In addition to private island and mansions in New York and Palm Beach, Epstein owned New Mexico ranch

He purchased the secluded ranch from New Mexico's then-Governor Bruce King in 1993

Accuser Virginia Roberts says she was brought to the ranch as an underage teen and sexually abused

Another accuser says her 15-year-old sister was flown to the ranch and molested

Epstein was reportedly interested in turning the ranch into human breeding farm to 'seed the human race'

Tried to insinuate himself into New Mexico's scientific circles that are legacy of Manhattan Project

FBI investigators are probing potentially vile crimes at Jeffrey Epstein's remote Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, following his death in federal custody last week.

The seemingly idyllic ranch in the shrub-dotted hills 23 miles south of Santa Fe has gone under the radar following raids on Epstein's private Caribbean island and mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach, but may have played a key role in the depraved pedophile's crimes.

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Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts has said she was taken to the ranch as an underage sex slave, sharing photos of herself on the property taken when she was about 17.

As well, Epstein revealed to scientists and close friends that he 'hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women' at the vast New Mexico ranch, according to the New York Times.

Zorro Ranch, one of the properties of Jeffrey Epstein, is seen in an aerial view near Stanley, New Mexico

A view from inside the compound of secluded Zorro Ranch is seen in this photo obtained by DailyMail.com

On February 22, 1993, Epstein's shell company the Zorro Trust completed a purchase of lands owned by members of the King family, a powerful New Mexico agricultural and political dynasty that included then-Governor Bruce King.

Jeffrey Epstein revealed to scientists and close friends that he 'hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women' at the vast New Mexico ranch

Zorro's deal included rights to the Kings' leases on public lands, a total of 1,159 acres rented for $872.22 a year. The entire ranch, including privately held land, totaled nearly 8,000 acres.

According to county records, Epstein began constructing a stable, detached garages, and homes in 1994, and began building his mansion in 1999. Including porches and patios, the mansion came to 57,420 square feet.

Epstein also inquired about building a private airstrip on the leased public land - but when he was informed state officials would need to inspect the land, he quickly withdrew the permit request and built the airstrip on the privately held portion of the ranch.

The ranch is surrounded on nearly all sides by land owned by the powerful King family, insulating it from prying eyes. Fashion designer Tom Ford, whose name is in Epstein's 'little black book', also maintains a massive 20,000-acre ranch not far to the north.

Soon after Epstein's mansion was complete, nearby residents began to notice 'caravans of glamorous women' arriving when Epstein was in town, Santa Fe photographer Gene Peach told the New Republic.

Peach said that locals always knew when 'the Epstein crowd is at the ranch, because the mansion lights drown out the stars'.

Virginia Roberts said she was taken to the ranch as an underage sex slave, sharing these photos of herself on the 8,000-acre New Mexico property taken when she was about 17

Virginia Roberts said she was taken to the ranch as an underage sex slave, sharing these photos of herself on the 8,000-acre New Mexico property taken when she was about 17

A map shows the location of Zorro Ranch, a remote New Mexico property nearly surrounded by private land

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In addition to Virginia Roberts, Epstein accuser Maria Farmer said he and his then-assistant Ghislaine Maxwell abused her underage sister on Zorro Ranch.

'During the summer of 1996, Epstein and Maxwell flew my younger sister to their ranch in New Mexico,' Farmer, now 49, wrote in an affidavit.

'She was only 15 at the time and they directed her take off all of her clothes and get on a massage table. Maxwell and Epstein then touched her inappropriately on the massage table. It was not until later in the summer when I called my sister in Thailand where she was studying that I learned what had happened to her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch.'

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'To my knowledge, I was the first person to report Maxwell and Epstein to the FBI. It took a significant amount of bravery because I knew how powerful and influential both were.'

There are a number of reasons Epstein may have selected New Mexico as the location for his ranch.

For one, the state's age of consent is 17, which allowed him to be dropped from New Mexico's sex offender registry after just one month following his 2008 guilty plea to one count of procuring a 17-year-old girl for prostitution.

Neighbors say 'caravans of glamorous women' would arrive at the ranch through these double gates off Highway 41

Among photos obtained by DailyMail.com, there's a shot of the wooden cowboy-style ranch entrance which has a metal Z

The Attorney General's office announced its investigators have interviewed possible victims of Epstein who visited Zorro Ranch

The Attorney General's office announced its investigators have interviewed possible victims of Epstein who visited Zorro Ranch and is renewing a push for new laws to require sex traffickers to register as sex offenders in the state

New Mexico also has a strong scientific community, a legacy of the Manhattan Project, which Epstein reportedly insinuated himself into in pursuit of his bizarre goals.

Those goals included plans to have his head and penis cryogenically frozen upon his death, according to the Times.

Epstein donated more than a quarter of a million dollars into the Santa Fe Institute, a think tank for theoretical researchers, and befriended co-founder and quark-theory pioneer Murray Gell-Mann.

Gell-Mann in 2011 told Vanity Fair that “there are always pretty ladies around” when he dined at Zorro Ranch.

The scientific genius died in late May at the age of 89. The Santa Fe Institute has said that Epstein exaggerated his involvement with the think-tank, and was merely an occasional donor.

Zorro Ranch, one of the properties of Jeffrey Epstein, is seen in an aerial view near Stanley, New Mexico

According to county records, Epstein began constructing a stable, detached garages, and homes in 1994, and began building his mansion in 1999. Including porches and patios, the mansion came to 57,420 square feet

Accuser Virginia Roberts is seen riding a horse on Epstein's Zorro Ranch when she was aged about 17

Authorities in New Mexico are now cooperating with the federal probe into Epstein's potential co-conspirators.

State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard last month delivered lease documents to state prosecutors who have interviewed possible victims of Epstein who visited his ranch south of Santa Fe.

Now the state attorney general's office has said it is delivering up any evidence to the Southern District of New York, which is continuing the investigation into possible co-conspirators following Epstein's death at age 66.

Zorro Trust remains the legal owner of the New Mexico property. Epstein stated in a court document filed just weeks before his death that his estate was worth approximately $550 million.

The estate will likely pass to Epstein's younger brother Marc, the only surviving member of his immediate family.

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Epstein's executor and heirs will undoubtedly face a wave of lawsuits from women who claim they were assaulted and in some cases raped by Epstein for years when they were underage.