Virginia Giuffre, one of the most well-known victims of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who also claimed she was sexually trafficked to Prince Andrew, died at the age of 41.
Her family said in a statement on Saturday that she committed suicide on her farm in Western Australia, where she had lived for several years.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that Virginia died last night at her farm in Western Australia. “She committed suicide after a lifelong history of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the statement read.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Giuffre was one of Epstein’s most vocal victims, alleging that he and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, groomed and sexually abused her since her teens.
Her family described her as a “fierce warrior” against sexual abuse and sex trafficking, as well as a “light that lifted so many survivors”.
“Despite all the adversity in her life, she shone so brightly. “She will be greatly missed,” they said.
Giuffre is survived by her three children, Christian, Noah, and Emily, whom her family described as the “light of her life”.
“It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realised she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,” the witnesses claimed.
“There are no words to express the profound loss we feel today as a result of the death of our beloved Virginia. She was heroic and will be remembered for her unwavering bravery and loving spirit.”
Giuffre’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, stated that she was “much more than a client”.
“She was a dear friend and a tremendous advocate for other victims. Her courage inspired me to fight harder, and her strength was incredible,” McCawley said. “The world lost an incredible human being today. Rest in peace, my precious angel.”
Dini von Mueffling, Giuffre’s representative, described her as “one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.
“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon for other survivors and victims.” “She adored her children and many animals,” she explained. “She was always more concerned about me than with herself. I’ll miss her beyond words. It was an honor of a lifetime to represent her.
Josh Schiffer, a lawyer who represents one of Epstein’s victims, stated that Giuffre was instrumental in exposing the financier. “The case would not have existed without her input, cooperation, and bravery at the outset, which inspired so many others to come forward,” he told the US cable network NewsNation.
Schiffer stated, “Her death will hopefully serve as a marker and almost an inspiration for people to raise awareness about the epidemic that is sex trafficking, or the international sex industry. This is a problem that still exists. It is constantly changing its form and can be found all over the world. This just happened to be a very prominent example.”
Western Australia police did not publicly confirm Giuffre’s death, but said emergency services responded to reports of a 41-year-old woman being unresponsive at a home in Neergabby, about 75 kilometers north of Perth, around 9.50 p.m. on Friday.
According to reports, the woman received emergency first aid but was later pronounced dead.
The death will be investigated, but it is not considered suspicious.
Giuffre revealed on social media earlier this month that she only had a few days to live after a school bus collided with her car.
WA police confirmed that a 41-year-old woman was in a car that collided with a bus on March 24, but no injuries were reported. Giuffre is believed to have presented to a Perth hospital emergency department on April 1.
Giuffre, an American, says she met Maxwell, a British socialite, in 2000 while working as a locker-room assistant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Maxwell offered Epstein a job as a massage therapist, and she claimed she was trafficked to the financier’s friends and clients, being “passed around like a platter of fruit”.
In a 2009 civil lawsuit against Epstein, under the alias “Jane Doe 102,” she claimed that her responsibilities included being “sexually exploited by Epstein’s adult male peers, including royalty.” Giuffre settled with Epstein in that case before it went to trial.
In 2021, Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in federal court in New York, alleging that he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17. Andrew has repeatedly and unequivocally denied the allegations.
Giuffre claimed in her lawsuit that Epstein and Maxwell introduced her to Andrew in 2001 and forced her to have sex with him.
In 2022, Andrew and Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount.
Maxwell, who has always maintained her innocence, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for sex trafficking.
Federal authorities arrested Epstein in July 2019 and charged him with sex trafficking. Soon after, he committed suicide while awaiting trial.
Virginia Giuffre, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual assault, has died at age 41
by Johnson
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