OPINION: New Mexico will not let the Epstein investigation fade

For far too long, the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have endured pain, frustration and disappointment. Many have watched as accountability and transparency eroded under the weight of incomplete investigations, unanswered questions and bureaucratic inaction. In New Mexico, we are determined to do better by them.

In February, I ordered the New Mexico Department of Justice to reopen its criminal investigation into alleged illegal activity at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch property in Santa Fe County. The mission is clear: follow the facts, uncover the truth, and do right by the survivors of Epstein’s crimes.

To understand why, it helps to understand what happened nearly a decade ago. In 2018 and 2019, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into activities at the Zorro Ranch but closed it at the formal request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which was building its own federal case and asked that New Mexico stand down. Then Epstein died in federal custody in August 2019, the federal prosecution ended with him, and the FBI’s investigative files were sealed and placed beyond the reach of state law enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent release of those previously sealed files changes the picture. They contain information that state investigators did not have access to during the prior inquiry, including details about alleged activities at Zorro Ranch that warrant a fresh examination under New Mexico law.

Prosecutors and special agents from my office are seeking access to the complete, unredacted federal case file. We will work in close coordination with federal and local law enforcement partners, as well as with the Epstein Truth Commission recently established by the New Mexico Legislature, which has its own independent mandate to investigate these matters on behalf of the public.

But I want to be honest about the challenges ahead. Epstein has been dead for years. Zorro Ranch has changed ownership. Physical evidence may no longer exist, and the statute of limitations has likely run on many potential offenses. These are real obstacles, and survivors deserve to hear them stated plainly. But we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored. At the conclusion of our investigation, we will issue a full public report. The people of New Mexico, and those who were harmed, are entitled to a complete and transparent accounting of what we found and what we did not.

This office will pursue this investigation with rigor, respect and compassion. We will share what we can, when we can, while recognizing that an active criminal investigation sometimes requires us to withhold details we would otherwise make public.

To the survivors: Your voices and your stories matter. What you choose to share and entrust with law enforcement in New Mexico will directly aid in this investigation, and we want to hear directly from you over the weeks and months ahead. While we cannot undo the past, we can honor those who endured it by ensuring every step forward is taken with honesty and purpose.

We must also remember that when this investigation ends and the headlines fade, there are still tens of thousands of women and girls being trafficked in communities across the United States every year. Most of the time their stories are unknown and the daunting work of police, prosecutors and advocates who try to deliver justice is almost never given the attention it deserves. That must change and I urge every American to carry the energy of this moment forward. Support the law enforcement officers working these cases. Invest in the organizations that help survivors heal and rebuild their lives.

Demand that lawmakers dedicate the resources necessary to make that work possible. Do all of this not just for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, but for every victim still waiting to be heard, still waiting to be believed, and still waiting for justice to be served.

Raúl Torrez was sworn in to office on Jan. 1, 2023, and is New Mexico’s 32nd Attorney General.