Investigators in the US state of New Mexico began searching the former ranch owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Monday as part of an investigation into claims that women and underage girls were abused at the property, authorities confirmed.
The operation follows the release in January by the U.S. Justice Department of millions of documents linked to the late financier. The files reportedly reference the property, known as the “Zorro ranch,” thousands of times.
“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 said in a statement.
New Mexico Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury stated that the state’s justice department was pursuing the case thoroughly and would leave “no stone unturned” in the investigation.
“Epstein survivors have waited for far too long for justice and New Mexico is leading the way in the pursuit of truth and accountability,” she posted on X.
Epstein had previously been convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from underage girls, some as young as 14. He died in a New York jail cell in 2019 before standing trial on additional sex trafficking charges.
Following his death, a woman identified in court filings as Jane Doe 15 accused Epstein of raping her at the ranch when she was 15 years old.
Another accuser, Annie Farmer, alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell — Epstein’s associate who is now imprisoned — sexually abused her at the ranch during her teenage years.
