The New Mexico Department of Justice announced that it searched convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch on Monday along with officers from the New Mexico State Police and deputies from the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s NMDOJ in February announced a criminal investigation into on-site activities at the property prior to Epstein’s death in 2019. Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas at the time told Source NM that his office investigated Epstein’s and conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s actions at Zorro Ranch before federal officials asked him to shelve the query.
On Sunday, Women’s March organized a rally outside the ranch’s gates, “where Epstein trafficked girls for decades while the Federal Bureau of Investigation failed to act.” In a statement Monday, an NMDOJ spokesperson asked the public to stay away from the area and cease flying drones overhead “to avoid interfering with the ongoing law enforcement operation.”
“At the direction of Attorney General Torrez, the New Mexico Department of Justice initiated a search this morning of the Zorro Ranch property previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein, with the New Mexico State Police and Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office providing assistance,” the Monday statement said. “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 will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”
Don Huffines, a former Texas state senator who is currently running for office as state comptroller, in a February social media post said he bought the property at auction in 2023 and hoped to “remake it as a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus.”
The NMDOJ has recently launched a digital tipline for people with “credible information” about Zorro Ranch and Epstein’s time in New Mexico.
The state’s Epstein “truth commission” held its first public meeting in February, where members said they would coordinate with the NMDOJ. Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) chairs the commission, and its other three members are Rep. Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque), former FBI agent Rep. William “Bill” Hall (R-Aztec) and prosecutor Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis).
The commission has a $2 million budget and has its first report due to the state Legislature in July. In a statement, Monday, commission members said they welcomed the NMDOJ’s action.
“For years, this property has stood as a symbol of unanswered questions,” the statement read. “Today marks an important step toward the transparency and accountability that justice demands. The Truth Commission is in active communication with the New Mexico Department of Justice regarding the results of today’s search. In parallel, we will be conducting our own independent investigation as we formally commence our work. Our efforts are collaborative and complementary—we stand fully in support of the NMDOJ’s investigation and are committed to ensuring that the full truth is brought to light.”
- March 10, 20266:15 amThis story was updated following publication to include a statement from the New Mexico U.S. House of Representatives' subcommittee created to investigate Zorro Ranch.
