Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim, Virginia Giuffre, died by suicide on Thursday according to her family – weeks after she said she had 'days to live' and was in renal failure following a collision with a bus.
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died, her family said. Pic: Reuters
The 41-year-old died in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for several years.
"It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia," he family said in a statement to NBC News. "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," the statement continues. "In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."
Giuffre was one of the earliest Epstein abuse survivors to come out publicly and call for criminal charges against the convicted pedophile, who himself died while in custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges – while cameras were mysteriously malfunctioning and guards had 'fallen asleep.'
Six years ago, Giuffre proclaimed "I am making it publicy known that in no way, shape or form am I sucidal," adding "If something happens to me- in the sake of my family do not let this go away and help me to protect them."
Raised in Florida, Giuffre said she was sexually abused by a family friend, and was eventually groomed by Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre was abused by Epstein and pals between 1999 and 2002, when she was trafficked to Epstein's powerful friends, including Prince Andrew and French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Giuffre took legal action against Epstein in 2015, claiming that she was sex trafficked at the age of 16 at various locations – including Epstein's Little St. James island (aka Pedo Island), his New Mexico compound, and Maxwell's home in London, where a notorious photo of her was taken with Prince Andrew – which the Andrew and supporters claim was fabricated.
Maxwell – a former British socialite whose father was a suspected agent for Mossad, was found guilty on five counts of sex trafficking in 2021 for her role in recruiting girls to be abused by Epstein and his network.
Giuffre isn't the first deceased Epstein victim:
Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in 2021, alleging that he sexually abused her when she was 17. Andrew agreed to settle the case for an undisclosed amount in 2022, and denied all allegations.
Brunel, meanwhile, was charged with sexual harassment and rape of a minor in December of 2020. He 'died by suicide' in his jail cell in February 2022 – months after Giuffre appeared in court to advocate for Brunel's victims.
"I wanted Brunel to know that he no longer has the power over me," Giuffre said, adding "that I am a grown woman now and I’ve decided to hold him accountable for what he did to me and so many others."
And for Epstein's network of abusers who are still running around uncharged, another loose end has been tied up.