House Democrats have released never-before-seen photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein's infamous Little St James island, dubbed a 'pedophile paradise' by some locals, prompting accusers to relive their trauma amid calls for full transparency.
The materials, disclosed on 3 December 2025, offer a glimpse into the secluded estate where the late financier allegedly trafficked and abused underage girls. Survivors have described the images as both validating and deeply distressing, reigniting painful memories of exploitation.
The Epstein Island Videos Released
The Oversight Committee unveiled over 150 photographs and video clips, captured by US Virgin Islands authorities in 2020, a year after Epstein's suicide in jail. The footage includes walkthroughs of the sprawling property, showing bedrooms, an office-like space, a chalkboard scrawled with words such as 'deception' and 'power', and a room featuring a dentist's chair with masks on the walls.
Exteriors depict the island's structures, including a no trespassing sign on the beach. Representative Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat, called the visuals 'a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island'. The release stems from a November request to the USVI attorney general for investigative records on Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is imprisoned.
Further batches followed, including one on 19 December with more interiors and quotes from Lolita etched on surfaces. Redactions protected potential victims' names.
Accusers' Reactions and Trauma
Survivors have voiced mixed emotions about the disclosures, balancing a quest for justice with the risk of renewed psychological harm. Marina Lacerda, abused from age 14, said the files could clarify her fragmented memories but admitted, 'It will be re-traumatizing, but it's transparency—and I need it'.
Jena-Lisa Jones, victimised at 14, hoped the materials expose accomplices, yet distrusted authorities for past failures. Haley Robson, abused at 16, found the releases triggering yet empowering, shifting the power dynamic after years of feeling sidelined. The #iwasfifteen hashtag has surged, highlighting how traffickers exploit teenage vulnerabilities.
On X, investigative journalist Amber Speaks Up noted Epstein's lesser-known second island, Great St James, where survivors allege further abuses occurred, questioning why it remains unexamined. Accusers like Virginia Giuffre have long detailed helicopter transfers and assaults there.
How many people even know Epstein had two islands?
— Amber Speaks Up (@AmberWoods100) December 11, 2025
Great Saint James — the bigger one — is where he built a covert compound and underwater lab.
Survivors say they were flown there by helicopter.
The media never touched it.
The government never searched it.
Ask yourself why. pic.twitter.com/FDgPEIoF0U
The Island's Sordid Background
Epstein bought Little St James in 1998 for £5.9 million ($7.95 million), transforming the 70-acre haven into a site of alleged horrors. Court filings claim he shuttled girls as young as 11 to the island, tracking them via a database. In 2022, his estate settled with the USVI for £77.8 million ($105 million) over trafficking allegations.
He later acquired Great St James, where unpermitted structures, possibly underground, were built for secrecy. Both islands sold in 2023 to investor Stephen Deckoff for £92.6 million ($125 million), with plans for a luxury resort. FBI searches in 2019 reportedly saw evidence like tapes destroyed or removed.
Employees at Epstein's island, Little St. James, told FBI that significant amounts of evidence, including "tons of boxes, cameras, video tapes and documents," were packed up or destroyed before the FBI showed up to search the property following his 2019 arrest.
— RELEASE EPSTEIN'S FILES (@FREEDOM4U2025) December 27, 2025
WHO TOOK THEM?! pic.twitter.com/vyWSOKhx1q
A bipartisan law, signed by US President Donald Trump, mandated the Justice Department to unseal all Epstein files by 19 December 2025, though survivors and lawmakers criticised the partial redactions and scope. As of 29 December 2025, the full Epstein island videos released have fuelled demands for unredacted documents, with accusers urging probes into enablers as trauma echoes persist.
Lawmakers have criticised heavy redactions in prior batches and the temporary removal of certain images from public access, heightening scrutiny over transparency in the ongoing process.
