Law enforcement officials in New Mexico launched a search Monday of Jeffrey Epstein’s former remote ranch property, where the deceased financier and associates allegedly committed sexual abuse against women and girls, according to state officials.
The Democratic-led state is pursuing fresh leads contained in federal documents made public in January, which include claims that Epstein directed the burial of two foreign girls in hillsides surrounding the isolated compound.
Monday’s operation comes after New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez announced last month he would restart the probe into the convicted sex offender’s suspected criminal conduct at the property located 30 miles south of Santa Fe.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead,” officials stated.
A reporter at the scene Monday observed barking dogs and witnessed a government vehicle displaying a paw-print emblem, indicating it was transporting animals, departing the ranch grounds. State police cruisers and a county emergency response vehicle were also present.
The Epstein document releases have created ongoing political challenges for President Donald Trump.
State officials had previously ended their Epstein probe in 2019 after federal investigators requested they step aside. No comprehensive investigation has ever been conducted regarding the alleged assaults committed by Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and ranch guests.
New Mexico made history last month by establishing the nation’s first legislative “truth commission” designed to expose potential government corruption that enabled Epstein to conduct operations secretly at the ranch for 26 years until his 2019 death.
The deceased financier’s estate transferred ownership of the land in 2023 to Texas entrepreneur Don Huffines, who rechristened it San Rafael Ranch.
Current property owners are providing full cooperation with investigators and have authorized access for the search operations, the department confirmed.
The January 30 document dump revealed millions of additional files detailing Epstein’s relationships with politicians, corporate leaders, and academics whom he hosted at the ranch facility.
Recent Reuters/Ipsos survey data indicates most Americans consider the Epstein matter evidence that wealthy elites seldom face consequences for their actions.
