Jeffrey Epstein fell victim to a particularly rare form of outsourced suicide on August 10, 2019. He was awaiting a trial in which he would have to testify against accusations that he was running a child sex-trafficking organization the size of a fortune 500 company. And his clientele was supposedly some of the world’s most prominent figures. And with his death, justice for the victims that had filed charges against him, and many others seemed to dissipate. But he was not the only piece to this puzzle. There are others that were complicit in this pedophilic nightmare that Epstein had constructed. One of which was his longtime girlfriend, confidant, and right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell. 

Maxwell had been missing for nearly a year. Some say she was just mourning the death of her long-time lover. Nonetheless, whatever kind of spiritual refuge she may have been in search of, it was swiftly interrupted, as the sole of an FBI agents boot cruised through the door to her quaint, New Hampshire safe house.

At long last, Maxwell has been arrested and is in custody. The judge has granted her no possibility of bail. She poses an obvious flight risk considering her absence warranted a house call from the feds. In addition, the court has begun unsealing documents from a 2016 civil suit that could potentially, “name-names” of other high-profile people who were involved in acts of pedophilia and rape. One of the key pieces of information that was recently revealed through these documents puts Prince Andrew back in the spotlight. Along with the existing allegations of rape and molestation coming from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who was an assistant and victim of Epstein. There are new reports that Prince Andrew lobbied the US Government to try and get a better plea deal for his buddy Epstein, the first time he was on trial for underage prostitution. All of this substantial new evidence is emerging. All of this new information surrounding one of the largest criminal cases in history is right in front of our faces. All of this tangible evidence is slowly manifesting itself into justice for these girls that were raped and abused. But in the wake of all of this affirmation, people would rather share unsubstantiated claims that children are being trafficked in cabinets.

In case you are unfamiliar with the story, the ultra-far alt-right source, Qanon has been sharing stories online that accuse the furniture manufacturer Wayfair of sex-trafficking girls by means of delivering them in storage lockers. These claims were spread through low-resolution screen shots of Wayfair cabinets that were supposedly named after missing girls and valued at incredibly high prices. Basically, the missing girls were being delivered to pedophiles in these cabinets and someone on reddit cracked the case wide open. This is simply not true. If this sounds like the plot to a fascinating movie that is because like many great films, it is a story that was also developed in the realm of fiction.

First of all, there are no children being sold through a company like Wayfair that reports their earnings to the IRS, which is public knowledge. That seems a bit advantageous for a group of pedophiles that must operate in secrecy. Second, there are existing testimonies of girls that were actually enlisted into this elitist sex ring, and none of them mention being swept away and shoved into the drawers of a nightstand. They all share a similar narrative in which Ghislaine Maxwell was their pimp and solicited these girls from low income neighborhoods. But that is not being spoken about, because it’s just not as intriguing of a story. Furthermore, the list of missing girls was comprised with the same meticulous fact-checking and research that can be expected from a source like Qanon. For example, Samantha Duplessis is one of the girls that was reportedly being sold to the world’s elites inside of a throw pillow. Problem is, she had already been removed from the missing persons list because she returned to her family in May (two months prior to this stories inception). Another girl that was supposedly being trafficked inside of a metal footlocker, Mary Durrett was found safe in 2017. This pattern repeats as these incredulous claims crumble upon themselves. But the most important piece of this factually deprived pile of bullshit is that there are girls named in this conspiracy that are still missing. And their families want them back. But the last kind of attention they need drawn toward their absence is a conspiracy theory.  

Spreading these kinds of theories does nothing aside from tarnish the names of the victims and associate them with radical beliefs. If you uncompromisingly believe that there is a child being sold into sex slavery in a cabinet, a cabinet that you could purchase via a small personal loan or a credit card, then what the fuck is stopping you? A purchase that could save a child from being raped seems invaluable if you ask me. But the reason that the sales of Wayfair cabinets did not skyrocket after this conspiracy found its way to the mainstream is because those sharing these “sources” didn’t actually believe it. They just wanted to stir the pot.  

