Billie Eilish attends the 2024 Oscars (Disney/Chris Willard)
After winning multiple Oscars for movie songs, Billie Eilish may get a chance to compete in the acting categories.
ABC Audio has learned that Billie is in talks to make her film debut in an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Plath, a poet and author who died by suicide at age 30, wrote The Bell Jar in 1963 under a pseudonym. The semi-autobiographical novel was published a month before her death.
Oscar winner Sarah Polley will write the screenplay and direct the film; it’s not clear which role Billie will play.
Deadline was the first to report the news.
Billie got good reviews for her acting debut, which came in the 2023 Prime Video series Swarm. Her concert documentary HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR (LIVE IN 3D), which she co-directed with James Cameron, arrives in theaters May 8.
Nile Monitor lizard (1001slide/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)
(FLORIDA) — Another giant reptile is clawing its way toward disrupting the South Florida ecosystem as an invasive species.
The Nile monitor — a semi-aquatic lizard equipped with razor claws that can grow up to 6 feet — has been establishing populations in the area since the 1980s, according to ecology experts.
Endemic to the Nile river delta in Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent’s largest lizards arrived in Florida via the pet trade, through both intentional and unintentional release, Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told ABC News.
“They’re very wild, they’re very active,” Mazzotti said. “They don’t make good pets at all. They don’t calm down.”
The temperament of the giant lizards also makes them difficult to catch. Mazzotti described Nile monitors as “very strong” and “very aggressive.”
The reptiles will put up a fight and even bite humans who attempt to make contact with them, Mazzotti said.
“They’re crazy,” he said. “They’re very hard to handle, and you have to take great care that they don’t escape and that you don’t get bit.”
Monitor lizards are one of the high priority nonnative species for removal due to their potential impacts on native wildlife, Lisa Thompson, a communications specialist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, told ABC News via email.
Current management approaches focus on containing established populations and preventing the establishment of new populations, as well as recurring surveys and removals, Thompson noted.
Nile monitors are now established in Lee and Palm Beach Counties, with multiple sightings in Broward County as well. The FWC is also monitoring observations of the species in Miami-Dade County, according to Thompson.
The state’s humidity allows the Nile monitors to thrive, Mazzotti said.
“Their habitat requirements are met,” he said. “The climate’s a match.”
In addition, their diverse diet and ability to travel over land and in fresh and saltwater allows for potential establishment throughout Florida, especially in coastal areas with mangroves and salt marshes.
South Florida’s extensive canal system can provide ample corridor, and they have a high reproduction rate, according to the FWC.
The giant lizards are “generalist” feeders, meaning they aren’t picky about what they eat, Mazzotti said.
They have been observed to eat crabs, crayfish, mussels, snails, slugs, termites, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers and crickets, fish, frogs, toads, lizards, turtles, snakes, young crocodiles and other reptiles, birds and their eggs and small mammals, according to the FWC. They can hunt for prey on the surface, below ground and in trees.
Some researchers have even observed them eating iguana eggs, Mazzotti noted.
“They don’t care what they eat,” he said.
Due to their generalist diet, the invasive reptile could impact state and federally listed threatened species, including sea turtles, wading birds, gopher tortoises and the American crocodile, according to the FWC.
Biologists and ecologists are also concerned about burrowing owls, as their largest population also occurs where the largest known Nile monitor population also occurs.
Nile monitors are not protected in Florida, except by anti-cruelty laws, and can be humanely killed on private property with the landowner’s permission, according to the FWC.
It was added to Florida’s Prohibited Nonnative Species List in April 2021, which limits possession of Nile monitors for the purposes of research, educational exhibition, control or eradication.
Nile monitors are often olive green to black in color and have stripes on their jaw and head. They also have yellow-ish V-shaped stripes that begin at the base of its skull and neck and transform into “bands” along their back, according to the FWC.
They are often seen in or close to water and basking on rocks and branches, wildlife experts say.
The reptiles are usually active during the day and sleep on branches or submerged in water at night.
When temperatures drop, Nile monitors will retreat to burrows to keep warm, the FWC noted.
While they have not yet had demonstrated impacts on the ecosystem, it’s important to keep populations of Nile monitors under control before they disrupt an already delicate environment, Mazzotti said.
“You cannot wait until an invasive species has demonstrated its impact upon the ecosystem,” he said. “Because if you do, then it’s too late.”
A map shows the Strait of Hormuz on a laptop computer screen in this photo illustration in Athens, Greece, on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(STRAIT OF HORMUZ) — The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz intensified on Wednesday as the Iranian navy confirmed it targeted at least two of three ships struck by projectiles in the critical passage for the oil and shipping trades, and President Donald Trump said the U.S. military destroyed several “inactive” mine-laying boats in the strait.
The increased military activity in the Strait of Hormuz came just three days after President Donald Trump warned Iran in a post on his social media site that if it attempts to “stop the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its navy conducted strikes on two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning.
An IRGC spokesperson said in a statement that its navy struck the ships Express Room and the Mayuree Naree because both commercial vessels were allegedly “ignoring alerts and warnings from the IRGC Navy.”
“Every vessel intending to pass must obtain permission from Iran,” IRGC naval commander Adm. Alireza Tangsiri said in a social media post on Wednesday.
The Express Room, a container ship sailing under the Liberian flag, was struck by Iranian projectiles after allegedly “ignoring warnings from the IRGC Navy and came to a halt in its position,” the IRGC spokesperson said.
The Thai-flagged container ship Mayuree Naree was targeted for allegedly “ignoring alerts and warnings from the IRGC Navy and unlawfully insisting on transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the IRGC spokesperson.
Thai officials reported that three crew members were missing from the vessel following the attack.
“The Strait of Hormuz is, without a doubt and without a moment’s neglect, under the intelligent management of the brave naval forces of the IRGC. American aggressors and their allies have no right of passage,” the Iranian spokesperson said.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said it had received reports that three ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. It did not identify the vessels, nor did it say at the time who was responsible for the attacks.
The UKMTO said one container ship was struck about 11 nautical miles north of Oman, in the passage that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
“The vessel has requested assistance and the crew are evacuated,” the UKMTO said.
The other two container ships, according to the UKMTO, were also struck by projectiles early Wednesday. One was hit about 25 nautical miles northwest of the United Arab Emirates port city of Ras Al Khaimah, while the other was stuck northwest of Dubai, according to the UKMTO.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released videos overnight showing attacks being carried out on Tuesday on what it described as “multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.”
“To date, we have struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran, including more than 60 ships, using a variety of precision weapons systems,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video post Wednesday.
While taking questions from reporters on Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House before heading to an event in Kentucky, Trump said, “Look, we took out just about all of their mine ships in one night.”
“We’ve knocked out their navy. We’ve knocked out their air force. We’ve knocked out all of their air defense,” Trump also said.
When asked by a reporter if he’s encouraging CEOs of various oil companies to use the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded, “Yeah, I think they should. I think they should use the Strait.”
Asked if there are any mines laid in the Strait of Hormuz, the president said, “We don’t think so.”
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump said, “If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!”
“If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump said in the post.
CENTCOM issued a warning to Iranian civilians on Wednesday to avoid all port facilities where it said Iranian naval forces are carrying out military operations along the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel and crews of commercial vessels “should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment.
“The Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping. This dangerous action risks the lives of innocent people,” CENTCOM said in its warning.
A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces said Wednesday that if Iran’s ports are threatened, “all ports and docks in the region will be our legitimate targets.”
In an interview with the Iranian state television, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi denied claims that the country’s naval forces are hiding in economic ports, and threatened heavier operations if Iran’s ports are targeted.
The chaos unfolding across the global economy stems in large part from the narrow but crucial waterway along the southern coast of Iran, which connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global supply of crude oil and liquid natural gas. Those products hold major implications for the prices of gasoline, plastics and European electricity, among a host of other goods.
The passage, which at its narrowest point is just 21 miles wide, is the only shipping route that stretches from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, making it a key travel hub for goods originating in oil-rich Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran.
Wednesday morning, the International Energy Agency said it would release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve, marking the largest oil release in the group’s history as the global economy grapples with soaring oil prices in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, and traders fear a prolonged blockade of the maritime passage.
