'I'm Very Angry': Trump-Era FBI Reportedly Ignored Tip About Epstein Victims Buried at Zorro Ranch

Fresh reporting has raised new questions about how seriously federal authorities treated a tip alleging possible mass grave claims connected to Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. The account, tied to a period during Donald Trump's first administration, suggests potentially critical information was not properly logged or acted upon for years.

Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas was working on aspects of the case in 2019 when local radio host Eddy Aragon received a tip from a person claiming to have worked at the ranch. The message alleged that the bodies of two foreign girls were buried 'in the hills outside the Zorro.' Balderas was furious that the tip never made it into his radar at the time.

FBI Allegedly Failed to Log Zorro Ranch Burial Tip for Years

Aragon received an email from a former ranch worker alleging that the bodies of two foreign girls were buried "in the hills outside the Zorro." He forwarded the tip to the FBI, but there was no follow-up. DOJ records later showed it was not entered into the system until 2021, two years after it was reported.

That information never reached New Mexico investigators at the time. Balderas became aware of the email only after Congress voted to release the so-called Epstein files and he was furious.

'I'm very angry,' Balderas admitted. 'They didn't meet the standard of what a good prosecution team should be working and collaborating with other partners.'

He added that the alleged burial location could extend beyond Epstein's estate into surrounding state-leased land, which would have fallen under local jurisdiction.

Stephanie Garcia Richard, New Mexico's Commissioner of Public Lands, also reviewed the material after it surfaced in released records. She said her immediate reaction was concern.

'As soon as I saw that, my heart dropped,' Garcia Richard said. 'What if the allegations were true?'

She added that the possibility could not be dismissed outright. 'We do know there are missing individuals,' she added. 'Those girls ... their bodies have not been recovered. So, you know, there is a potential there.'

New Mexico Reopens Inquiry Into Zorro Ranch Allegations

Lawmakers in New Mexico have since revisited aspects of the Zorro Ranch investigation amid renewed scrutiny of federal handling of Epstein-related reports. In February, they reopened the criminal inquiry into the estate.The move follows growing political pressure to reassess how leads were managed and whether key evidence was overlooked.

One of the state legislators on the panel, Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, told the BBC:

'We are learning that there may have been reports to the FBI, back in 2019 or prior to, of bodies being buried, of folks being trafficked,' Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, one of the state legislators, told the BBC.

The comments have intensified calls for a clearer accounting of what federal agencies knew and when. They also come as state officials reassess how jurisdictional boundaries may have affected earlier investigative decisions.

Survivors' Accounts Raise Further Questions About Zorro Ranch

Survivor testimony has added another layer to the scrutiny surrounding Zorro Ranch. Annie Farmer has previously described experiences connected to Epstein's network, contributing to broader allegations of abuse and coercion linked to his properties.

Farmer said she was recruited to Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in 1996 when she was 16, after being told he would fund her college tuition. She testified that once she arrived, Ghislaine Maxwell carried out a sexualised massage that preceded abuse by Epstein. Farmer has consistently maintained her account over the years, including in a 2020 interview for the Netflix documentary 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.'

Rachel Benavidez has also spoken publicly about her experiences, outlining concerns about recruitment practices and alleged exploitation tied to Epstein-associated locations in New Mexico. According to her, she was among the 10 girls groomed in the estate.

The handling of the Zorro Ranch tip has intensified scrutiny of how the FBI processed potentially critical allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein's estate. With records showing years-long delays in logging the report and no apparent follow-up at the time, questions persist over whether federal authorities adequately acted on information that may have warranted urgent investigation.