Virginia Giuffre, an outspoken survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, has died by suicide at the age of 41 after troubled years at the heart of a notorious sex trafficking ring.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” Giuffre’s family said in a statement provided to The Independent. “She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”
Giuffre was a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the statement continues. “She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure.”
Giuffre was one of the first people to call for criminal charges against Epstein. Giuffre recounted how she was groomed by Ghislaine Maxwell to be sexually abused by Epstein. She also accused Epstein of trafficking her to Prince Andrew when she was 17, which the prince has denied.
Here’s what we know about Giuffre and her fight against sexual abuse:
Giuffre grew up in Florida, worked at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
Giuffre, who reported suffering sexual and physical abuse as a child, was born in Sacramento, California and moved with her parents at the age of 4 to Palm Beach County in Florida, where her father was a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago. While a teen, Giuffre got a job at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as a locker room attendant.
Giuffre said she was recruited as a teenager by Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein’s associate, while working there. Giuffre recounted Maxwell approaching her while she was reading a massage therapy manual, and asked her to become Epstein’s traveling masseuse.
“They seemed like nice people so I trusted them, and I told them I’d had a really hard time in my life up until then — I’d been a runaway, I’d been sexually abused, physically abused,” Giuffre said in a 2019 interview with The Miami Herald.
“That was the worst thing I could have told them because now they knew how vulnerable I was,” she added.
Giuffre went on to say Maxwell groomed her to be sexually abused by Epstein from 1999 to 2002. She also said that Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew and others. Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles, denied all claims that he assaulted her but resigned from his public duties in 2020 after she went public with her accusations.
Giuffre sues Epstein and Prince Andrew
In 2009, Giuffre (then identified only as Jane Doe) sued Epstein and Maxwell, claiming they recruited her to join a sex-trafficking ring as a minor under the false promise of becoming a professional masseuse.
Giuffre went on to identify herself publicly in 2015.
She then went on to sue Prince Andrew in 2021 accusing him of sexually assaulting her. Giuffre said Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was 17.
Giuffre also provided key information to law enforcement that helped prosecutors ultimately convict Maxwell in 2021, NBC News reports.
Epstein, 66 at the time, was charged by federal authorities with sex trafficking and conspiracy, but was found hanged in his cell after his arrest in 2019 in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. His death was ruled a suicide.
Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022, stating at the time he hoped to “demonstrate his regret” for his association with Epstein by “supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
The settlement helped support Giuffre’s advocacy organization, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim. The organization is “dedicated to providing a safe and empowering space for survivors of sex trafficking to reclaim their stories and stand up for themselves and each other.”
Health problems following car crash
Late last month, Giuffre posted a photo of herself with a bruised face in a hospital bed on Instagram, explaining that doctors told her she had “four days to live” due to kidney failure following a car wreck. She was discharged from the hospital six days later.
“This year has been the worst start to a new year. I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,” she wrote.
“I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes,” she added. “S*** in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s*** at the end of the day.”
Giuffre had three children with her husband, Richard Giuffre.
A spokesperson for Giuffre said the Instagram post was made in error.
“On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding,” the spokesperson said. “Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home. Virginia’s condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital.”
Concerning her Instagram post, “Virginia thought that she had posted on her private Facebook page,” the spokesperson added.
Giuffre was supposed to appear in court on April 9 after being charged with violating a family violence restraining order obtained by her husband, People reported. She allegedly violated the order by calling her husband on February 2.
However, her court appearance was postponed at the request of her attorney, and a judge granted her an extension until June to enter a plea.
Loved ones react to Giuffre’s death
Giuffre’s family said she will be “missed beyond measure.”
“The light of her life were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily,” her family said in a statement. “It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realized she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others.”
“There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia,” the statement continued. “She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Giuffre’s attorney Sigrid McCawley called the 41-year-old “a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims.”
Her “courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” McCawley said in a statement provided to The Independent. “The world has lost an amazing human being today. Rest in peace, my sweet angel.”
Giuffre’s spokesperson Dini von Mueffling said her client was “one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honor to know.”
“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims. She adored her children and many animals,” von Mueffling said. “She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”
If you are based in the U.S. and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can also speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
