Epstein survivor says it's not too late to expose what happened at his New Mexico ranch

Rachel Benavidez was a newly licensed massage therapist when she began working at Zorro Ranch.Krysta Jabczenski for NBC NewsEXCLUSIVEEpstein filesEpstein survivor says it's not too late to expose what happened at his New Mexico ranchRachel Benavidez, who accused Jeffrey Epstein of assaulting her at his isolated Zorro Ranch, wants his enablers to be held accountable. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 20, 2026, 5:00 AM EDTBy Hallie Jackson and Jon SchuppeSTANLEY, N.M. — More than two decades after she was sexually abused at Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch, Rachel Benavidez is still waiting for someone to be held responsible for crimes there.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.She is among at least 10 girls and young women who have alleged they were groomed or assaulted at Zorro Ranch, Epstein’s gated compound, beginning in the late 1990s. Benavidez and others said they were lured by promises of money or career help, then found themselves trapped, surrounded by miles of dry grassland with no neighbors in sight. They said they were groped, forced into nude massages, assaulted with sex toys, raped. They overcame paralyzing fear to share their ordeals again and again. And yet authorities have never fully investigated what happened at the ranch.Jeffrey Epstein bought Zorro Ranch in the early 1990s and built a mansion that was miles from its nearest neighbor.Adria Malcolm for NBC News“Until we are heard, until survivors are heard and believed, then I don’t think there’s ever going to be any justice,” Benavidez, 52, said in a recent interview, her first since the Justice Department in January released millions of documents that brought renewed attention to Epstein’s activities at the ranch, and missed opportunities to investigate them.For more on this story, watch “Hallie Jackson NOW” on NBC News NOW today at 5 p.m. ET. The disclosures, including an unsu...