CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — As the U.S. Department of Justice releases datasets tied to the federal investigation into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, much of the public focus has been on the powerful figures linked to his crimes.
Less noticed is a document within the Epstein records that references two local Ohio law enforcement agencies: the Ross County Sheriff’s Office and the Chillicothe Police Department.
The reference appears in a single file, EFTA00172826, and does not allege that Epstein operated in Ross County or that local officials were involved in his criminal enterprise. Instead, the document reflects a broader examination of federal informant practices and includes allegations about how missing women cases were handled in southern Ohio, including Chillicothe and Portsmouth.
A records request with local implications
The file centers on a January 22, 2020, Freedom of Information Act request to the FBI, filed by forensic intelligence analyst and consultant Angela Clemente, along with attorneys Julia Greenberg, Jim Lesar, and Jay Hurst.
The request seeks FBI records related to Epstein’s role as an informant and whether federal authorities declined prosecution in exchange for cooperation. To support the request, Clemente attached multiple exhibits, including a 2008 FBI memo stating that Epstein provided information to the bureau and would not face federal prosecution as long as he complied with a Florida plea agreement.
Also attached is a formal complaint to the Ohio Auditor’s Office detailing alleged misconduct within the Ross County Sheriff’s Office and a multi-agency task force investigating missing and murdered women in southern Ohio.
The file functions as a meta-document — a records request supported by evidentiary context — rather than a finding of wrongdoing.
Focus on missing women in southern Ohio
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office appears in the file because Clemente alleges failures and conflicts within a state and federal task force investigating missing women from Ross and Scioto counties, areas that include Chillicothe and Portsmouth.
According to the document, a Ross County Sheriff’s detective served as the lead investigator on a task force that included the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI’s Cincinnati Division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Chillicothe Police Department.
The complaint references cases involving missing and murdered women from the region, including women from Ross County and Scioto County. These cases have long drawn scrutiny from families and community members who have questioned whether leads were fully pursued and whether conflicts of interest compromised investigations.
The document alleges, among other things:
- Failure to follow up on witness information
- Misuse of federal overtime funds
- Conflicts of interest within the task force
- Possible protection of informants
- Investigative lapses that may have allowed suspects in trafficking or homicide cases to remain at large
The allegations have not been adjudicated in court and are presented in the document as grounds for oversight and review.
The Epstein connection
Epstein’s name enters the document not through local criminal allegations, but through a comparison of informant-handling practices.
Clemente argues that Epstein was treated as a protected informant by federal authorities and that similar practices may have undermined investigations elsewhere, including in Ohio. Her FOIA request asks the FBI to determine whether Epstein or his associates had Ohio-based connections and whether victims were recruited from counties such as Ross and Scioto.
One passage cites an allegation that an Epstein victim reported being taken to an associate’s home in Ohio and assaulted there. The document does not identify a location, defendant, or judicial finding.
Who filed the request
In the document, Clemente identifies herself as a forensic intelligence analyst, congressional consultant, and paralegal with experience examining FBI informant practices. Many in the Scioto Valley remember Clemente, who served as a consultant and on-screen contributor for the documentary series “Gone — The Forgotten Women of Ohio,” which examined cases involving missing and murdered women in southern Ohio.
What the document shows — and what it does not
The file does not accuse Ross County law enforcement of involvement with Epstein, nor does it establish criminal wrongdoing by local officials. It does show that unresolved cases involving missing women in Chillicothe and Portsmouth were cited in a national effort to scrutinize federal informant practices following Epstein’s death.
Still, the document underscores how Epstein’s case continues to reverberate far beyond his known circle — reopening questions about informants, oversight, and the handling of missing women cases in communities that are still waiting for answers.
The full document can be found below. The Guardian notes that the allegations contained in this document have not been substantiated as of this reporting.
Anyone with information on any of the missing women cases in southern Ohio should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.