Authorities in New Mexico have intensified efforts to determine the number of state residents who may have been abused at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, an isolated property he owned for roughly 25 years. State officials say several individuals have stated they were flown to the ranch and assaulted by Epstein and associates, and the Truth Commission established to examine Epstein-related abuses says it has heard directly from people who identify as local survivors.
Representative Marianna Anaya, a co-sponsor of the state Truth Commission investigating Epstein, confirmed to state officials that the panel has been contacted by alleged victims from New Mexico. The commission is collaborating with the New Mexico Department of Justice to evaluate whether those who say they were harmed on the ranch have viable criminal cases and to assist survivors in pursuing charges against potential co-conspirators.
This is the first time the commission has publicly acknowledged outreach from New Mexico residents who claim abuse at the ranch during the quarter-century Epstein owned the property. Until now, only one person - a former Santa Fe massage therapist, Rachel Benavidez - had been identified in public reports as being from New Mexico and connected to alleged abuse at the ranch.
The state reopened its investigation in February after the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of documents related to Epstein. Among those files was an email from an individual claiming to be a former ranch employee, alleging Epstein buried the bodies of two girls in hills outside the property. The state's renewed probe follows that release and the subsequent attention to the files.
Court testimony from criminal trials has previously described accusations that Epstein and associates groomed local teenage girls at his New York and Palm Beach residences. The current New Mexico effort focuses on establishing whether similar patterns of abuse occurred at Zorro Ranch and whether local residents were among the victims.
Locally, Solace Sexual Assault Services in Santa Fe - the only specialized support center for sexual assault in the region - reports increased contact related to the ranch. Maria Jose Rodriguez Cadiz, who directs the center, said that in 2019, the year Epstein was arrested and later found dead in custody, about 45 people approached the organization seeking information, therapy and other assistance tied to alleged sexual abuse at the Zorro Ranch.
Rodriguez Cadiz estimated that between one-quarter and one-half of those 2019 contacts were from women who said they had been abused at the ranch, though she noted the center did not maintain detailed records on the issue. She described the 2019 spike in inquiries as driven in part by media attention surrounding Epstein’s arrest and by broader public attention to sexual abuse through movements such as #MeToo.
Despite the surge in contacts to the support center in 2019, Rodriguez Cadiz said none of the women who reached out then filed formal police complaints at that time. Solace is co-located with the Santa Fe Police Department Special Victims Unit, which can facilitate reporting and investigation of sexual assault allegations.
National reporting patterns provide context for the local picture: according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice, about 24% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to police in 2024, the most recent year for which complete data are available. That low reporting rate aligns with Rodriguez Cadiz’s account that individuals seeking services in 2019 did not necessarily proceed to file police reports.
The Truth Commission and the New Mexico Department of Justice are now tasked with evaluating the contacts from local residents to determine whether criminal charges against co-conspirators can be pursued. Officials have not released further details about the number of people who have come forward or the specific nature of each allegation, and the commission’s acknowledgement marks the first public confirmation of local outreach in connection with the ranch.
Summary - New Mexico state investigators and a Truth Commission are examining claims that local women and girls were abused at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. The commission says it has been contacted by alleged victims from the state and is working with the New Mexico Department of Justice to assess potential criminal cases. Local service providers reported increased contact after Epstein’s 2019 arrest, though few formal police complaints followed at that time.