New Mexico is officially reopening a criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous Zorro Ranch. This is a huge development, especially since new allegations are surfacing from recently released Justice Department files concerning the convicted sex offender.
State prosecutors are making it clear they’re taking a “broad and comprehensive” look at the ranch, according to Attorney General Raúl Torrez on X. They’re actively seeking full access to all the unredacted Epstein files related to Zorro Ranch that federal investigators are holding in Washington D.C. Plus, they’ve pledged to team up with the new “Epstein truth commission” that state legislators just set up.
This bipartisan, four-member panel has a big job on its hands. It’s investigating serious allegations that the ranch might have been a hub for SA and trafficking. One of the state legislators on the commission, Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, told the BBC that there might have been reports to the FBI back in 2019, or even earlier, about bodies being buried and people being trafficked.
New email from anonymous sender has everyone scurrying for answers
In fact, the state confirmed it’s investigating a specific 2019 email from the recently released documents. This email, from an anonymous sender, alleged that Epstein had ordered the bodies of two foreign girls to be buried outside the ranch.Â
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is also seeking an unredacted copy of that email. The lawmakers on the commission also want to know why Epstein didn’t register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl way back in 2008.
This isn’t the first time New Mexico has looked into the ranch. The state actually shelved its initial investigation back in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019, never faced any charges in New Mexico, but prosecutors did confirm in 2019 that they had interviewed possible victims who visited the property. There are reports from a number of women alleging they were abused by Epstein at Zorro Ranch.
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico highlighted how isolated and beautiful the landscape of Zorro Ranch is, noting, “We know that there are horrible things that occurred at that ranch.”
Zorro Ranch is located south of Santa Fe. There are thousands of references to it in the millions of documents released by the US Justice Department in late January. The ranch boasts a huge 21,000 square foot mansion perched on a hilltop, overlooking nearly 10,000 acres of desert. It even had its own private airstrip and helipad nearby.
Today, Zorro Ranch is owned by former Texas state Senator Don Huffines, who purchased it from Epstein’s estate in 2023.
Published: Feb 20, 2026 06:30 pm