave of lurid claims online, including allegations of cannibalism and “ritualistic sacrifice.”
The files were made public after US President Donald Trump allowed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to declassify material connected to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
On January 30, the Justice Department released the massive trove of Epstein-related records. Soon after, social media posts began circulating claims that the files accused Epstein or people in his social circle of eating babies, engaging in cannibalism, and participating in ritualistic killings.
The allegations quickly gained traction, with users selectively citing snippets from emails and interview summaries contained in the documents.
The ‘cream cheese’ reference
One message attributed to Epstein and shared widely online reads: “there are millions of babies, very little good vegatble [vegetable] cream cheese.”
Another line from the same exchange says: “Lol, I don't know if cream cheese and baby are on the same level.”
{{/usCountry}}Another line from the same exchange says: “Lol, I don't know if cream cheese and baby are on the same level.”
{{/usCountry}}In later versions of the exchange, the other participant is identified as “Nadia.” While the full identity is unclear, Epstein’s former pilot was Nadia Marcinko, also known as Nada Marcinkova, who has reportedly been missing since early 2024.
The documents do not clarify the context of the conversation, but the juxtaposition of the words “babies” and “cream cheese” has fuelled cannibalism 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 records that the term was used as a coded reference to violence or cannibalism.
'Elites eat people' claim
Adding to the speculation, a video from 2009 resurfaced online showing a then 21-year-old model, Gabriela Rico Jiménez, being detained in Guadalajara while shouting claims about elites eating people, performing rituals, and engaging in sacrifices at an elite party.
The video, combined with the newly released Epstein files, further amplified conspiracy-driven narratives across platforms.
Fact-checking cannibalism claims
Driven by the widespread claims online, fact-checking website Snopes reviewed the DOJ documents and addressed the viral allegations. According to Snopes, while the files do include references to cannibalism and ritualistic sacrifice, the legitimacy of those claims could not be verified.
According to the fact-checking website, “cannibal” appears 52 times in the Epstein files, while “cannibalism” is mentioned six times. However, none of thedirectly support the viral claims.
“In short, the claim that the Epstein files contain such allegations and references was true, based on Snopes' review of the federal records,” the report said.
But the website did'nt just stop there, according to Snopes, the allegations trace back to a purported 2019 interview between FBI officials and an anonymous individual.
'Babies dismembered, intesitines removed'
According to DOJ records cited by Snopes, the anonymous man claimed he witnessed extreme abuse aboard Epstein’s yacht in 2000.
In an email to FBI officials, the man alleged that he “was a victim of a type of ritualistic sacrifice in which his feet were cut with a scimitar, but left no scarring. On the yacht, he witnessed babies being dismembered, their intestines removed, and individuals eating the faeces from these intestines.”
The man also accused Epstein and other prominent individuals of sexually assaulting him during the same incident.
However, DOJ records show that he did not provide any evidence to support his claims.
Snopes noted that the anonymous man did not explicitly allege cannibalism, but rather the consumption of human faeces.