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In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a secluded ranch once owned by financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is under scrutiny as state investigators initiated a search on Monday. Allegations suggest that Epstein used the property for sexual abuse and trafficking of young women.
The search is being conducted with the cooperation of the ranch’s current proprietors, as confirmed by the office of State Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
Torrez revived the investigation last month, revisiting a case initially closed in 2019 at the behest of federal prosecutors in New York. State prosecutors now argue that details revealed in previously sealed FBI documents necessitate this renewed probe.
Epstein acquired the expansive Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Santa Fe, in 1993 from former Democratic Governor Bruce King. He developed the property, adding a mansion on a hill and a private airstrip.
In 2023, Epstein’s estate sold the ranch, with proceeds directed to creditors. The buyers were the family of Don Huffines, a Texas candidate for state comptroller, who recently emerged victorious in the Republican primary.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners,” the agency said in a statement. Prosecutors “will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”
Additionally, New Mexico state legislators have established a new commission to look into past activities at the ranch.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.
Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, but the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it had interviewed possible victims who visited Epstein’s ranch.