Decades Before 'Epstein Island', Exploitation and Murder Took Place in Michigan

The North Fox Island scandal in the 1970s echoes today's revelations about wealthy elites preying on children

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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In the 1970s, a remote island in Lake Michigan called North Fox Island was the site of a sophisticated child sex trafficking ring led by wealthy businessman Frank Shelden. The island was used as a resort and camp where Shelden and his associates would sexually exploit young boys recruited from underprivileged communities. This scandal predates the more recent revelations about Jeffrey Epstein's 'Epstein Island' by decades, but the patterns of privilege enabling predation are eerily similar.

Why it matters

The North Fox Island case highlights how child exploitation networks have operated for decades, enabled by the wealth and influence of the perpetrators. It also connects to the unsolved Oakland County Child Killer case in Michigan, where several children were abducted, murdered, and potentially used in the production of child sexual abuse materials. These historical events foreshadow the more recent Epstein scandal, showing how privilege has long permitted predation against vulnerable youth.

The details

Frank Shelden, a wealthy businessman from an influential Michigan family, purchased North Fox Island in 1960 and turned it into a remote resort where he and his associates sexually abused young boys they had recruited from underprivileged communities. They operated under the guise of a charitable organization called Brother Paul's Children's Mission. Shelden's associate, Gerald Richards, was eventually convicted of molestation charges in 1976, leading to a police raid on Shelden's home. However, Shelden fled to the Netherlands, which at the time did not have an extradition treaty for child sex crimes. The North Fox Island operation was also linked to another trafficking ring in Tennessee called The Tennessee Boy's Farm.

  • Shelden purchased North Fox Island in 1960.
  • Brother Paul's Children's Mission was incorporated as a tax-exempt charitable trust in 1975.
  • Richards was convicted of molestation charges in 1976.
  • Shelden fled to the Netherlands in the late 1970s, where he remained until his death in 1996.
  • The Oakland County Child Killer murders took place between 1976 and 1977.

The players

Frank Shelden

A wealthy businessman from an influential Michigan family who purchased North Fox Island in 1960 and used it as the site of a child sex trafficking ring.

Gerald Richards

An associate of Shelden's who was a gym teacher and traveling magician, convicted of molestation charges in 1976 and who testified before Congress about the North Fox Island operation.

Christopher Busch

A man from an influential family who was implicated in the Oakland County Child Killer case and had a collection of child sexual abuse materials, though he was never definitively linked to the murders.

Arch Sloan

A suspect in the Oakland County Child Killer case who owned a car that contained hairs matching those found on the victims, though the hairs did not belong to him.

Ted Lamborgine

An Ohio resident arrested in 2007 on child sexual assault charges from the 1970s and 1980s, who was offered a plea deal to assist in the Oakland County Child Killer investigation but refused.

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What they’re saying

“Although I had contact with about 600 correspondents and customers … I gave away a lot of materials in an effort to latch on to a very few wealthy men as supporters. In many respects, my life was ruined by the mail.”

— Gerald Richards, Testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency)

What’s next

Investigators continue to analyze DNA evidence and other forensic clues in hopes of finally solving the Oakland County Child Killer case, which has remained unsolved for over 45 years.

The takeaway

The North Fox Island and Oakland County Child Killer cases demonstrate how child exploitation networks have operated for decades, enabled by the wealth and privilege of the perpetrators. These historical events foreshadow more recent scandals like the Epstein case, underscoring the need for greater accountability and reform to protect vulnerable children from predatory adults in positions of power.