Karl-Erivan Haub, then co-head of the Tengelmann Group, disappeared without a trace in the canton of Valais in April 2018.Image: AP/dpa
The mysterious death of Jeffrey Epstein still casts long shadows years later – all the way to Switzerland. Newly published documents from the so-called Epstein files show: Swiss investigative authorities were already looking into possible connections between Epstein’s environment and the disappearance of the German billionaire Karl-Erivan Haub in Zermatt in 2020.
December 25, 2025, 7:11 p.mDecember 25, 2025, 7:11 p.m
Karl-Erivan Haub, German-American dual citizen and then co-head of the Tengelmann Group, disappeared in April 2018 during a ski tour above Zermatt. Surveillance cameras last showed him on his way to the Klein Matterhorn area. Despite one of the largest searches ever in the region, he remained untraceable.
The image from a surveillance camera presumably shows Karl-Erivan Haub on the way to the Little Matterhorn on April 7, 2018.image: Screenshot x.com
The family officially assumes it was a fatal mountain accident. But doubts have persisted for years. Media reports about Haub’s previous business relationships in Russia as well as unconfirmed indications of sightings after his disappearance fueled speculation about a possible disappearance. In 2021, Haub was legally declared dead.
A call from New York brings new leads
A previously little-known chapter took place in the summer of 2020, as “blue News” reports. At that time, Mark Epstein, the brother of Jeffrey Epstein, who was later found dead, reported to the Valais cantonal police. He first called Sion by telephone on June 2nd, followed by two emails on the same day.
According to newly published files, Mark Epstein offered the Valais authorities information that, in his opinion, suggested that the disappearance of Karl-Erivan Haub and the death of his brother Jeffrey could be connected.
Mark Epstein contacted the Valais cantonal police.Image: justice.gov
Threats, chats and the name “Mim Mim”
Specifically, Mark Epstein reported that during his own research he came across chat traffic – between a person with the alias “Mim Mim” and a “Mr. Haub”. The latter is said to be Christian Haub, the missing man’s brother and current Tengelmann boss.
In screenshots that Mark Epstein is said to have presented to the authorities, Christian Haub is massively threatened via Linkedin. Among other things, the news talks about the murder of children if answers are not provided. It is also claimed that Karl-Erivan Haub “wanted to say too much”.
The threat from “Mim Mim” to Mark Epstein.Image: justice.gov
Mark Epstein ultimately expressed his suspicions to the Valais investigators that both his brother Jeffrey Epstein and Karl-Erivan Haub could have been murdered.
Accusations without proven basis
Mark Epstein also claimed that “Mim Mim” had sold documents and received hush money from those close to the Tengelmann Group. It is unclear on which sources these assumptions are based. It also remains unclear whether the relevant emails or complete chat histories were actually available to the Swiss authorities.
The Valais cantonal police nevertheless recorded the statements internally and called in the federal police Fedpol. They contacted US authorities in mid-June 2020 and asked three central questions:
- Are there also reports from Mark Epstein on the Haub case there?
- Is there any information about a possible connection between Epstein and Haub?
- How do you evaluate the information provided by Mark Epstein?
It remains to be seen whether answers ever came
To date, it is not known whether US authorities responded to these requests. Fedpol explains that it has only taken on a coordinating role and refers to the canton of Valais. There, in turn, corresponding inquiries are currently being submitted to the public prosecutor’s office.
It also remains unclear whether Mark Epstein’s tips triggered new investigations or findings in the Haub case. Since Karl-Erivan Haub was officially declared dead a year later, there is much to suggest that no reliable new leads emerged.
Lots of unanswered questions, no evidence
The documents that have now become public provide no evidence of a connection between the Epstein complex and the billionaire’s disappearance in Zermatt. But they show that Swiss investigators have at least examined this possibility.
Why Mark Epstein came across the name Haub during his research into his brother’s death remains unclear, as does the identity of “Mim Mim”. The only thing that is certain is that the Epstein files give one of Switzerland’s most spectacular missing person cases a new, if still nebulous, dimension. (mke)