Newly released files are reigniting scrutiny around Jeffrey Epstein’s massive New Mexico estate, with explosive allegations and the revelation that a Texas GOP political figure now owns the infamous property having purchased it in 2023.
The Mystery Behind Zorro Ranch
Now, on Feb. 16, New Mexico lawmakers have approved a bipartisan investigation into alleged crimes tied to Zorro Ranch. The $2.5 million investigation creates a four-member truth commission with subpoena power to gather testimony from survivors, local residents, and potential witnesses, while identifying visitors and officials who may have known about or enabled misconduct. The legislation passed unanimously, and the panel is expected to begin work immediately, Reuters reported.
The infamous ranch was sold after sitting on the market for about two years. While the final sale price was never publicly disclosed, the nearly 10,000-acre estate had originally been listed for $27.5 million in 2021 before the asking price was later reduced to about $18 million.
The Zorro Ranch outside Santa Fe served for years as a secluded retreat for Epstein, complete with a 26,700-square-foot mansion, private runway, livestock, and multiple outbuildings. The compound also featured multiple outbuildings, guest accommodations, stables, livestock areas, and recreational spaces.
Multiple Epstein survivors have long alleged abuse occurred there when they were teenagers or young women, accounts that surfaced again after a new tranche of Justice Department documents included emails and previously unseen photos. Publicly available documents and aerial imagery show decorative interiors, large entertaining spaces, and themed architectural details, though the precise number of bedrooms has not been consistently confirmed in official listings.
Among the most disturbing developments is a 2019 email alleging that Epstein ordered “two foreign girls” to be buried on land near the ranch after they died during “rough…sex.” The claim has not been substantiated, but it was serious enough to prompt New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard to call for an investigation.
“There was a very disturbing allegation that came out that could potentially be linked to state land,” Garcia Richard said, Scripps News reported. “Because I am the manager of that land. I’m the elected steward of that land and what occurs there and what the land is used for is of utmost interest and importance to us at the State Land Office.”
She added that, to her knowledge, neither the leased public land nor the ranch itself had ever been searched as part of a criminal probe.
At the same time, records confirmed the property was sold in 2023 to an LLC tied to businessman and former Texas state senator Don Huffines. A spokesperson said the family had “never visited the property” before purchasing it at auction and noted proceeds benefited victims, The Guardian reported.
Despite decades of allegations and Epstein’s 2019 federal arrest in New York, documents suggest federal authorities may never have executed a search warrant at the ranch. This has fueled bipartisan calls in New Mexico for a truth commission to determine what happened there, and why so many questions remain unanswered years after Epstein’s death.
