The arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell (July 2) as an accessory to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein provides us an opportunity to take a quick look back at the integrity and dependability of some quite recent stories.

She was reportedly hiding out at an estate in New Hampshire.

Ghislaine Maxwell was hiding out in a luxury home on a 156-acre estate in New Hampshire — where she fled to a bedroom when the feds rang the bell at the gate ahead of her arrest, The Post has learned. —New York Post (July 2)

That report seems reliable.  However, on June 21, less than two weeks ago, The New York Post reported:

Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly hiding from the feds in plush Paris apartment

Jeffrey Epstein's alleged "madame," Ghislaine Maxwell, has reportedly fled to her native France.

The socialite on the run has bunkered down in a plush Paris apartment as the FBI investigates her connection to the billionaire convicted pedophile and alleged sex trafficker, The Sun reported Saturday.

That seems odd.  A New York newspaper had fallen for a false story a mere two weeks ago?!  Nothing gets by the New York press.  Of course, in defense of the New York Post, it was merely citing The Sun as a source.

Yet the story seemed plausible, as The Sun had an outside photo shot of her hideaway, even giving the street address as "Avenue Matignon, in Paris's exclusive 8th Arrondissement."  Everything but her phone number.

If one assumes that the N.Y. Post and The Sun were on top of their game, then Ms. Maxwell must have flown back from France to New Hampshire, to make it that much easier for the FBI to arrest her.

Oxygen reported about a month ago:

Since Epstein's 2019 arrest, she has reportedly been in hiding. She's been rumored to be everywhere from Israel to France, ABC News reported in January. 

And, sure enough, ABC did report some rumors on Jan. 30.

Various press reports have placed her in Massachusetts, California, France and Israel, yet none of those sightings has been confirmed. —ABC

Confirmed?  Let's look at that Massachusetts rumor.

It seems that Heavy.com also repeated the Massachusetts rumors in May 2020.  Two sources!  It had to have been true.

And the California rumor?  That was reported in August 2019 with a photograph where Ms. Maxwell was supposedly eating at an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles.  It had to be true.  It was in the New York Post.

The Post found the socialite hiding in plain sight in the least likely place imaginable — a fast-food joint in Los Angeles. —NY Post

But wait, also in May 2020, The Daily Mail wondered:

Is Ghislaine Maxwell hiding out at Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch? —The Daily Mail

The Zorro Rancho is in New Mexico.  What?  New Mexico, Massachusetts, California, Israel, and France?  Ms. Maxwell got around.  No wonder the FBI couldn't find her.

In May 2020, Cheatsheet noted:

As of early 2019, Maxwell was reportedly living in Manchester by the Sea in Massachusetts. And by August of 2019, the New York Post reported that she was spotted in Los Angeles. Since Epstein's death, tabloids and newspapers have been trying to track down Maxwell's whereabouts, and some have even offered rewards for information on her location.

This woman was harder to find than Waldo.

Not to be outdone, The Daily Mail reported in January that she was in both the U.K. and Israel:

An explosive new report has asserted that deceased sex criminal Jeffery Epstein and his alleged 'madame' Ghislaine Maxwell were foreign intelligence 'assets', and that she is currently hiding in a safehouse in Israel.

'She is not in the US, she moves around. She is sometimes in the UK, but most often in other countries, such as Israel, where her powerful contacts have provided her with safe houses and protection,' the source said. ...

Maxwell is being 'protected because of the information she has on the world's most powerful people,' the source said. —The Daily Mail

This story also had to be true, as it was repeated on Jan. 2, 2020.

Prince Andrew's pal Ghislaine Maxwell 'hiding from the FBI in an Israeli safe house'

The FBI want to investigate the British socialite over her friendship with the late paedophile Jeffery Epstein but the 58-year-old claimed to be his 'madam' appears to have vanished. —The Mirror

In October 2019 (after an update), the press reported:

Jeffrey Epstein's alleged co-conspirator lived a low-key life in this tony seaside town in New England, neighbors say[.] —Boston.com

Around the same time in October, the New York Post wondered if Ms. Maxwell had gone down South America Way.

Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell has been hiding in Brazil — along with the French modeling scout accused of recruiting girls for the late pedophile, according to a report. —New York Post

The Australian, in March 2020, reported rumors that Ms. Maxwell might have been in the French Alps.

There have been unconfirmed sightings here and there, hints of couch surfing at a chalet in the French Alps or at a luxurious weekender at Manchester-By-The-Sea in Massachusetts. She may have taken up residence in Israel. She may be in any one of a number of countries that don't have extradition agreements with the US. - The Australian

And then the Australian added, quite insightfully:

Someone must know where Ghislaine Maxwell is but they're not letting on.

But wait...

The Daily Mail reported in August:

Ghislaine Maxwell STAGED In-N-Out photo in Los Angeles with her close friend and attorney, using confidante's dog Dexter in the snapshot[.] —Daily Mail

You mean the Los Angeles photograph was staged?  Possibly false?  Was it Photoshopped?  Was it an old photo?  So why were other newspapers reporting that she might have been in California.

At this point, one might be suspicious that the press is dishonest … maybe they were being paid to report false stories to throw the authorities off the track. Nah! The press is an unimpeachable engine of democracy.

So, I am going to take a stab. And see if I am not right.

Within a week or two, Ghislaine Maxwell will regrettably – and be sure it will be regrettably – come down with a severe, and I do mean severe, case of coronavirus. She will die.

Why?

Because when she was arrested, she was not wearing a mask.

Her bad!

Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of screenshot detail from shareable Netflix video on YouTube, and public domain images from Public Domain Pictures and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department, via Wikimedia Commons.