Investigators in the United States have initiated a search of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's former ranch in New Mexico, according to authorities. This operation follows the release of millions of investigative files, which has increased pressure on officials to reexamine Epstein's treatment of women and girls at the remote property.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez last month ordered authorities to take a renewed look at Epstein after the state closed a prior investigation in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors. Additionally, state lawmakers are reexamining Epstein's activities in New Mexico through a bipartisan "truth commission" equipped with subpoena powers.

The New Mexico Department of Justice issued a statement urging the public to stay away from the area and ground any drone activity nearby to avoid interfering with the ongoing law enforcement operation. The department pledged to continue keeping the public informed, supporting survivors, and following the facts wherever they lead.

Epstein owned the property, located about 50km (30 miles) south of Santa Fe, from 1993 until his death in 2019 following his indictment on sex trafficking charges. Epstein accusers, including the late Virginia Giuffre, have stated they suffered abuse at the property, though the financier was never charged with any crimes in connection with the site while alive.

The US Department of Justice's latest release of files about Epstein in January contains numerous unsubstantiated – and in some cases implausible – tips related to the sex offender and his associates. These include an email from a purported former Zorro Ranch employee who offered to provide videos of Epstein abusing minors in exchange for payment of one Bitcoin. The anonymous sender also claimed that the bodies of two foreign girls had been buried in the hills outside the ranch on the orders of Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Source: www.aljazeera.com