State investigators in New Mexico have finally begun combing through the sprawling ranch once owned by disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a move that should have happened many years ago.
On Monday, agents from the New Mexico Department of Justice joined local sheriff’s deputies to search the remote high-desert property known as Zorro Ranch. The 30,000-square-foot compound sits on thousands of acres outside Santa Fe and has long been cited by Epstein victims as a site of abuse and trafficking.
Yet despite those claims, the property was never thoroughly examined after Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death — a glaring gap that has fueled suspicions about how aggressively authorities pursued the powerful predator and his network.
Now state officials say they are determined to change that.
The search is part of a criminal inquiry launched last month by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. While officials have offered few details about the scope of the operation, the investigation marks the most serious attempt yet to determine what actually occurred on the ranch during Epstein’s years of ownership.
For many observers, the effort raises uncomfortable questions about whether federal authorities overlooked critical evidence when they took control of the case in 2019.
Victims have repeatedly alleged they were abused at Zorro Ranch, but the isolated estate — surrounded by vast grasslands — never became a major focus of federal investigators. Newly released Epstein documents have intensified scrutiny, including one anonymous tip claiming Epstein concealed the deaths of two abused girls and buried them somewhere on the property. Authorities have not confirmed whether the FBI ever pursued that lead.
In response to growing public pressure, New Mexico lawmakers last month unanimously approved the creation of a bipartisan “truth commission” with subpoena power to examine Epstein’s activities in the state.
The ranch itself has changed hands since Epstein’s death. Texas businessman Don Huffines purchased the property and renamed it San Rafael Ranch, saying he intends to convert it into a Christian retreat.
Huffines has welcomed the search, telling reporters his family has fully cooperated with investigators and supports a “thorough and legitimate investigation” into any crimes tied to the ranch’s previous owner.
State officials are urging the public to stay away from the area as the search unfolds. The site has recently drawn small protests and gatherings by activists demanding answers about Epstein’s network of powerful associates. It is time to get to the bottom of exactly what this disgusting pedophile blackmailer was really up to.
