Most conspiracy theories have at least some truth, with the rest being assumptions based on things proven true. Is Jeffery Epstein an agent of a shadowy super organization that spent decades collecting evidence of rich and powerful men abusing children to keep them under control?

Maybe. Parts of that are undeniably true, and the rest of that also happened separately(see finders cult). You’d be a conspiracy theorist to combine the two though, especially if you were to present this information in 2003, despite both things still being true then.

As far as your actual point; whistle blower have “committed suicide” by shooting themselves twice in the back of the head, dislocating their joints, and shoving themselves post mortem into a duffle bag in a ny apartment. (See CIA whistle blowers, NYPD whistleblowers.) Its not crazy to assume someone that took on someone powerful was killed and was made to look suicidal, that’s literally something that has happened thousands of times in the last 5 decades. As to why, it’s easier. It stops official investigations. Its over with and must people will assume it is true and anyone that questions it will be a crazy conspiracy theorist.

Critical thinking is a skill. Anyone can learn it. We can measure a person’s ability by giving them tests and throwing a wide array of problems at them.

This is part of that skillset, you understand subtext? this is the language of the powerful this is how they communicate to us not to resist and blow the whistle. You are serving their agenda by sowing doubt. Whistleblowers are ordinary people that have somehow accessed the deep courage to speak out when you or I would look the other way or say a thing is “someone else’s job”. These people are heroes; how many more of them are you going to watch die before you rise from your chair?