Virginia Giuffre died by suicide, her family reports, at their home in Australia. Giuffre, 41, was trafficked by billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager and alleged that Prince Andrew and others sexually abused her. Among the outspoken accusers of Epstein and his "madam" Ghislaine Maxwell, Giuffre won a significant settlement from the British royal family in 2022.
Relatives said in a statement on Friday that she had been a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse", and that the "toll of abuse… became unbearable". "She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking," they said. The statement described the mother of three "as the light that lifted so many survivors" and said she died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia. West Australia police said they were called to a home in the Neergabby area on Friday night, where Ms Giuffre was found unresponsive. A statement continued: "The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious."
Giuffre said she was abused for years after meeting Maxwell in 2000, and alleged she was trafficked to Prince Andrew by Epstein and Maxwell when she was 17. Prince Andrew denied the claims but settled out of court in 2022 without admitting liability. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, following an earlier conviction in 2008. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years for her role in the abuse.
Support is available in the U.S. from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and in the U.K from the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 0800 587 0800. In the U.S. and Canada, you can dial 988.
Previously:
• Her Majesty's High Court of Justice in England will serve Virginia Guiffre's lawsuit on Prince Andrew
• List of Epstein associates drops
• Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell arrested by FBI
• Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre to settle sex abuse lawsuit
