Staff members at Jeffrey Epstein's remote New Mexico compound have been questioned by investigators about visits by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, as a widening state probe digs into what happened behind the walls of the secretive desert property.
The questioning is part of a broader criminal investigation led by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who reopened the state's Epstein case in February after reviewing newly released federal documents and previously sealed FBI files. The focus on Andrew's presence at Zorro Ranch, a sprawling estate outside Stanley, New Mexico, signals that investigators are tracing the movements of Epstein's most prominent associates and examining what they may have witnessed or participated in at the property.
The Sun reported that ranch employees have faced questions about Andrew's visits to the compound, including when he traveled there and what staff observed during his stays. The Duke of York has faced years of scrutiny over his ties to Epstein, and the New Mexico investigation now places those ties under a formal law enforcement microscope.
Zorro Ranch sits on thousands of acres in rural New Mexico, far from public view. The New Mexico Attorney General's office has described the property as an alleged hub in Epstein's child sex trafficking network, one that linked New Mexico to the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, and Florida. That characterization, as Newsmax reported, frames the ranch not as a peripheral location but as a central node in Epstein's alleged operations.
The property has drawn increasing attention as investigators and lawmakers revisit what happened there. Recent filings have revealed disturbing abuse allegations tied to the ranch, expanding the known scope of what Epstein allegedly orchestrated on the grounds.
Torrez announced in February that his office would reopen the investigation based on information contained in documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice. Those documents included previously sealed FBI files that, in the attorney general's assessment, warranted further examination.
The investigation moved from paperwork to physical evidence collection when New Mexico authorities executed a search of Zorro Ranch. Fox News reported that the New Mexico Department of Justice carried out the search with assistance from New Mexico State Police and the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office.
A department spokesperson confirmed the operation in a statement.
"At the direction of Attorney General Torrez, the New Mexico Department of Justice initiated a search this morning of the Zorro Ranch property previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein."
The spokesperson added that the search was "part of the criminal investigation announced by the New Mexico Department of Justice on February 19th into allegations of illegal activity at Epstein's ranch prior to Epstein's 2019 death."
Investigators have not publicly disclosed what, if anything, they recovered during the search. Authorities also have not said whether the search targeted specific rooms, structures, or records on the property.
New Mexico's probe is not operating in isolation. Torrez's office has signaled its intent to obtain the complete, unredacted federal case file on Epstein, a trove of material that could contain witness statements, surveillance records, and investigative leads never previously shared with state authorities.
A release from the attorney general's office laid out the plan. The Washington Examiner reported on the statement, which read:
"Special agents and prosecutors at the New Mexico Department of Justice will be seeking immediate access to the complete, unredacted federal case file and intend to work collaboratively with our law enforcement partners as well as the Epstein Truth Commission recently established by the New Mexico Legislature."
The mention of the Epstein Truth Commission reflects a parallel effort by New Mexico lawmakers to examine both the alleged abuse and the institutional failures that may have allowed it to continue unchecked. The commission and the criminal investigation are separate tracks, but both are aimed at the same set of questions: what happened at Zorro Ranch, who was involved, and why no one stopped it sooner.
Those questions have haunted the Epstein case since his death in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, which was ruled a suicide. A sealed suicide note has remained hidden for years, adding to the cloud of unanswered questions that surrounds his final days.
The investigation has also raised uncomfortable questions about New Mexico political figures who maintained contact with Epstein or accepted his campaign contributions even after his 2008 conviction as a sex offender in Florida. Newsmax reported that investigators and the truth commission are examining whether political and institutional failures enabled Epstein's activities at the ranch.
U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez had this to say about elected officials who continued taking Epstein's money after his conviction.
"Once you know what's happened, to continue to take campaign contributions is reprehensible."
Questions persist about why federal, state, and local law enforcement did not fully investigate allegations tied to the ranch earlier. The ranch operated for years as a known Epstein property in a rural area where local authorities had limited resources and where federal agencies held most of the relevant intelligence. Whether those agencies shared what they knew with New Mexico officials, or chose not to, is among the issues investigators will need to resolve.
The pattern of Epstein associates facing new scrutiny extends well beyond ranch staff. Epstein's longtime attorney Darren Indyke told House Oversight he knew nothing about his client's criminal conduct, a claim that drew sharp skepticism from lawmakers.
For Prince Andrew, the questioning of ranch staff represents another front in a years-long reckoning over his relationship with Epstein. Andrew settled a civil sexual abuse lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre in 2022, paying an undisclosed sum while admitting no wrongdoing. He has repeatedly denied knowledge of or participation in any illegal activity.
But the New Mexico investigation operates under criminal, not civil, authority. Staff testimony about Andrew's visits, their frequency, their nature, and who else was present could generate leads that extend far beyond a single royal's reputation. Investigators have not publicly stated whether Andrew is a subject, a witness, or simply a name that emerged during interviews.
The pressure on figures in Epstein's orbit has mounted from multiple directions. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's most prominent co-conspirator, has sought clemency while refusing to cooperate with depositions, a posture that has frustrated investigators and lawmakers alike.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether physical evidence from the ranch search has yielded new leads. They have not said how many staff members have been interviewed or whether any have refused to cooperate. Investigators will need to determine whether records, communications, or surveillance materials from the property survived the years since Epstein's death.
The scope of the probe suggests Torrez's office views the ranch as more than a historical curiosity. By describing it as a hub in a multi-state trafficking network, prosecutors have framed Zorro Ranch as a crime scene, one that may still hold answers.
For years, the Epstein case has been defined by the gap between what the public suspects and what the legal system has proven. New Mexico is now trying to close that gap, one employee interview and one search warrant at a time. Whether the political will holds long enough to follow the evidence wherever it leads is the question that matters most.
