'Devastating' Findings at Epstein's Former School

A Michigan arts boarding school once linked to Jeffrey Epstein is now confronting a much wider history of abuse. A new, 97-page independent report finds that about 70 former students at the Interlochen Center for the Arts say they were sexually abused by 47 adults connected to the school between the 1950s and 2010s, with alleged behavior ranging from grooming and inappropriate touching to intercourse, per the New York Times. While some alleged offenders were named in multiple accounts over decades, the report notes that most incidents occurred many years ago and that reports dropped sharply after 2000. Investigators did not determine whether the reports were factual.

One attendee reported that a faculty member forced himself upon her in the woods in the 1970s, leaving her feeling "that this was the end of my life," per the Detroit Free Press. Another student said an administrator called him a "slut" and forced him to leave after he reported that he was groomed and raped by a faculty member in the 1980s. In another case, administrators wrote letters of recommendation for a person who resigned amid abuse allegations. Many former students described suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, and substance abuse after the alleged abuse.

Interlochen's president and board chair issued a public apology and said the school has turned over all accused names to local law enforcement. Interlochen says none of the 47 are currently affiliated with the school. The review, conducted by the Sanghavi Law Office, also includes new details about Epstein's interactions with students, including claims he paid for trips to New York and engaged in sexual contact there and at an on-campus lodge funded by his donations. (He attended the school as a teen.) The law firm describes the claims as "devastating." The school points to new safety measures—round-the-clock supervision, extensive cameras, tighter access for donors—and counseling support for alumni, adding, "Interlochen today is fundamentally different from the institution described in this report."