By MORGAN LEE, Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State legislators in New Mexico launched an investigation Tuesday into past activity at a secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests, and whether local authorities looked the other way.

A bipartisan, four-member panel of state House representatives are investigating allegations that the ranch may have facilitated sexual abuse and sex trafficking. New Mexico lawmakers also say they want to know why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender after pleading guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl and whether there was corruption among public officials.

A fence marks the boundary of the San Rafael Ranch, which was previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein and called the Zorro Ranch, on Jan. 31, 2026, near Stanley, N.M. (AP Photo/Savannah Peters)

Democratic state Rep. Marianna Anaya of Albuquerque, a member of the truth commission, urged people to come forward with information about any abuse at the ranch linked to Epstein and other people who made it possible, at a news conference Tuesday.

“That perpetrator could not act alone. They could not run a sex ring alone, they could not commit these types of financial crimes alone. So we know as a commission that enablers must also be held accountable, including the state itself, if needed,” said Anaya . “If you do want to share, we’ll be here and we will be operating with confidentiality.”

San Rafael Ranch, which was previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein and called the Zorro Ranch, is seen, Jan. 31, 2026, near Stanley, N.M. (AP Photo/Savannah Peters)

Revelations of ties to Epstein have led to the departure or ousting of multiple high-profile people in recent days.

Epstein purchased the sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico in 1993 from former Democratic Gov. Bruce King and built a 26,700-square-foot hilltop mansion with a private runway. The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023, with proceeds going to creditors.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.

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Truth commission chairwoman and state Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe has said that several survivors of Epstein’s abuse have signaled that sex trafficking activity extended to the ranch, which is about 35 miles south of Santa Fe.

“We’ve heard years of allegations and rumors about Epstein’s activities here. But unfortunately, federal investigations have failed to put together an official record,” Romero said Tuesday. “This truth commission will finally fill in the gaps of what we need to know.”

Commission members also include retired FBI agent and Republican state Rep. William Hall of Aztec and former district attorney and Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis. State House legislators who were present voted unanimously on Monday to create the commission with subpoena power and a budget of over $2 million.

While Epstein never faced charges in New Mexico, the state attorney general’s office in 2019 confirmed that it was investigating and had interviewed possible victims who visited the ranch.

In 2023, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ordered an investigation into financial businesses utilized by Epstein and their legal obligations, resulting in agreements with two banks that dedicate $17 million to the prevention of human trafficking, according to a spokesperson for Torrez’s office.

By ED WHITE, Associated Press

DNA from gloves found a few miles from the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie did not match any entries in a national database, authorities said Tuesday, the 17th day of her disappearance.

“There were no DNA hits in CODIS,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said, referring to the national Combined DNA Index System.

“At this point, there have been no confirmed CODIS matches in this investigation,” the department said, suggesting that other DNA samples had been put through the system.

CODIS is a valuable storehouse of DNA taken from crime suspects or people with convictions. Any hits could identify possible suspects in Guthrie’s disappearance.

The 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson-area home on Feb. 1 after spending the previous night with family, police said. Her blood was detected on the porch.

This combo from images provided by the FBI shows surveillance footage at the home of Nancy Guthrie the night she went missing in Tucson, Ariz. (FBI via AP)

A porch camera recorded video of a man with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves. The FBI said the suspect is about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build.

Gloves were found approximately 2 miles from Guthrie’s home. The FBI has said that the gloves appeared to match those worn by the man in the video.

“There is additional DNA evidence that was found at the residence, and that is also being analyzed,” the sheriff’s department said.

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In addition, the department said investigators are working with a manufacturer and experts to try to locate Guthrie by detecting her heart pacemaker. News media reported that a “signal sniffer” device has been attached to low-flying aircraft.

Savannah Guthrie posted an Instagram video Sunday in which she issued an appeal to anyone with information about what happened to her mother.

“It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “And we are here. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, that it’s never too late.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., arrested an 18-year-old man Tuesday after he ran from his vehicle towards the west side of the Capitol Building armed with a shotgun.

Capital Police Chief Michael Sullivan said the unidentified man parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol, got out and began running at the building when officers intercepted him and ordered him to the ground.

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Speaking at a press conference following the arrest, Sullivan said the gunman was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and had a Kevlar helmet and gas mask in the vehicle. The shotgun was loaded and he had additional rounds on him, the chief said.

Sullivan said the motive was under investigation, including whether members of Congress were the target. Congress is not in session.

Sullivan said the department has video footage, but he asked the public for any footage they might have of the incident.

“Who knows what would have happened if we wouldn’t have officers standing here?” the chief said, adding that the department had run active shooter drills in almost the identical spot in recent months.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — After letting go of a pitch on Monday afternoon during live batting practice, Pablo López was taken back in time. What he felt in his right elbow was, unfortunately, strikingly similar to what he had experienced during a bullpen session in October 2013.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez warms up during a spring training baseball workout in Fort Myers, Fla., Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“It felt like just something sharp happening where now I have a scar already,” the starting pitcher said.

López underwent Tommy John surgery as a teenage prospect and now, more than a decade later, he’s facing the prospect of a second Tommy John that would end his season before it started.

The Twins sent the pitcher for magnetic resonance imaging on Monday after López felt the elbow soreness. That imaging revealed a “significant tear” in his ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Jeremy Zoll said.

“It’s really disappointing news,” Zoll said. “You really feel for Pablo. As everyone knows, his work ethic, how much he cares about his body, his preparation is second to none.”

The 29-year-old will receive a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon based in Texas, in the coming days. Zoll said they expect to have full clarity on the injury within the next week or so but said that they understand that there is a “strong likelihood” that surgery is needed.

It’s a devastating blow for both the pitcher and the team. The injury happened on a day that had begun with optimism as new manager Derek Shelton and new executive chair Tom Pohlad led a team meeting Monday morning before the group began its first full-squad workout.

“Talk about going from 100 to a zero on the scale of being excited, being pumped, being just ultimately happy to be here and then you hear news like that,” López said. “(I’m) trying to navigate a lot of emotions.”

López said he hadn’t felt anything before that pitch and was hoping by shutting things down on Monday when he first felt pain, they perhaps had caught an issue before it developed into something worse.

Since he had his first Tommy John procedure, he knew there was a possibility of needing another one down the road. Once he got past the six-year mark, he was hoping he might be the exception. He was to some extent, making it 12 years before another significant injury to the elbow.

“Obviously you don’t want it to happen to anyone, but someone who’s working so hard and puts in so much time — he’s obviously here at the crack of dawn and just works his tail off,” fellow starter Joe Ryan said. “He just set such a good example for everyone, myself included. … It just sucks to lose him this early.”

The news came after a 2025 season in which López was also limited by injury. He made just 14 starts in 75 2/3 innings, limited by hamstring, shoulder and forearm issues.

After recovering from the forearm injury, which he suffered when making a fielding play near the end of the season, López had a productive offseason as he built himself up to compete this March in the World Baseball Classic. Not being able to play for Venezuela in the tournament adds on another layer of disappointment.

While he’s hoping the second opinion might just bring “some kind of miracle,” he’s also preparing himself for what is likely ahead, spending Monday night reading up on how the science and technology has advanced since he last underwent Tommy John surgery.

“We’re not designed to throw things that hard for an extended time,” he said. “Having done it once, I can do it again. Doesn’t mean I want to, but I’m going to have to, and I know I can.”

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