Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teen, has died by suicide after troubling Instagram posts.
Her family confirmed her death in a statement to NBC News, saying: ‘It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia.
‘She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
‘Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.
‘In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.’
Virginia Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein
The 41-year-old grew to prominence after she was trafficked by the late financier and called for charges to be brought against him.
Giuffre claimed she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew at the behest of Epstein’s associate, jailed British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, when she was just 17.
The Duke of York has denied the allegation, as has Maxwell – who is a convicted sex offender – while Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019.
She filed a federal lawsuit against Andrew in 2021 which he agreed to settle for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He has denied ever having sex with her.
Originally born in Florida, Giuffre had moved to Australia with her husband in 2019 prior to Epstein being arrested. The couple have three children.
Most recently, she had been sharing images of herself to Instagram from a hospital bed after being in a car crash, stating doctors told her she had just days to live.
She said her car had been hit by a school bus travelling at over 60mph and the accident had left her with kidney failure.
The photograph showed discoloration to Giuffre’s face and chest which has been described as severe bruising.
Three days after the picture emerged, a spokesman for Giuffre said she had ‘made a mistake’ and had not intended to share the post publicly.
This is a breaking news story.
