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New Mexico authorities began searching Zorro Ranch on Monday, where convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein —who died in 2019 — is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting young women.
The office of New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that the search was being done with the co-operation of the current ranch owners.
“This search is part of the criminal investigation announced by the New Mexico Department of Justice on February 19th into allegations of illegal activity at Epstein’s ranch prior to Epstein’s 2019 death,” the New Mexico Department of Justice announced in a statement.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism.”
The New Mexico Department of Justice also urged the public to stay away from the area and to ground any drone activity nearby to avoid interfering with the ongoing law enforcement operation.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead,” the statement added.
Torrez reopened an investigation of the ranch in February after New Mexico lawmakers passed legislation to launch a full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch.
The legislation was unanimously approved and creates a special committee of state representatives, including four representatives from both major parties, who are tasked with investigating what happened at the ranch.
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A bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch, which was purchased by Epstein in 1993. He owned the property until his death in 2019, and his estate put it up for sale in 2021.
The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 — with proceeds going toward creditors — to the family of Don Huffines, a candidate in Texas for state comptroller who won the Republican primary last week.
Legislators are also urging area residents to testify and are seeking to identify any ranch guests and state officials who may have known what was going on at Epstein’s property or taken part in alleged sexual abuse in the mansion or guest houses.
The investigation comes weeks after the Justice Department released millions of Epstein-related files that shed new light on the ranch, revealing alleged ties between Epstein and a former attorney general of New Mexico and two former Democratic governors.
The investigation aims to close gaps in a New Mexico law that may have allowed Epstein to operate in the state and will cost US$2.5 million, according to Reuters.
Bill sponsor state Rep. Andrea Romero said the subcommittee will use subpoena powers, public records and testimony to “put the whole story together,” Source New Mexico reports.
The committee began its investigation on Feb. 17 and plans to deliver interim findings by July 31, with a final report expected by the end of the year.
This comes after allegations that two girls were buried near the ranch. The New Mexico Department of Justice wrote a letter to federal officials on Feb. 13 asking for unredacted copies of an anonymous 2019 email to a local radio host alleging that “foreign girls” died at the Zorro Ranch.
Victim advocates applauded the move, saying Zorro Ranch, which is mentioned in the Epstein files more than 4,000 times, had been overlooked by federal investigations that focused on Epstein’s Caribbean island and New York townhouse.
“Many of the survivors had experiences in New Mexico, and as we’ve learned, you know, there were local politicians and other people that were aware of what was happening in New Mexico,” lawyer Sigrid McCawley, whose law firm has represented hundreds of Epstein survivors, told Reuters in February.
While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed it was investigating and had interviewed possible victims who visited the property.
New Mexico’s initial case was closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, and state prosecutors say now that “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”
The ranch is currently owned by Texas businessman and politician Huffines, who said he bought and renamed the property Rancho de San Rafael in 2023 and plans to turn it into a Christian retreat.
“In 2023, four years after Epstein’s death, San Rafael Ranch had been listed on the open market for years and was scheduled for public auction,” he wrote Monday in a post on X. “At the time of the sale, it was marketed that the proceeds would go to the victims. It has since been confirmed by the estate’s attorneys that proceeds from the sale benefited the victims.”
Huffines said he has co-operated with authorities.
“By 2024, my family’s ownership was public and had been posted on social media. We have always maintained an open line of communication with local authorities,” he wrote.
“No law enforcement agency has ever approached me to request access, and I have always said unequivocally that any such request would be met with immediate access and full cooperation. This is what desperate political opponents do: last-minute lies and dirty tricks.”
— with files from Reuters and The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
