Everyone assumed Epstein's island was where the worst of it happened.
The newly released DOJ files suggest his New Mexico ranch may have been hiding something far darker – and a specific document buried in that release has state investigators demanding answers from the federal government right now.
What that document describes about what happened at Zorro Ranch is something federal authorities apparently decided wasn't worth looking into – for seven straight years.
The FBI Sat on This for Seven Years
The radio host, conservative talk show host Eddy Aragon, received the encrypted email in November 2019 – just months after Epstein died in federal custody.
The sender claimed to be a former Zorro Ranch employee and offered seven videos of Epstein allegedly abusing minors in exchange for one bitcoin.
Aragon told investigators he believed the tip was legitimate, forwarded it straight to the FBI, and got nothing in return.
No follow-up call. No update. No indication the bureau investigated at all.
A 2021 FBI report – also part of the newly released document trove – confirms Aragon personally delivered the tip to federal investigators.
That same release contains zero other references to the burial claim or any evidence the bureau ever acted on it.
What the Email Actually Said
The email stated the two girls were foreign nationals buried "somewhere in the hills outside the Zorro" – on the orders of "Jeffrey and Madam G."
"Madam G" is widely understood to refer to Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.
The email identified the cause of death as strangulation.
The anonymous sender offered to provide the exact burial location along with the videos – for one bitcoin, worth roughly $8,000 at the time.
Aragon paid nothing and passed the tip directly to federal authorities.
The FBI's response? Silence for seven straight years, until Congress forced the release of these documents through the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law late last year.
New Mexico Isn't Waiting Anymore
Now that the documents are public, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has reopened the criminal investigation into Zorro Ranch.
New Mexico's original probe was shut down in 2019 – at the direct request of federal prosecutors in New York who warned against running "parallel investigations."
The state stood down. The feds promised to handle it.
Then they never searched the ranch.
A December 2019 email in the released files confirms federal agents had "not searched the New Mexico property" – even as they asked New Mexico to back off.
Now Torrez is demanding the unredacted version of the burial email from the DOJ.
New Mexico's governor didn't mince words: "We don't care who you are here. If you did something and you're associated in these Epstein cases, and there are potentially deaths and bodies, we will find it."
Zorro Ranch Was Always the Forgotten Property
While the world focused on Epstein's Caribbean island and his Manhattan townhouse, Zorro Ranch kept getting overlooked.
The 7,600-acre property near Stanley, New Mexico operated for over two decades without federal agents ever setting foot on it.
Multiple Epstein survivors – including Virginia Giuffre, Annie Farmer, and others who testified at Maxwell's trial – said abuse occurred at the ranch.
One Jane Doe told prosecutors Epstein molested her there in 2004 when she was 15 years old.
Another victim recalled being flown in and forced into what she described as "orgies."
The property appears more than 4,200 times in the released Epstein files.
Not once did federal law enforcement search it.
The Story Isn't Over – It's Just Getting Started
The same week New Mexico reopened its investigation, British police arrested Prince Andrew on suspicion of passing classified UK trade documents to Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.
Billionaire retailer Les Wexner just sat through a six-hour congressional deposition – insisting the whole time that he and Epstein "weren't friends."
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee next week.
Zorro Ranch is 7,600 acres of questions the FBI decided weren't worth asking – and New Mexico is finally demanding answers.
Sources:
- Reuters, "New Mexico probes allegation of bodies buried near Epstein ranch," Reuters, February 18, 2026.
- CBS News, "New Mexico reopens investigation into allegations at Epstein's former Zorro Ranch," CBS News, February 19, 2026.
- The Dupree Report, "Epstein Zorro Ranch Burial Tip FBI Ignored," February 19, 2026.
- Fox News, "Former Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office," Fox News, February 19, 2026.
- Source New Mexico, "NM land commissioner seeks probe into allegation of two girls buried near Epstein ranch," February 10, 2026.
- Santa Fe New Mexican, "New Mexico attorney general reopens investigation into Epstein's Zorro Ranch," February 19, 2026.
- The Hill, "New Mexico investigating allegation of two bodies buried outside Epstein ranch," February 19, 2026.
