Overview
- State investigators began the first physical search of Zorro Ranch on March 9, marking the opening on-site phase of New Mexico’s inquiry.
- The New Mexico House Truth Commission, launched last month and chaired by Andrea Romero and Marianna Anaya, is a four-person panel with subpoena power, a $2 million budget, public hearings, and private interviews.
- Newly released Justice Department records and a 2020 letter from the New Mexico attorney general describe the ranch as a hub in Epstein’s trafficking network spanning New York, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- State officials say a 2019 request from federal prosecutors to defer to their multi-jurisdictional probe stalled New Mexico’s effort, leaving the ranch unprocessed for years.
- Rep. Melanie Stansbury, after reviewing unredacted files, reported that both girls and boys were abused at the ranch, and the state land commissioner has proposed cadaver-dog searches on nearby public lands.