New Mexico authorities launch search of ranch previously owned by Epstein

"The late convicted sex offender and financier's so-called Zorro Ranch was the site of numerous alleged abuses, according to civil and criminal proceedings. But the location was not subject to the same scrutiny as other Epstein properties, and a Guardian investigation in February revealed that federal authorities apparently never searched the New Mexico ranch."

"The sprawling 10,000-acre (4,000-hectare) ranch is located outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, and for years, Epstein allegedly abused teenage girls and young women there with impunity, according to testimony from several women. Survivors detailed a range of horrors that they said unfolded at the isolated plot of land, according to court proceedings."

"There has been renewed attention on Zorro Ranch since the US Department of Justice's recent disclosure of roughly 3m investigative documents related to Epstein. The search comes several weeks after Torrez announced the state would reopen its 2019 investigation into claims of illegal activity at Epstein's ranch."

New Mexico authorities initiated a search of Zorro Ranch, a 10,000-acre property previously owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following renewed attention from recent Department of Justice document disclosures. The ranch, located outside Santa Fe, was the site of numerous alleged abuses of teenage girls and young women according to civil and criminal proceedings. Federal authorities had apparently never searched the property despite its significance in Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez directed the search and reopened the state's 2019 investigation into illegal activity at the ranch. State police and Sandoval County Sheriff's Office assisted in the operation. A truth commission was also established by state legislators to examine activity at the property.

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