Epstein case: New victims may have come forward in New Mexico inquiry

The New Mexico State authorities are seeking to determine how many women and girls may have been subjected to abuse by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at his “Zorro Ranch.”

Victims may have been brought to the isolated ranch, where they were allegedly abused by Epstein and members of his circle, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Until recently, only one alleged victim from New Mexico had been publicly known — former Santa Fe massage therapist Rachel Benavidez.

State Representative Marianna Anaya, a co-sponsor of the initiative to establish an Epstein commission, said several residents have already come forward claiming they may have been victims at the ranch.

The commission, working in cooperation with the state’s Department of Justice, is providing support to potential victims and assessing whether there are grounds for further criminal proceedings against possible accomplices.

This is the first time the commission has officially confirmed that residents have come forward with such allegations linked to the period when Epstein owned the ranch.

The investigation in New Mexico was reopened in February following the release of US Department of Justice documents in the Epstein case.

Among them was an email in which a person identifying themselves as a former ranch employee claimed that the bodies of two girls may have been buried on the property.

According to the Santa Fe Sexual Assault Services Centre, dozens of people sought consultations after Epstein’s 2019 arrest regarding abuse at the ranch, although no formal police reports had been filed at the time.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov