Dozens of firearms vanished from Jeffrey Epstein’s remote New Mexico ranch in 2018, and his staff actively stonewalled police attempts to recover them—despite federal law barring the convicted sex offender from possessing weapons in the first place. The case remains unsolved as ranch employees refused to hand over serial numbers that could have tracked the stolen arsenal.

Staff Documented Missing Guns But Kept Records Secret

State police arrived at Zorro Ranch on August 27, 2018, to find a large gun safe stolen from a garage, with a broken window and tire tracks leading to a slashed fence. Ranch staff told officers the safe contained handguns, rifles, and antique weapons. Within 24 hours, employees had compared serial numbers and created a detailed list of 33 missing firearms. Yet when New Mexico State Police pressed for those records, the staff went silent. Ranch manager Brice Gordon emailed Epstein asking whether to forward the weapon list to authorities. Epstein’s response: contact his lawyer. The serial numbers never reached police, and staff stopped answering calls.

One rifle later turned up in Gordon’s own residence on the property, raising additional questions. Pilot Larry Visoski informed Epstein that Gordon kept changing his story and suspected another staff member’s involvement. Gordon, who initially reported the theft, could not be reached for comment. State police closed the case one month later, citing lack of cooperation. The department says the investigation may reopen if new information surfaces.

Convicted Felon Owned Massive Weapons Cache

The theft revealed a troubling reality: Epstein maintained an extensive gun collection despite his 2008 felony conviction for soliciting a minor, which legally prohibited him from possessing firearms under federal law. In a 2010 email riddled with typos, Epstein acknowledged being a convict not allowed to possess firearms, yet questioned his attorney about carrying a gun on an African hunting trip. He instructed Gordon to keep as many guns as legally allowed on the property, including high-powered rifles, whenever Epstein wasn’t visiting. The Zorro Ranch sat on remote land in southern Santa Fe County, which Epstein owned from 1993 until his death in jail in 2019.

Investigation Raises New Questions About Ranch Operations

Federal investigators never thoroughly searched the sprawling property during Epstein’s lifetime. Recent scrutiny has intensified, with the New Mexico Department of Justice launching a criminal investigation and state legislators forming a truth commission to examine what occurred at the ranch. Justice Department emails obtained by The New Mexican confirm staff non-cooperation prevented any progress on the gun theft case. The stolen weapons remain missing, their whereabouts unknown. Whether the theft represented an outside break-in or something more complicated involving ranch personnel continues to fuel speculation as authorities reassess the entire Epstein case.