(This April 25 story has been corrected to remove the word ‘trysts,’ so as not to imply contacts were consensual, in paragraph 6)
By Brad Brooks and Samuel McKeith
(Reuters) – Virginia Giuffre, one of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, has died by suicide, her family said on Friday.
Giuffre, 41, died on Friday in Western Australia, where she had been living for several years, the family said in an emailed statement.
“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 on Friday 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 and that foul play was not suspected.
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. Authorities say he died by suicide a few weeks later while imprisoned in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Epstein’s death has ignited controversy for years, with the U.S. Justice Department alleging he sexually exploited over 250 underage girls at his homes in New York, Florida and other locations. Various lawsuits filed by victims allege Epstein facilitated the abuse of the girls by powerful associates.
In 2022, 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.
Some have alleged that Epstein was murdered in jail to cover up the exposure of his rich and powerful clients who may have abused girls.
In 2024, a group of victims filed a lawsuit accusing the FBI of covering up its failure to investigate Epstein.
The administration of U.S. 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.
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.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado and Sam McKeith in Sydney, Australia; Editing by William Mallard and Rod Nickel)
