The legislative committee investigating sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's time in New Mexico announced new subpoenas and took testimony from survivors during a hearing Thursday afternoon. This marks the third time what’s known as the Truth Commission has met ahead of releasing a report of Epstein's dealings on July 31.
Survivor Annette Church gave her testimony over Zoom, straining through tears and traumatic memories to explain what she says was her experience as a child and a teen at Zorro Ranch, Epstein’s former 10,000-acre ranch in Santa Fe County.
She said she suffered kidnapping, and torture, being forced to drown in a tank before being pulled out and revived over and over again. She said she wasn’t sure if it was an experiment, or just for Epstein.
“Sometimes I was again blindfolded, sometimes I was not blindfolded. Either way, it was horrifying. Sometimes I felt the water level rising higher and higher,” Church said. “Other times it terrorized me while I watched it rise until it engulfed me. A gag would both muffle my screams and help water enter my lungs faster.”
She said she was forced to go through the tank many times, including while pregnant as a teenager.
“I don't remember being taken out of the tank, so I have no idea whatsoever what may have happened to my babies, but I remember cramps and bleeding,” she said. “Were my babies buried at Zorro Ranch?”
She says she had no freedom or herself, and was kept under control by constant surveillance, including cameras in the bathroom.
“It was a very effective tool of torture and invasion of privacy, especially against kids, embarrassment keeps people silent,” Church said, “but I will not remain silent nor be silenced anymore.”
She says she was even forced to undergo dental procedures that made her easier to track.
“A tracker was placed in my tooth,” she said. “A surveillance device was placed in or on another tooth, and some kind of poison capsule or poison tooth was placed in another tooth or replaced my normal tooth. Most of these things were later removed by Epstein himself.”
Commission Chair, State Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), said testimony like Church’s is exactly what the commission was created to find.
“What you've chosen to present to us today is the foundation of what this commission does and will do,” she said, “and we don't take any of these testimonies lightly.”
Romero said the commission is working on establishing a process with the New Mexico Department of Justice that allows them to share testimony in the hopes of finding a conviction, if plausible, while still protecting survivors.
“We maintain this is survivor-centered,” Romero said, “and for those who can get justice today, we will do all we can to see that justice is served.”
Romero announced subpoenas had been sent to the financial institutions JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, both of which have been linked to Epstein in the past. They were also sent to seven US attorneys offices around the country, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration.
Several state offices were subpoenaed as well including the New Mexico Department of Health, Regulation and Licensing Department, Public Regulation Commission, and the State Records Center and Archive
According to the subpoenas, the commission is looking for a wide range of different types of records — everything from correspondence and communications, to financial documents, real estate records and much more.
Survivor Rachel Benavidez also spoke to applaud the commission for its work so far, and to call for an end to the systems that allowed Epstein to flourish.
“We want New Mexico to set the standard for seeking truth and exposing corruption, even when it involves individuals who currently hold or once held positions of power, influence, or authority,” she said. “No one should be above scrutiny if they were complicit in crimes, helped conceal them or turned a blind eye or participated in them. The culture of exploitation that enabled Jeffrey Epstein and others like him cannot be allowed to continue unchecked.”
A list of subpoenas is available on the commission's website.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
