New Mexico investigators Monday began searching Jeffrey Epstein’s former high-plains ranch, where the late financier and his associates are accused of sexually abusing women and girls, state authorities said.
Democratic-run New Mexico is acting on new information in documents released in January by the U.S. Department of Justice, including an accusation that Epstein ordered the bodies of two foreign girls buried in hills near the secluded property.
The search follows New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez's decision last month to reopen the investigation into the late sex offender's alleged criminal activities at the ranch 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of the state's capital of Santa Fe.
"The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead," it said in a statement.
On Monday, a Reuters witness heard dogs barking and saw a government vehicle bearing a paw-print symbol, suggesting it was carrying animals, leave the ranch. State police and a county fire and rescue vehicle were also spotted.
