Updated 2/6/2026
That’s according to emails among the millions of files the Department of Justice released late last month connected to Jeffrey Epstein, who in 2019 was arrested for trafficking and sexually assaulting dozens of underage girls.
John Robert Horner or “Jack” was born in Shelby in 1946 and served as professor and staff at Montana State University and the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman for over three decades. He drew local and national headlines for marrying a teenage paleontological student at MSU in 2012.
Emails show in August that same year, Horner visited Epstein’s “Zorro” ranch in New Mexico for a dinosaur and fossil dig at Epstein’s invitation. Following the August visit, Horner sends his best wishes to Epstein and “the girls.”
In the same email, he requests Epstein’s help to fund a seminar in Bozeman, which appears to have been granted, although Epstein did not attend. Later emails indicate Horner visited the ranch with a student for lunch in 2016, but Epstein was not present.
MSU and the Museum of the Rockies declined an interview. An MSU spokesperson said in a comment that the museum could not find a donation from Epstein.
YPR did not receive a response to emails sent to Horner.
UPDATED 2/6/26
Famed paleontologist and former Montana State University professor Jack Horner released a social media statement on Thursday, Feb 5 responding to recently publicized emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein.
In Horner’s four page Facebook statement he said his correspondence and meeting with Epstein in 2012 concerned a potential donation from Epstein for Horner’s DinoChicken project that the paleontologist said was high risk and extremely difficult to fund.
He said Epstein was known to him as a wealthy person with an interest in science who had made donations to major academic institutions.
Horner said the trip to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch was to pitch his project which Epstein declined to fund after his presentation. Epstein said he was not persuaded of its feasibility.
Following his trip Horner sent a brief email thanking Epstein and “the girls” who he said were identified to him as college students—for allowing him to present his project and explore the geology of the ranch.
Horner said he was aware at the time Epstein had previously been charged with soliciting a prostitute and served a sentence. Horner adamantly states in the social media post that he was not aware of any additional allegations or misconduct.
He writes…”no amount of money in the world would have lured me to meet with a known sexual predator.”
Horner acknowledges he made a return visit to the ranch in 2016 as part of a southwest US geology tour but Epstein was not present.
Horner is the latest person caught up in the vortex of emails among the millions of files released late last month by the Department of Justice.
