EXCLUSIVE: THE BODIES 'BURIED' AT ZORRO
A Former Staff Member’s Chilling Claim About Epstein's Ranch. An Investigation Shut Down Cold. It’s Time to Dig.
Three months after Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell, someone who claimed to be a former staff member at his sprawling New Mexico compound sent a chilling email to a journalist.
The claim: Two foreign girls were buried in the hills outside Zorro Ranch.
The allegation: They died by strangulation during “rough, fetish sex”—on orders of “Jeffrey and Madam G.”
The email, dated November 21, 2019, was sent via encrypted ProtonMail. It was forwarded days later to another recipient. This document—now part of the massive Epstein archive released through congressional and legal proceedings—has never been publicly reported.
Until now.
THE TIP
The email begins with a warning: “This is sensitive, so it will be the first and last email depending on your discretion.”
The sender claims to be “a person that has been there and seen it all, as a former staff at the Zorro.”
Then comes the bombshell:
“What is damning about Jeffrey Epstein is yet to be written. Did you know somewhere in the hills outside the Zorro, two foreign girls were buried on orders of Jeffrey and Madam G? Both died by strangulation during rough, fetish sex.”
The sender claims to possess video evidence of Epstein’s crimes—including footage allegedly showing sexual abuse of minors and an audio recording of “a girl from Bay area suicide attempt confession to Madam G.”
The tipster demanded one bitcoin for the material. Whether this was an extortion attempt, a legitimate whistleblower seeking compensation, or something else entirely—we don’t know.
What we do know: This tip exists in the official record.
THE FBI KNEW
Deep within the FBI’s evidence logs for case 50D-NY-3027571—the federal child sex trafficking investigation into Epstein—sits an entry that has gone unexamined:
“U Email regarding information for sale about the Epstein Zorro Ranch”
The FBI was tracking tips about Zorro Ranch. They logged this one.
But what did they do with it?
The case summary shows the investigation remains in “Pending Inactive” status. Maxwell was convicted. Epstein is dead. The case has effectively been closed to new investigative work.
No one has ever been charged with crimes at Zorro Ranch.
THE INVESTIGATION THAT VANISHED
In 2019, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced his office was investigating Epstein’s activities at Zorro Ranch. The 7,500-acre property in southern Santa Fe County was known to be part of Epstein’s trafficking network.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, described being taken there as a teenager. In sworn testimony, she detailed being photographed at the ranch, riding Epstein’s horses, and being used for sex.
She also testified to something else: Epstein brought in foreign girls who couldn’t communicate in English. “Epstein laughed about the fact they couldn’t really communicate,” she stated, “saying that they are the ‘easiest’ girls to get along with.”
The state investigation seemed promising. Clara Moran, then chief deputy attorney general, wrote to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York in 2020:
“We believe that this ranch was used by Epstein and others to facilitate the commission and prolonged concealment of his trafficking of children.”
And then?
The investigation closed within a year. No charges were filed.
When the current New Mexico Department of Justice was asked about it, a spokesperson said the investigation “closed before our administration took office” and “does not seem to have uncovered any information beyond what was already identified in the broader class action” lawsuits.
That’s it. That’s the entire explanation for why an investigation into a known sex trafficking compound—where a tipster alleged two girls were buried—simply evaporated.
WHAT WAS AT ZORRO RANCH?
Epstein acquired the property in 1993 through an entity called Zorro Trust, later renamed Cypress Inc. He purchased the land from the family of former New Mexico Governor Bruce King—one of the state’s most powerful political dynasties—and secured more than 1,100 acres of adjacent state-leased land for under a thousand dollars a year. The compound featured a large hilltop mansion with a “party shower” designed for multiple people and an underground club-like space equipped with cameras and stripper poles where staff were reportedly forbidden to enter. Epstein allegedly told associates he intended to use the ranch to “seed the human race with his DNA” by impregnating women there. Local accounts describe parties, visiting VIPs, and a tightly controlled environment. Multiple accusers say they were recruited and sexually abused at Zorro Ranch, describing it as integral to Epstein’s trafficking operation.
FBI documents show Epstein maintained 5-6 full-time staff and seasonal employees. He spent approximately 50 days per year there. Evidence seized from his properties included discs labeled “Zorro”—containing photographs noted alongside discs labeled with girls’ names and descriptions like “Girl Pics Nude.” Virginia Roberts Giuffre was photographed there as a teenager. She described returning to “Epstein’s Zorro Ranch” after sightseeing in Santa Fe. The photos exist. They’re in the court record.
In 2019, New Mexico’s State Land Office turned over hundreds of pages of lease documents related to Cypress Inc. to the state attorney general. After Epstein’s death, the ranch was put on the market for $27.5 million. It sold in 2023 to a newly formed entity called San Rafael Ranch LLC for an undisclosed price—reportedly far below asking. The property was renamed Rancho de San Rafael. The identities of the new owners have not been publicly disclosed.
But beyond the documented abuse of survivors who came forward, what else happened in those isolated hills? And who now owns the land where bodies may be buried?
A TRUTH COMMISSION
New Mexico lawmakers have finally had enough. In late 2025, state legislators announced plans for a “truth commission” to investigate what happened at Zorro Ranch over decades—and why the state failed to hold anyone accountable.
The proposed commission would have subpoena power. It would employ investigators and lawyers. It would start work in April 2026.
THE QUESTIONS
Was the November 2019 tip ever investigated? Did the FBI or New Mexico authorities attempt to locate the sender? Did anyone search the hills outside Zorro Ranch?
Why did the New Mexico investigation close so quickly? Clara Moran wrote that the ranch was used to “facilitate the commission and prolonged concealment” of trafficking. What evidence did they find? What leads did they pursue? Why did it all stop?
What happened to Epstein’s foreign victims? Multiple survivors describe girls brought from overseas who couldn’t speak English. Where are they now? Were they ever identified? Were any reported missing?
Who else knew? The ranch had full-time staff. Epstein spent weeks there every year. If the tipster’s account is true, others would have known.
Has anyone searched those hills? 7,500 acres is a lot of ground. But a credible tip about buried bodies should trigger a search. Did one ever happen?
THE DOCUMENT
The email that started this investigation is document EFTA00067066 in the Epstein archive. It was sent November 21, 2019, forwarded November 25, 2019.
It may be the ravings of an opportunist seeking bitcoin. Or it may be the confession of someone who witnessed murder and carried the secret for years.
We don’t know—because no one has ever publicly investigated.
Zev Shalev is an Emmy-nominated, Murrow Award-winning journalist who has been investigating the Trump-Epstein network for a decade. He has been revealing the crimes of the network in “The Greatest Heist,” available as a Substack series. Please DM him with any tips you may have related to Zorro Ranch or Epstein-Trump.
BELOW THE PAYWALL: THE ZORRO DOCUMENT FOUND IN THE EPSTEIN FILES
