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'Jeffrey Epstein still alive?': Truth behind viral photo amid Epstein files release
A photo has gone viral on social media allegedly showing Jeffrey Epstein in sunglasses, with long hair and a beard.
Jeffrey Epstein has been firmly in focus after the Justice Department released the final tranche of documents linked to the late convicted child sex offender. There have been numerous claims that Epstein faked his death and is very much alive at present.
While these claims have come from unverified profiles, they have turned to documents from the DOJ library to try and make their case, like file number EFTA00133623. As per official records, Epstein was found hanging in his jail cell in August 2019 and authorities ruled it a suicide.
However, amid such online speculations, a photo purportedly showing Epstein in the present day has gone viral. It shows a person alleged to be Epstein wearing dark sunglasses and sporting a long hair and beard.
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The photo, showing a face in side profile, has been shared widely on social media, with many asking if it is indeed Jeffrey Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein alleged photo goes viral
One person sharing the photo wrote, “This is the full picture of Epstein. He’s in Israel.”
The image was shared on a conspiracy thread on Reddit as well. “Ok. I don’t normally fold over with these types of photos but bro, either I’m too consumed and everything is looking like pedo Epstein or that actually is him…. The guy standing next to him with an earpiece in. Am I going mad?,” the person who shared the post wrote.
Yet another asked on X “Is pedophile Jeffrey Epstein still alive?”. Meanwhile, one wondered “Is it Possible that Epstein is in witness protection & very much alive ?”.
Sharing the same photos, another person mentioned “The reason TRUMP doesn’t want to talk about EPSTEIN is because Trump knows Epstein is alive and in Israel.”
Fact-check: Jeffrey Epstein alleged image
While the person in the image does look like Epstein, if he grew a beard and decided to grow out his hair, the picture does not appear to be real.
One person on X noted it was AI-generated, specifically made using Gemini. They shared a full photo where the alleged watermark was visible in the bottom corner. “This picture going around is fake and AI-created...and trying to pull off Epstein is walking around alive and well in Tel Aviv using AI makes every single one of you look moronic,” the person wrote.
When asked about the picture, Grok fact-checked a user and said “No, that's not Jeffrey Epstein. He died in 2019, and this man's long hair and beard don't match Epstein's known appearance. It looks like a case of mistaken identity—perhaps a lookalike in Tel Aviv based on the surroundings,” though the AI chatbot did not flag the image as AI-generated.