Before the war, roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait or Hormuz each day, but tanker traffic has now “all but stopped,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Christy Luna went missing in 1984 at the age of 8 in Greenacres, Florida. (Palm Bach County Sheriff’s Office)
(PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla.) — Christy Luna disappeared without a trace over 40 years ago at the age of 8. Now, authorities in Florida say they have identified a new person of interest in the cold case.
Christy went missing on May 27, 1984, while going to a general store less than two blocks from her home in Greenacres to buy cat food, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. No one knows what happened to her after she bought the food for her two cats, and a massive search at the time didn’t turn up anything.
The sheriff’s office has followed multiple leads over the decades since and has named several persons of interest in the case, but no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.
On Wednesday, authorities announced they are looking for information on a new person of interest — Warren Gilbert Williams Jr., a convicted child sex offender who died in 2016.
Sgt. Chris Karpinski, with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s cold case unit, said they received an anonymous tip last year that Williams was remodeling a home near the general store the day Christy went missing.
“He left that home and his remodeling efforts to go buy cigarettes at Belks General Store and he never returned,” Karpinski said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“That alone, interesting information, but we have a lot of that information through the years where somebody was seen in the area, and this and that,” he continued.
But Williams, he said, has a “peculiar past of sexual activity with children.” He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious molestation and was imprisoned in Florida from 2007 to 2013, according to Karpinski. After finishing that sentence, he went to prison in Alabama, where he was wanted for sexual abuse of a child, Karpinski said.
“The suspicion existed through this circle of people that Mr. Williams knew through the years, and they had discussed the possibility of him being involved with Christy’s disappearance,” Karpinski said.
Detectives also learned through the anonymous tip that Williams, who lived in what is now known as Lake Worth Beach at the time, installed a concrete pad in his backyard a week after Christy went missing.
Authorities got permission from the current homeowners to search the property and last month excavated the yard, Karpinski said.
“Unfortunately, we found nothing,” Karpinski said, saying there were “mixed emotions” on the development.
“We wanted to find something, but yet, finding something meant that, you know, we had bad news, at least it was for me,” he said. “So there is still hope that Christy either is out there or somebody is out there that knows where she is, whether she is still with us on Earth or has passed.”
Karpinski said there currently is no physical or testimonial evidence that links Williams to Christy’s disappearance.
“We want to learn more about him,” Karpinski said. “I know it’s a long time ago. People, friends, neighbors, witnesses that day who think maybe they saw him, please come forward.”
Williams, who was 46 years old at the time Christy disappeared, died in prison in 2016, according to Karpinski.
Authorities haven’t ruled out any other persons of interest named in the case, according to investigator Bill Springer, who has been investigating Christy’s disappearance since the sheriff’s office assumed the case in 1984.
Springer also urged anyone with information to come forward, even after all this time.
“I want people to come forward. I’m not going to question why you didn’t come forward, because I don’t care,” he said. “My job is to find Christy, not to judge people because they didn’t come forward.”
“So if you’ve got information and you’ve been sitting on it for 30 years, 40 years, I don’t care,” he said. “Bring it out and we’ll look at it, see what we can do with it.”
Pedro Pascal attends the Chanel Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 6, 2025, in Paris, France. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The final presenters for the 98th Oscars have been revealed.
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver will take to the Oscars stage to present awards at this year’s ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.
They join the previously announced presenters Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Also presenting are Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña, who will all return to the awards ceremony after winning Oscars last year.
Additionally, Matt Berry will serve as the show’s announcer.
A post on the academy’s official Instagram tells audiences to “tune in Sunday for more surprises.”
Conan O’Brien will host the awards ceremony for the second time, while Raj Kapoor serves as executive producer and showrunner and Katy Mullan executive produces.
The Oscars will take place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
Harry will host and be the musical guest on the March 14 installment of the show. In the promo, Marcello dons Harry’s outfit from the BRIT Awards and apes his dance moves as he makes his way to the stage of Studio 8H, while Harry’s song “American Girls” plays. He steps to the mic, only to be interrupted by the real Harry, standing in the back of the studio with Kenan Thompson.
