The New Mexico Department of Justice announced that it is examining allegations contained in the "Epstein" files released by the US Department of Justice. According to them, the late financier Jeffrey Epstein ordered the bodies of two foreign girls to be buried near his ranch in a remote part of the state, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
State Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Rodriguez said that local authorities have requested an unredacted copy of an email from 2019 that contains the allegations. The federal department has not yet commented on the case, and the FBI has declined to comment.
The state legislature has already launched the first full-scale investigation into allegations that Epstein committed sex crimes at his Zorro ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, for more than two decades. Meanwhile, the push to release the files has become a political challenge for President Donald Trump.
A redacted 2019 email sent a few months after Epstein's death to radio host Eddie Aragon contains a claim from a person claiming to be a former employee at the ranch. He demanded one bitcoin in exchange for videos allegedly showing sexual abuse of minors, as well as information on the location of two buried girls.
Aragon said he forwarded the email to the FBI and did not receive any money or have any contact with the sender. A 2021 FBI report, also included in the published materials, confirms that he notified authorities of the offer.
A review of other documents in the files found no further corroboration of the allegations or evidence of any investigative action taken. The federal Department of Justice previously warned that some of the published materials contained unconfirmed or sensational allegations.
State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said her team also came across the email and in a letter dated February 10 called for a full investigation into possible crimes on the ranch and adjacent state lands.
Epstein leased 503 hectares of state land in 1993, but the lease was terminated in September 2019 after authorities determined that the land was not being used for its intended purpose. The financier died in a New York prison in August 2019, his death being ruled a suicide.