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Has the Zorro Ranch property been sold or transferred since Jeffrey Epstein's death?
Executive summary
Public records and local reporting show Zorro Ranch — Jeffrey Epstein’s roughly 7,500–8,000 acre New Mexico property — was sold by the Epstein estate in August 2023 to an entity called San Rafael Ranch LLC for an undisclosed price, with the estate saying proceeds would be used to administer the estate and pay creditors (AP, KRQE, Reuters reporting summarized) [1] [2] [3]. Subsequent reporting and property databases continue to list the sale as confidential under New Mexico’s nondisclosure rules and identify San Rafael Ranch LLC as the recorded buyer; details about the ultimate beneficial owner remain not publicly revealed in the cited coverage [4] [5] [2].
1. Sale confirmed to the public — buyer named, price undisclosed
Multiple outlets report that attorneys for Epstein’s estate confirmed a sale in August 2023 and that the buyer on county records is San Rafael Ranch LLC; the estate’s attorney said proceeds would be used for estate administration and creditor payment while the sales price was withheld pending probate accounting (AP News, KRQE, Reuters summary via Business Insider) [1] [2] [3].
2. How public records and local reporting describe the transaction
Local Santa Fe County deed records and reporting obtained by KRQE and other stations show a recorded change of ownership from Epstein’s entity, Cypress Inc., to San Rafael Ranch LLC and a new warranty deed on file in mid‑August 2023, but New Mexico’s nondisclosure practices and estate confidentiality kept the sale price and ultimate buyer identity from immediate public disclosure [2] [6] [4].
3. Conflicting or unclear details in secondary reporting
Real‑estate listings and background stories on the ranch list varying acreage and square footage figures (roughly 7,500–8,000 acres and main-house sizes reported between ~26,700–33,000 sq ft) and note earlier listing prices that dropped from $27.5M to $18M before the 2023 sale; those figures appear repeatedly but reporting emphasizes the final sale amount remained undisclosed in public filings [7] [8] [3] [4].
4. Who actually controls the property now — transparency gap
Reporting repeatedly identifies San Rafael Ranch LLC as the buyer on the recorded deed, but journalists and county reporting found no immediate public identification of the individual[9] behind that LLC; Santa Fe’s local coverage explicitly notes only the registered agent is publicly listed and that the beneficial owners were not disclosed in the cited accounts [4] [2].
5. Estate and official statements about the purpose of the sale
An attorney for Epstein’s estate told local TV and AP that the sale was conducted by the estate and the proceeds would be used to settle estate administration matters and pay creditors; the estate also said it would disclose the sales price in its next probate accounting in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands court filings [1] [2].
6. Pre‑sale complications and odd filings that preceded the disposition
Earlier investigations into the property uncovered unusual and potentially fraudulent documents — for example a mysterious deed filed in 2020 that suggested partial changes to ownership — which local news flagged in 2021 while the estate was preparing the property for market; those prior irregularities were separate from the 2023 recorded sale but shaped local scrutiny [10].
7. Ongoing interest and later reporting through 2025
Coverage after the 2023 sale continued to treat the property as newsworthy: real‑estate and estate‑settlement coverage in 2024–2025 reiterates the sale to San Rafael Ranch LLC and the confidentiality of the sale price, and later reporting notes renewed legislative and public interest in what occurred at the ranch [5] [4] [11].
8. What the available sources do not say
Available sources do not mention the identity of the ultimate beneficial owner[9] beyond the LLC name San Rafael Ranch LLC, nor do they provide a publicly disclosed final sale price in the cited reports; if you are asking whether the property changed hands at a later date after the 2023 deed, current reporting in these sources does not document any additional transfer beyond the August 2023 sale to San Rafael Ranch LLC [1] [2] [4].
Conclusion — what we can reliably report: Zorro Ranch was sold by the Epstein estate in August 2023 and recorded as purchased by San Rafael Ranch LLC, with price and beneficial ownership withheld in public accounts and the estate stating proceeds would go toward estate administration and creditors; follow‑up reporting and county records cited here do not disclose who ultimately controls the LLC or any later transfer beyond that recorded sale [1] [2] [4].