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Kevin Riford
My missing sister Katie Riford and her two missing children
In 2019 my sister Katie Riford and her two children Olivia and Mason Riford went into hiding. During that time frame my family and I would report several government officials, one of which was Buffalo, NY FBI Special Agent Brian A. Burns whom we met with on numerous occasions both before and after my sister and her children went missing. We’ve covered this in other articles on rifordmedia.com.
Throughout this period, my family made numerous phone calls to the FBI regarding my sister and her children, but we never received a return call. Eventually, my sister Christina Little Riford and I drove from Buffalo, New York to the FBI headquarters in Albany, New York, hoping to speak with someone in person after making no progress through the FBI Buffalo field office.
At the Albany office we were allowed through the gated entrance and into the building, where we explained our situation. A security guard asked us to wait while he contacted an FBI agent. After approximately ten minutes, we were informed that we needed to leave the property and that any information we wished to submit should be done through the FBI’s website—something we had already done numerous times.
Contacting U.S. House Representative Chris Jacobs
After that, we decided to contact elected representatives in the Buffalo area, as we had no other recourse. At the time, we did not personally know any of these individuals; we only knew that they were supposed to assist constituents. My family made repeated calls to multiple offices, one of which was Chris Jacobs. After many attempts, we finally received a response from the office of U.S. Representative Chris Jacobs.
I spoke with a member of his staff, Emily Balkin, who discussed the situation with me, including our concerns about the FBI and the disappearance of my sister and her children. Following that conversation, Representative Chris Jacobs sent me an email regarding the matter, offering to contact the FBI. Things seemed hopeful – perhaps Chris Jacobs would be able to assist.
Pictured: 07/28/2021 E-mail sent from U.S. House Rep. Chris Jacobs to Kevin Riford’s University E-mail
After communicating with U.S. House of Representative Chris Jacobs
Subsequently, after contacting U.S. House Representative Chris Jacobs, his building would burn down and he would be put under investigation by the U.S. Ethics House Committee.
Pictured: Chris Jacob’s building burning down, source: wyrk.com
March 31, 2022
https://ethics.house.gov/press-releases/statement-chairman-and-ranking-member-committee-ethics-regarding-representative-62
March 1, 2023
Former Congressman Owned Building at Massive Fire in Buffalo
https://wyrk.com/congrassman-owned-buffalo-fire/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Jacobs_(politician)
Jeremy Jacobs in the Jeffrey Epstein Files
We recently discovered that Chris Jacobs uncle Jeremy Jacobs Sr. is in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
In the Epstein-related email record, Jeremy Jacobs appears by reference, not as a sender or recipient. Jeremy Jacobs is the billionaire founder of Delaware North and one of the most influential private figures in Western New York, with long-standing ties to major sports, hospitality, and institutional interests in Buffalo.
His relevance in the record is contextual rather than direct: he is part of the same extended Jacobs family as Chris Jacobs, who later became involved in my families effort to seek assistance from the FBI. Chris Jacobs is Jeremy Jacobs’ nephew, placing them in different but parallel lanes of power—one corporate and institutional, the other political and governmental. The email itself does not allege misconduct by Jeremy Jacobs, nor does it suggest action on his part; instead, his presence underscores how a small circle of prominent Buffalo, NY names recur across political, institutional, and private correspondence connected to Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting proximity and overlap.
Pictured: e-mail referencing Jeremy Jacobs property in Buffalo, NY
source: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta01057117-pdf?view=inbox
additional source: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01057117.pdf
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jacobs
NYS Governor Kathy Hochul in Jeffrey Epstein files and appoints Jermey Jacobs Jr.
To make things more interesting NYS Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Chris Jacobs cousin Jermey Jacobs Jr. in 2025 to serve as chair of University at Buffalo Council.
Pictured: Jeremy Jacobs Jr. University at Buffalo announcement
Source: https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2025/03/jacobs-jr-chair-ub-council.html
Pictured: Google search result for Hochul & Jeremy Jacobs
Additional source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Jacobs_Jr.
Further in our research, we would discover that Kathy Hochul and Senator Gilibrand are referenced in the Epstein files.
source: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00402941-pdf?view=inbox
additional source: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00402941.pdf
Pictured: e-mail asking Jeffrey Epstein if he will joining Senator Gillibrand and Kathy Hochul
source: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00402700-pdf?view=inbox
additional source: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00402700.pdf
It makes me sick to know that our missing sister Katie and her children who would be later found in New Mexico lived only 50 minutes away from Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A call to Governor Hochul’s Office – the NYS Police then call Kevin Riford
On 12/23/2024 I would call Governor Hochul’s Office. The staff person took my name and contact information and said she would pass it along.
On the same day, I would receive a return call back – but not from the Governor’s Office. The NYS Police would call me and give me a brief interrogation, which is concerning considering my original phone call to the Governor’s office was benign in nature.
In essence my family tried everything we could to get assistance regarding our sister Katie Riford’s situation. From contacting the FBI to local representatives.
It’s a shame that so many went to the authorities including the Farmer sisters who went to both the NYPD and FBI. They could have done something to stop Epstein and his associates. Yet, they did nothing and allowed him and his associates to continue his operations. As most know, Epstein had residences in New Mexico, New York City, and Florida. Below is an excerpt from the NY Times.
source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/us/epstein-farmer-sisters-maxwell.html
unblocked paywall: https://archive.ph/Gcw4J
I am left wondering why NYS Attorney General Letitia James and NYS Governor Kathy Hochul are not looking into why the NYC Police Department did nothing to help victims. How many victims of Epstein & Associates went to the police and yet nothing was done. Is this just a simple oversight that was repeated over and over again, or was this turning a blind eye to what was really going on. That’s a question you’ll have to answer yourself.
We are still waiting for documents indicating that Jeffrey Epstein was renting his NYC apartment from the U.S. Department of State Office of Foreign Missions. We requested these documents in 2022 and as of 2026 we still do not have the records requested. Talk about transparency.
Source: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/jeffrey-epstein-state-department
Jeffrey Epstein & his associates used threats against their victims to keep them inline. Everything from threatening to burn their house down to threats of future rapings and more.
source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/21/epstein-fbi-maria-farmer-annie-farmer
I suppose threats and fear were the common denominator which kept victims and witnesses silent. If you’re interested in searching Jeffrey Epstein’s emails you can do so at the following site: jmail.world which is a searchable archive of emails.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for part II.