Newly released documents and emails linked to the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein contain allegations that human brains from deceased individuals in North Macedonia were frozen and transported to the United States, where they were allegedly used for scientific research, according to materials made public in the United States.
The allegations surfaced amid the disclosure of millions of documents related to Epstein, released by the U.S. Department of Justice under a new legislative act adopted in late January 2026, aimed at increasing transparency in cases of significant public interest.
According to the emails cited in the released material, references are made to the handling of approximately 1,000 human brains, including those of individuals who had died by suicide. The correspondence allegedly describes procedures for freezing, packaging and shipping brain tissue to research locations in the United States.
The documents do not specify whether the families of the deceased had given consent for the use of organs, nor do they clarify whether health or legal authorities in North Macedonia were informed or involved in the process.
Some of the emails were reportedly sent to Epstein by individuals whose identities have been redacted, detailing logistical aspects of preserving and transporting brain tissue. The material does not identify the U.S.-based institutions that may have received the samples, nor does it explain how they were ultimately used for scientific purposes.
The allegations have gained renewed attention in North Macedonia following recent public statements by investigative journalist Menche Tochi, who said she had uncovered similar information years earlier while working at the now-defunct A1 Television.
Speaking this week on Telma TV’s current affairs programme “Top Tema,” Tochi said she began investigating claims that brain tissue from patients in North Macedonia had been sent to Columbia University in New York for research. She said her initial confirmation came from the Psychiatric Hospital in Skopje, based on information provided by its then director.
“The information suggested that there were patients who remained institutionalised for decades, 20 or 30 years, forgotten by their families. People were dying there. I don’t know exactly what happened, but my investigation led me to Columbia University, forensic medicine institutions, and customs authorities,” Tochi said.
She said officials at the customs administration told her at the time that they were unaware of any such shipments, raising questions about how biological material could have left the country and whether families had been informed.
Tochi stated that her reporting led her to Professor Gorazd Rosoklija, whom she identified as the lead researcher on the project, but said he declined to discuss the matter publicly. According to Tochi, she was told that the project had already been completed and that there was no reason for public scrutiny. She also alleged that she faced pressure not to publish her findings.
BV was not immediately able to independently verify Tochi’s claims or the authenticity of the emails cited in the Epstein-related documents. Rosoklija could not be reached for comment.
In a social media post following her television appearance, Tochi said she had not abandoned the investigation due to pressure, but because of what she described as “other circumstances,” adding that multiple actors, including members of the medical community, were aware of the case.
Neither the U.S. nor the North Macedonian authorities have so far issued official statements addressing the allegations contained in the newly released documents. It remains unclear whether any formal investigations have been launched or whether the claims will prompt inquiries in either country.
The Epstein document release is part of a broader disclosure involving millions of pages of records, audio, and visual materials related to investigations into Epstein’s crimes and his network of high-profile contacts. U.S. officials have described the archive as one of the largest collections of evidentiary material ever made public in a single criminal case.