'Jurassic Park' palaeontologist parts ways with university after Epstein emails
Emails released by the US justice department show the ‘Jurassic Park’ adviser sought funding from Jeffrey Epstein, though he says he saw nothing suspicious during his visits, BBC reports.
A palaeontologist who worked as an adviser on several Jurassic Park films has left his position at Chapman University, weeks after emails linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public, BBC reported.
The emails, dating back to 2012, show that Jack Horner visited Epstein's New Mexico ranch and sought research funding. At the time, Horner was serving as a lecturer at Montana State University.
According to BBC, the exchanges were included in the latest tranche of Epstein-related files released by the US Department of Justice.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The report noted that appearing in the files does not imply wrongdoing.
In a statement cited by BBC, Horner said he regretted not investigating Epstein's background more thoroughly but insisted he did not observe anything "weird or suspicious" during his visit.
"In retrospect, I regret that I did not investigate Epstein's background beyond what was commonly known at the time," Horner said, adding that he had never previously conducted such checks on potential donors.
He also said that when the full extent of Epstein's crimes became public in 2019, he reflected on his limited interactions with him, stating that nothing he experienced during his short stay at the ranch indicated the conduct that later emerged.
A spokesperson for Chapman University told BBC that Horner "is no longer with the university", though it remains unclear whether he resigned or was dismissed.
BBC reported that in one August 2012 email, Horner thanked a contact for arranging his visit, writing that "Jeffrey and the girls were very gracious hosts."
Horner later clarified that he was referring to four women he had been introduced to as college students and said he regretted using the term "girls".
Other emails show Horner requesting funding for a research project, initially estimating the cost at $15,000 before revising it to $8,650. Epstein responded, "Great, check made to ???"
Horner said Epstein eventually donated $10,000 to his research.
He also told the BBC that he visited the ranch again in 2016 with a graduate student as part of a geology tour, adding that Epstein was not present during that visit.
