Police have begun swarming over the former playground estate of the disgraced billionaire.

21:10, Tue, Mar 10, 2026 Updated: 21:19, Tue, Mar 10, 2026

The huge ranch in New Mexico is being searched

The huge ranch in New Mexico is being searched (Image: Getty)

Police are searching a remote ranch in New Mexico, US, where billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests. It has long been alleged the estate could contain the bodies of two dead girls strangled to death during rough sex. At least two unidentified women are suspected to have been buried at the 7,500 acre property.

The office of state Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that the search was being done with the cooperation of the current ranch owners and investigators have said they are confident they can find the bodies if they exist and put names to the dead women.

Mr Torrez last month reopened an investigation of the ranch. New Mexico’s initial case was closed in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors in New York, and state prosecutors say now that “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination".

Protesters outside the ranch on Monday

Protesters outside the ranch on Monday (Image: Getty)

Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, in 1993 from former Democratic Governor Bruce King and built a hilltop mansion with a private runway.

The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023, with proceeds going toward creditors. Investigators said: "The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners" adding that prosecutors “will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead:"

Additionally, New Mexico state legislators have established a new commission to look into past activities at the ranch. The Mail Online reports State Representative Andrea Romero, who led the fight to establish the commission, said: "We have heard years of allegations and rumors about Epstein’s activities in New Mexico, but unfortunately, federal investigations have failed to put together an official record.

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Police stand guard outside the ranch

Police stand guard outside the ranch (Image: Getty)

"With this truth commission, we can finally fill in the gaps by investigating the failures that led to the horrific allegations of abuse and crime at Zorro Ranch, so we can learn from them and prevent such atrocities from taking place in our state going forward."

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Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.

He never faced charges in New Mexico, but the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it had interviewed possible victims who visited Epstein's ranch.