A photo of Stephen Hawking with two women in bikinis has surfaced in newly released Epstein files, sparking renewed scrutiny of the late physicist's connections to the convicted sex offender. The image, taken at a 2006 science symposium in St. Thomas, shows Hawking with his caretakers during a conference funded by Epstein.

The family spokesperson told _The Times_ that the women were Hawking's longtime carers, emphasizing the photo was taken at a professional event where Hawking presented on quantum cosmology. The conference, titled "Confronting Gravity," allowed attendees to relax on beaches and visit Epstein's private island retreat, according to the Edge Foundation.

While Hawking is referenced approximately 250 times in the Epstein files, his family maintains the interactions were professional. An email from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell mentioned offering a reward to disprove allegations of Hawking's involvement in "an underage orgy" in the Virgin Islands. The physicist, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and died in 2018, has not been accused of any crimes related to Epstein, and being mentioned in the files does not indicate wrongdoing.