Admittedly, I find myself throwing proverbial stones outside of my own glass house as I write this. Because I too share an interest in quite a few conspiracies. For example, I adamantly believe that Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself. I also believe that children are being molested and raped by an alarming number of people in positions of power throughout the world. But this Wayfair nonsense is one I simply cannot entertain because of its potential detriment.

This Wayfair theory is just a hysteric derivative of the outrage that was caused by the emptiness attached to Epstein’s death. His victims will never see him face justice for his atrocities. And that can leave a huge fucking whole in the heart of any decent human being. But that is not an excuse to spread impractical notions like wildfire. We have actual testimony from actual victims of this pedophilic sex ring, and they are being silenced and hushed by fictional stories. Stories that will cause facts to get misplaced with theories, and possibly allow justice to elude these girls once more.

The beginning of this article shared just a brief synopsis of the new evidence surrounding Maxwell’s arrest and ongoing trial. But I implore you, the reader, to research more and stay up to date with this case and spread only the truth. Focus on the evidence at hand. Allow these victims to be heard, fully and uninterrupted. 

The believability of something so absurd speaks volumes about how we receive and digest our news. The true nature of the story is so depraved that it not only allows but it welcomes these outlandish conspiracy theories. And they are wonderfully intriguing. They tantalize ideas of justice in the most grandiose fashions. But as our imaginations are being teased, real justice begins to escape. These theories are cancerous to the truth. They infest themselves within the body of evidence that is available to the eyes of the public. They permeate public opinion and discourse. These stories impede the pursuit of resolution for the victims.  Most importantly, fallacies such as this create what our parasitic society needs to feed upon, misguided hysteria. 

The spread of fake news is rapid and vicious. Before you know it, you can become enveloped inside of a monstrous story that was created by loose lips, impatience, and imprudent displays of passion. Justice is not always expedient. Especially when those on trial have unfathomable fortunes and levels of societal clout. Spouting nonsense will not accelerate the process. Justice emerges through truth and zealous persistence, but it dies in delirium.

It was a humid August evening on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I sat on the edge of an old trailer that was parked outside of our company area because we had just come out of the field. I was accompanied by my friend Tyler. And we were doing what E-4’s do best when being forced to anything at all. We were chain-smoking cigarettes, profusely complaining about the unit we were assigned to, and re-evaluating every decision we had ever made up to this point. It was a Friday evening, there were beers to be drank, but we were not going home anytime soon. Word had come down that we had lost a set of PVS-14’s (NVG’s or night vision goggles). And as it goes when certain pieces of equipment perform a vanishing act, we were on a lockdown until the equipment was found. Lockdowns related to missing equipment in the 82^nd Airborne Division happen more often than any of its soldiers are proud to admit. But those incidents are par for the course when paratroopers are consistently being hurdled out of aircrafts with thousands of dollars’ worth of sensitive equipment strapped to their person. As a paratrooper you become proficient in a couple of things: falling out of the sky and finding the things you lost while falling out of the sky. We spent hours upon hours, scouring every nook and cranny of the entire 2^nd Brigade Combat Team footprint in an attempt to find our equipment. We would join hands in a pseudo-sort-of kumbaya fashion, as we walked across enormous training areas and drop zones. Unified only by the harmonious complaints of junior-enlisted paratroopers. Eventually the PVS-14’s were found and we were released to conduct our “getting the hell out of the field” ritual. This consisted of seeing just how many Miller Lites the human body could contain in one evening, while simultaneously trying to erase the memory of spending days looking for NVG’s that were inside of some other soldier’s ruck sack the entire time…

In the Army there are certain items that must be under a constant state of positive control. These items include, but are not limited to, rifles, communication equipment, night vision devices, and even privates. Even though it does not always feel like it, the military centers around the idea of accountability. There are several formations that take place on a daily basis. There are countless, and I mean literally countless equipment layouts and inspections happening on a daily basis throughout the entire military. In fact, there are so many inspections, it is a leading reason as to why many soldiers do not reenlist. When I think back on the numerous hours of my life spent accounting for different pieces of Army issued equipment, I cannot even begin fathom what the fuck is happening on Fort Hood, right now. Not once, but twice in one-year Fort Hood has lost two of their own due to negligence.   

