Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, has died, her family said in an April 25 statement.
Giuffre, 41, died near her home in Neergabby, Australia. The cause of death was suicide, her family said in the statement.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” her family said. “She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure.”
Giuffre, born Virginia Roberts, was among the most outspoken of Epstein’s abuse accusers. She played a critical role in the investigations that eventually led to criminal charges against the financier and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In 2015, Giuffre accused Epstein of paying her when she was 17 years old to have sex with him, Prince Andrew, Harvard lawyer Alan Dershowitz and some of Epstein’s other friends. She alleged that Maxwell lured her into Epstein’s circle.
She also filed a sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, in 2021, alleging that she had been trafficked to the British royal family member by Epstein three times around 2001 when she was a teenager. Andrew settled the suit in 2022. He has vehemently denied the allegations. Giuffre also filed a defamation lawsuit against Maxwell in 2015. The case was settled two years later.