“What are you doing, Marcello?”
“Nothing, Harry Styles,” says Marcello, knocking the mic to the floor.
“Are those my clothes?” Harry asks.
“Yeah, sorry. I thought you weren’t coming,” Marcello replies. “I thought I would just go on as your understudy.”
“Understudy? I’m 15 minutes late because Kenan and I went out for pain au chocolat,” Harry responds, as he and Kenan hold up the French pastries. “It’s a tradition when I host.” To be clear, Harry has only hosted the show once before.
“Tsk tsk, Marcello. You forgot the pain au chocolat,” Kenan scolds.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to help,” Marcello says. “If you want to help, hold my pain au chocolat,” says Harry.
Marcello quickly exits the stage, while Harry gets behind the mic and says, “See you on Saturday.”
Kate Winslet attends the ‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’ premiere at Windsor Castle on Jan. 28, 2026, in Windsor, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Kate Winslet might just be making her way to The Shire.
The Oscar winner is in talks to star as the female lead in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, Deadline reports. The specific role she would play has not been revealed.
Warner Bros. Pictures had no comment when reached by ABC Audio.
The upcoming film is set to debut in movie theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. Andy Serkis, who has played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings franchise for decades, will direct it.
Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will produce The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with the studio saying the creatives will be on board every step of the way.
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” Serkis said at the time the project was announced.
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens also shared a joint statement.
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker – Gollum!” they said.
Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf the Grey in the original trilogy, revealed details about the upcoming film at the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in August 2025.
“I hear there’s going to be another movie based in Middle-earth, and it’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it’s all about Gollum,” McKellen said.
“I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf,” McKellen said. “Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”
The 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, and with this group of nominations come a bunch of interesting facts. Here’s a look at some fun facts about this season’s crop of nominees.
Sinners achieved a rare feat to become the most-nominated film in Oscars history. With 16 nominations, it blew past the previous record holders La La Land, Titanic and All About Eve, which all earned 14 nominations each. Director Ryan Coogler and his producing partner and wife, Zinzi Coogler, are the first Black married couple to earn a nomination in any category. Zinzi Coogler is also the first Filipina producer and the third Black woman nominated for best picture.
International films were particularly dominant across many categories this year. Both Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent picked up many nominations across the board. Both films are up for the coveted best picture prize, as well as the best international feature film award. Stellan Skarsgård received his first-ever Oscar nom for his Sentimental Value performance, marking the first time an actor from a film not in the English language has been nominated in the best supporting actor category.
Speaking of The Secret Agent, its star Wagner Moura is the first Brazilian best actor nominee in Oscars history. He’s the third Brazilian acting nominee overall, after Fernanda Torres received a best actress nomination last year for I’m Still Here and her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, received a nomination in the same category for the 1998 film Central Station.
Much has been said about Timothée Chalamet’s feelings toward ballet and opera. But how about the fact that he is the youngest male actor since Marlon Brando, and second youngest overall, to earn three acting nominations at the Oscars. He’s also nominated for best picture as a producer on Marty Supreme, which, at 30 years and 26 days old, makes him the youngest person to ever be double-nominated for producing and acting in the same year. He just beats out Warren Beatty, who was 30 years, 10 months and 20 days old when he received those nominations for the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.
The Oscars will take place on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.
“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” according to the alert distributed at the end of February. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.
A spokeswoman for the FBI office in LA declined to comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. intelligence officials have also grown concerned in recent months about the expanding use of drones by Mexican drug cartels and the chance the technology could be used to attack American forces and personnel near the Mexican border.
“An uncorroborated report suggested that unidentified Mexican cartel leaders had authorized attacks using UAS (drones) carrying explosives against US law enforcement and US military personnel along the US-Mexico border,” according to a September 2025 bulletin reviewed by ABC News. “This type of attack against US personnel or interests inside the United States would be unprecedented but exemplifies a plausible scenario, although (cartels) typically avoid actions that would result in unwanted attention or responses from US authorities.”
ABC News contributor John Cohen, the former head of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security, said he is concerned about the possibility of drone warfare coming from both the Pacific and Mexico.
