New Mexico is opening a formal, state-funded probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s 7,600-acre Zorro Ranch this week, authorizing $2.5 million to examine allegations that the late sex offender used the property as a site for trafficking and sexual abuse. 

The measure, the first state-level investigation focused on Epstein’s New Mexico estate, establishes a bipartisan committee that seeks to collect testimony from alleged victims as well as local residents and others who may have knowledge about activities at the ranch.

The committee, referred to as the “truth commission,” establishes a four-member panel composed of Democratic Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, Democratic Rep. Marianna Anaya of Albuquerque, Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis, and Republican Rep. William Hall II of Aztec. Romero co-sponsored the legislation, which grants the panel subpoena power, requires an initial report by July, and authorizes the investigation to continue through the end of 2026. 

The four commissioners have relevant backgrounds that they bring to the “truth commission.” Representatives Romero and Reeb are both attorneys. Representative Hall formerly worked for the FBI, and Representative Anaya is an advocate for abuse survivors and the former deputy director for ProgressNow New Mexico. The commissioners plan to recruit a team of investigators to support the commission and coordinate with the New Mexico DOJ. 

This state inquiry unfolded as the Department of Justice announced the release of roughly 3.5 million additional records tied to the Epstein case at the end of January. This disclosure, mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is the largest public release of Epstein-related materials since his 2019 arrest and death.  

Last week, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard insisted on an investigation. She sent a Feb. 10 letter calling on state and federal officials to examine allegations contained in an email revealed through the recent Epstein document release. In response, Chief Deputy Attorney General James Grayson said the New Mexico Department of Justice is treating the claim seriously and needs to acquire the original materials referenced in the email before determining how to proceed. 

According to an anonymous November 2019 email included in the newly released files, an alleged former ranch worker wrote, “Did you know somewhere in the hills outside the Zorro, two foreign girls were buried on orders of Jeffrey and Madam G? Both died by strangulation during rough, fetish sex.” The anonymous source in the email claimed to possess videos taken from Epstein’s home, including footage allegedly involving sex with minors as “insurance in case of future litigation against Epstein,” and the source sought payment of 1 bitcoin, worth approximately $8,000, to share them. 

The email was sent to conservative talk show host and former mayoral candidate Eddy Aragon, who said he declined to respond, and instead, immediately forwarded the message to the FBI. Aragon said the FBI reassured him that investigators would follow up with him, though he said he never received further communication.

In 2019, shortly after Epstein’s arrest in New York, New Mexico’s Attorney General Hector Balderas opened a state-level inquiry into potential crimes connected to Zorro Ranch. That effort was halted after federal prosecutors in Manhattan requested that New Mexico “cease any investigation into sex trafficking” and that they “would pass along any information [federal investigators] may have gathered about state crimes that were committed…” Subsequent emails released by the Justice Department indicate that federal authorities ultimately had “not searched the New Mexico property.” 

Located 30 miles southeast of civilization in Santa Fe, Zorro Ranch is now a focal point of online speculation following the new release of 3.5 million new files. Some are theorizing that the ranch and other properties contain “underground tunnels” and “bunkers,” based on several email exchanges discussing “tunnel maintenance.” In 2015, for example, an email was forwarded to Epstein that read, “the dimensions from John= [sic] as per your request…” The original email, from John Woods with Jaredian Design Group, said, “As requested, floor plans of the existing ‘tunnel’ building and m=intenance [sic] building with square footages.” 

Another email had several attached photos of “under_ground_tunnel.” Other documents have individuals speculating that Zorro Ranch has “6 levels.” It is further theorized that Epstein worked with Lifeboat Foundation because the organization builds bunkers, based on emails sent from Eric Klien of Lifeboat Foundation to Epstein in 2014.

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