Authorities in the state of New Mexico on Monday began searching a remote ranch that was previously owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The search is being carried out as part of an ongoing investigation into possible illegal activity on the estate’s grounds.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Justice confirmed that state police and the local sheriff’s office conducted a search at Zorro Ranch, located about 30 miles from Santa Fe. The operation is being carried out under the direction of state Attorney General Raúl Torrez (Democrat).
Officials urged the public to stop flying drones in the area of the operation “so as not to interfere with the ongoing actions of law enforcement,” and to stay away from the ranch grounds. The property is now owned by former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines (Republican).
Huffines, who won the March 3 Republican primary in the race for Texas comptroller, purchased the ranch in 2023. It was reported that the proceeds from the sale were directed to Epstein’s victims. The new owner has announced plans to turn the property into a Christian retreat.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice thanks the current property owners for their cooperation and for granting access to carry out the search, and also expresses its appreciation to the ranch staff for their professionalism,” the agency said in a statement.
Torrez reopened the investigation into the ranch in mid-February after reviewing documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in the final tranche of materials related to the Epstein case.
Federal prosecutors in New York had requested that the original investigation be closed as early as 2019. However, as the state attorney general’s chief of staff said last month, “new information outlined in previously classified FBI files requires additional review.”
A 2019 email sent by an anonymous author became one of the key elements of the investigation. It claimed that two foreign women who died “as a result of strangulation during rough fetish sex” were buried in the hills near the ranch, Reuters reports.
According to the agency, the email was sent to the host of a radio show in New Mexico several months after Epstein died by suicide while in custody awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
“Our office will pursue this investigation thoroughly, with respect and compassion. We will share with the public what we can, when we can, while recognizing that an active criminal investigation sometimes requires withholding details that might otherwise be disclosed,” Torrez wrote in a column published Saturday in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“To those who have survived abuse: your voices and your stories matter. Whatever you choose to share with New Mexico law enforcement will directly assist this investigation. We want to hear from you in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.
State lawmakers have also formed a special bipartisan committee to investigate “Zorro Ranch and the related allegations of criminal activity.”