(Archival video from 2025 above)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) – The head of a Memphis, Tennessee-based nonprofit that works with police to combat human trafficking and child exploitation was found kidnapped on an island linked to Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday.
Benjamin Owen, founder of We Fight Monsters, was charged with trespassing on the island. He is currently out on bail and is back in Memphis awaiting an arraignment on May 15.
Irving sent a statement to Nexstar’s WREG, explaining that he was conducting research on the island to raise awareness of the Epstein story.
Melania Trump denies ties to Epstein, slams reports of emails with Ghislaine Maxwell
Virgin Islands police said in a court filing that on Saturday, authorities received reports of a kidnapping and assault on Little St. James Island, an island formerly owned by Epstein.
Police said when they arrived on the island they encountered three people, one of whom was initially aggressive towards officers. They escorted officers on all-terrain vehicles to the waiting area.
According to reports, police found a man, later identified as Irving, with his body and face bound with duct tape and wearing black pants with the words “We Fight Monsters” written on them.
Ben Owen of We Fight Monsters (WREG)
Ben Owen of We Fight Monsters (WREG)
A man on the island told police that his pregnant girlfriend was pushed to the ground by someone who broke into the island to take photos. While others fled, Owen was restrained by island personnel “to protect the island,” police said.
The worker was later accused of assaulting Irving in front of police, according to reports. Police determined Owen was unlawfully restrained for a reason.
Irving confirmed Saturday’s incident in a statement:
“As multiple media reports and public records confirm, I was arrested over the weekend for trespassing on Epstein Island while I was trying to do some research to bring the story back into focus and raise awareness about We Fight Monsters, our nonprofit organization that fights human trafficking and exploitation. Those reports also highlighted that I was kidnapped, tied up, and blindfolded by someone who ran the island for Jeffrey Epstein himself, while she apparently still manages and lives on the island.
“I want to thank [Virgin Islands police] Thank you for rescuing me from this disaster and I look forward to seeing what the legal process will reveal as this unfolds.
“I would add – no one pushed the woman on the beach and we have video of that confrontation in due course. At the request of the magistrate, that’s all I can say now and is simply repeating what is publicly available and I cannot discuss any details of the case.”
In court documents from a separate case, one of the women who met with police in the Irving case was identified as Ann Rodriquez, a property manager in Little St. James. Nexstar’s NewsNation reported that Rodriquez appears more than 200 times in Justice Department records related to the Epstein investigation and that he faces charges in an incident in May. Authorities said she chased the two brothers on the boat and forced one of them to strip naked and kneel before being tied up.
Rodriquez allegedly chased other members of Owen’s group on the boat while maintenance workers on the island detained him.
Epstein, a New York financier with ties to the business, Hollywood and political elite, was convicted of soliciting prostitution from minors and died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to The Hill.
