Since Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019, Little St. James, his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has remained virtually untouched and abandoned. Despite the passing of time, the structures, including the main mansion, guest villas, and a mysterious square-shaped building surrounded by dense vegetation, still stand, as if frozen in time.
Originally purchased in 1998 for about $8 million, the island became infamously associated with serious allegations of sex trafficking of minors between 2001 and 2019. Court documents and witness testimony revealed that Epstein and his associates used helicopters and boats to transport young women and underage girls to Little St. James, where they were subjected to exploitation and confinement.
In March 2022, the island, along with nearby Great Saint James, was listed for sale with a combined asking price of $125 million. It was eventually purchased in May 2023 by investor Stephen Deckoff for approximately $60 million. His plan: to develop a luxury resort set to open in 2025.
Beyond the sale, a tech investigation uncovered that nearly 200 mobile devices had visited the island between 2016 and 2019. This revelation exposed the presence of numerous high-profile visitors and sparked debates over privacy, ethics, and institutional cover-ups.
Why has the island remained intact for so long?
Because after Epstein’s death, the property was left completely unused, abandoned, yet protected under private ownership. The buildings still stand, perhaps awaiting transformation under new ownership. Some urban explorers have even trespassed onto the island, sharing images of empty rooms, intact furniture, and eerie hallways—a chilling reminder of what once took place there.