“We know Iran has an extensive presence in Mexico and South America, they have relationships, they have the drones and now they have the incentive to conduct attacks,” Cohen said. “The FBI is smart for putting this warning out so that state and locals can be better able to prepare and respond to these types of threats. Information like this is critically important for law enforcement.”
While the FBI’s warning did not specify how or when vessels carrying attack drones could get close enough to the U.S. mainland, intelligence officials have long been concerned about equipment being pre-positioned – either on land or on ships at sea — in the event Israel or the U.S. struck Iran.
Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025. (U.S. Justice Department)
(WASHINGTON) — Authorities on Monday began searching a sprawling ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, renewing questions about the steps taken by the U.S. Department of Justice nearly a decade ago.
While the New Mexico Department of Justice has released few details about the new investigation, here is what we know about the ranch and what prompted the renewed scrutiny:
Did the Department of Justice ever search the ranch?
When Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, the investigation into his alleged illicit activity swept across many of his opulent properties. However, investigators apparently never searched his New Mexico ranch, formerly known as “Zorro Ranch,” according to emails released by the U.S. DOJ earlier this year.
When Epstein was found dead by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, investigators’ scope broadened, but authorities appear to have never returned to raid the property for potential evidence.
While New Mexico initiated its own investigation into the property, the probe was paused in 2019 at the request of the U.S. DOJ, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
What prompted state authorities to re-open their investigation?
In a statement issued last month, the New Mexico DOJ said the investigation was re-opened because “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”
The statement did not provide further details about the “revelations,” and state Attorney General Torrez has not publicly commented on which files prompted the investigation. The New Mexico DOJ has not responded to inquiries from ABC News about the scope of the investigation.
However, approximately a week before the New Mexico DOJ opened their investigation, the office received a request from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands to investigate an unsubstantiated allegation included in files released by the U.S. DOJ that two bodies were buried in the hills around the ranch.
“On behalf of the New Mexico State Land Office, I am requesting that both the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Mexico Department of Justice thoroughly investigate this disturbing allegation,” New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard said on Feb. 10 in a letter obtained by ABC News.
According to documents released by the U.S. DOJ, a local radio host received an email in November 2019 from an anonymous individual who claimed to have worked at the ranch and alleged that two “foreign girls” were buried on the grounds of the ranch after being strangulated.
The radio host told the FBI that he originally received a demand for one bitcoin in exchange for the location of the bodies and seven videos of sexual abuse.
According to an FBI report memorializing the tip, the host promptly shared the information with the FBI. The report suggested that the tip was received by the FBI and that the radio host spoke with investigators, though it does not appear the claim was investigated further, in part because the email account that sent the tip was deactivated.
The report and materials released by the U.S. DOJ did not include any evidence to corroborate the claims beyond the initial email. The documents and concern from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands appear to be part of the reason investigators have re-opened the investigation.
Who owns the ranch now?
Zorro Ranch was sold in 2023 to Texas businessman and politician Don Huffines, who is currently the Republican nominee for Texas’s state comptroller. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump in an upset victory against the incumbent.
In a post on social media, Huffines explained that he was aware of the history of the property when he purchased it in 2023 and that “at the time of the sale, it was marketed that the proceeds would go to the victims.”
He said in the post that he has renamed the ranch “San Rafael” and intends to “to remake it as a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus.”
The New Mexico DOJ this week said it “appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism.”
It is unclear if the New Mexico DOJ obtained a search warrant for the property or is just operating with the consent of the property owner.
What is the goal of the investigation?
The investigation comes as New Mexico lawmakers are seeking to better understand how Epstein was able to avoid legal scrutiny for years. Last month, the New Mexico House voted unanimously to create an Epstein “Truth Commission” to better understand Epstein’s activities in the state. The commission has subpoena power and a budget of $2 million to carry out its investigation.
In a column last week, Attorney General Torres acknowledged that the state’s investigation faces obstacles but vowed to issue a public report about his findings.
“Epstein has been dead for years. Zorro Ranch has changed ownership. Physical evidence may no longer exist, and the statute of limitations has likely run on many potential offenses. These are real obstacles, and survivors deserve to hear them stated plainly. But we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored,” Torres said.
