Virginia Giuffre, Epstein and Prince Andrew accuser, dies

Virginia Giuffre - an outspoken sex trafficking survivor and one of the most prominent accusers of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - has died by suicide, her family has said.

The 41-year-old died yesterday in Western Australia, where she had been living for several years, the family said in an emailed statement.

Virginia Giuffre settled a sexual assault lawsuit against Britain's Prince Andrew in 2022.

He paid millions to settle the civil case with Ms Giuffre, whom he said he had never met.

She sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after she was reportedly trafficked by Epstein.

"Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors," the family statement said.

"Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure."

Western Australia state police said they received a report late yesterday local time that a 41-year-old woman, whom they did not name, died at a residence in Neergabby, a rural area on Perth's outskirts.

Police said first aid was attempted to no avail.

Ms Giuffre was one of the first people to call for criminal prosecution against Epstein, which he eventually faced.

Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019. He was found to have died by suicide a few weeks later while imprisoned in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

In 2024, a group of victims filed a lawsuit accusing the FBI of covering up its failure to investigate Epstein.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has vowed to release all documents related to the charges against Epstein, including lists of high-profile people associated with him.

In February the "first phase" of documents was released but contained no bombshells.

In 2022, Ms Giuffre settled a lawsuit in which she accused Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her as a teenager at Epstein's mansion in New York and on Epstein's private Caribbean island, Little St James.

Several lawsuits and legal cases have been spawned by the accusations against Epstein, including the sex trafficking conviction in New York for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused of helping Epstein, her former boyfriend, sexually abuse teenage girls. She is serving a 20-year sentence at a prison in Florida.

Ms Giuffre's long-time publicist Dini von Mueffling said her client was "one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know".

"Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims," Ms von Mueffling said. "It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her."

Giuffre reportedly treated in hospital after accident last month

Ms Giuffre, who was believed to have separated from her husband, was treated in an Australian hospital after a serious accident, her publicist said last month.

She did not answer questions about the date, location, nature or other specifics of the accident and about the accuracy of an Instagram post that appeared from Ms Giuffre in which she said she had been in a car that was hit by a school bus, and her prognosis was dire.

She was taken to a Perth hospital following the collision on 24 March.

In an emotional post on social media, she expressed that she was ready to die.

"I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology," she said.

"I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time."

According to reports, a spokesperson for Ms Giuffre said the Instagram post was a mistake and she had meant to share the post to her private Facebook page.

She was charged with breaching a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, on 2 February, Western Australia Courts said.

Ms Giuffre's case was first heard in Joondalup Magistrates' Court in northern Perth on 14 March, where she did not enter a plea.

The matter was adjourned to 11 June for a plea hearing, according to Western Australia Courts.

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Additional reporting: PA