Hundreds of people gathered outside the secluded property known as Zorro Ranch on International Women’s Day this March to demand answers about alleged crimes connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The demonstration included Sky Roberts, brother of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers who said she had been abused at the ranch before her death by suicide in 2025.
The rally highlighted renewed momentum in New Mexico to investigate long-standing allegations about the ranch, a sprawling estate with a mansion, private airstrip and roughly 10,000 acres in the high desert near Santa Fe. For years the site has been the focus of rumors and allegations — including claims that people were abused there and that bodies may have been buried on the grounds — and some early court papers placed accusations at the property.
State officials have responded with two parallel efforts. In February the New Mexico attorney general’s office announced it had re-opened an investigation that had been closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. That office later carried out a search of the Zorro Ranch, using search-and-rescue dogs as part of the effort to look for evidence.
Also in February, the state House unanimously created a bipartisan Truth Commission to examine what occurred at the ranch and whether systemic failures — including local or state authorities overlooking wrongdoing — allowed abuse to continue unchecked. The commission is chaired by Democratic state Representative Andrea Romero and includes Republican Representative Andrea Reeb among its members.
Romero says the commission’s work will go beyond any single criminal probe to explore the broader factors that may have drawn Epstein to the area and whether information was suppressed or ignored. She told reporters the commission has already received a large volume of tips and is compiling names of former ranch employees, possible co-conspirators and residents of Stanley, the nearest town. The commission is backed by roughly $2 million from settlements New Mexico reached with a bank that had business ties to Epstein, and Romero said it will have subpoena power to compel testimony if needed.
Reeb, the Republican member, voiced support for pursuing the facts irrespective of politics, saying there is widespread sympathy for survivors and broad interest in uncovering the truth.
The attorney general’s reopened probe and the Truth Commission pursue different but complementary goals: the former seeks potential criminal evidence, while the latter aims to produce a public accounting of what happened, how institutions responded, and whether reforms are needed. The commission is expected to release an initial report on July 31.
Supporters of the investigations say they hope the work will finally clarify decades of unanswered questions and deliver some measure of justice for survivors. Sky Roberts, speaking at the march, expressed hope that state efforts would reveal “the tragedies suffered” and provide accountability.
The Zorro Ranch has drawn attention not only because of its size and seclusion but also because of alleged connections between Epstein and visitors to the property. Officials and reporters have traced some of the earliest accusations of abuse to the ranch, and public curiosity has been intensified by years of speculation and talk-radio claims about what may have occurred on the land.
As investigations move forward, state officials have emphasized the need to follow legal protocols while also responding to public demand for transparency. Local news reports have also noted disputes over memorials and the sensitivity surrounding sites where survivors and family members gather.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a counselor.
(Reporting for this piece drew on local coverage and public statements from New Mexico officials.)