On August 19, 2019 PV2 Gregory Wedel-Morales was days away from being discharged from the Army for reasons that are still undisclosed. He was last seen driving his vehicle outside of post in Killeen, Texas. From there he seemingly fell off the face of the earth for nearly ten months. This story was originally reported at a level no higher than a slight whisper by his chain of command. PV2 Wedel-Morales was labeled as AWOL and life on Fort Hood went back to normal.

Fast forward to April 22, 2020. Another junior-enlisted soldier is reported missing on Fort Hood. This time is was PFC Vanessa Guillen. She was reported missing after a check of her barracks room was conducted and she was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, her car keys and military ID were found in the arms room that she was assigned to. Her disappearance was once again met with nothing more than a soft murmur.

Her family was displeased with the Army’s investigation, or lack thereof. They wanted more than just the publication of a missing person’s poster. The Guillen family was afraid for Vanessa’s safety because she had allegedly told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by her leadership. They took to social media and made enough noise to cause this case to eventually gain some traction.

The Army’s CID (Criminal Investigation Division) got involved soon after and began searching for this young soldier. That is where this story becomes even more twisted. 

On June 19, 2020 Army CID found human remains that have since been confirmed to be that of PV2 Wedel-Morales in a field in Killeen, Texas. Foul play is suspected but nothing else has been determined at this time. 

Three days later on June 22, 2020 more human remains were found in the local area surrounding Fort Hood. These have yet to be positively identified but many are speculating that these may be the remains of PFC Guillen. 

July 1, 2020 the story takes a malicious turn for the worst. A soldier that was suspected to be connected to the PFC Guillen disappearance had gone missing from his appointed place of duty on Fort Hood. The soldier has been identified as, Aaron Robinson. Local authorities tracked this man down and positively identified him as he was walking down the streets of Killeen. As the officers tried to communicate with Robinson, he pulled out a firearm and committed suicide right in the middle of the street. 

PFC Guillen’s family is now requesting a congressional investigation into Vanessa’s disappearance.

I cannot lean on the side of speculation and claim that these two soldiers’ disappearances are in any way linked. I cannot speak on the alleged instances of sexual assault that may have occurred against PFC Guillen at the hands of her leadership. But I can, we all can, request that the leadership on Fort Hood, along with those belonging to the 3^rd Cavalry Regiment begin to keep the same accountability of their soldiers as they do their equipment.

The beginning of this article was humorous and anecdotal to educate those that never served about how seriously certain parts of the Army take accountability. For those reading that have served, the introduction probably just served as a frustrating reminder of time wasted looking for inanimate objects. But it needs to be noted that entire posts have been shut down for days on end while looking for sensitive items. And the way that Fort Hood has handled these disappearances proves that some soldiers and leaders alike, must have forgotten that these missing soldiers are worth the same kind of meticulous and aggressive search methods as the sensitive items you entrust them with.

Fort Hood, at one point you had three missing soldiers. Two that are now confirmed to be dead. One still missing. Your motto is, “The Great Place”. Those words are the first thing you see upon entering your post, but there is nothing great about an installation that chose to remain silent and seemingly uninterested with the losses being accumulated among its own ranks.   

Sources

https://abcnews.go.com/US/unidentified-remains-found-search-missing-soldier-vanessa-guillen/story?id=71536326

https://www.kxxv.com/hometown/bell-county/one-suspect-dead-two-others-arrested-in-connection-to-disappearance-of-pfc-vanessa-guillen

https://abc13.com/body-found-in-killeen-fort-hood-dead-missing-soldier/6258464/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/21/army-confirms-body-missing-fort-hood-soldier-gregory-morales-found/3233055001/

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/07/01/family-missing-fort-hood-soldier-vanessa-guillen-press-conference-washington-dc/#:~:text=Guillen%2C%20who%20was%20assigned%20to,her%20cell%20phone%20is%20missing.