Virginia Giuffre is dead: Epstein victim took her own life
Australia - She was probably Jeffrey Epstein's best-known victim. Now Virginia Giuffre (†41) has been found dead.
"It is with completely broken hearts that we share that Virginia passed away last night on her farm in Western Australia," her family said on Saturday. "She lost her life to suicide after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking."
The family further shared, "In the end, the toll of the abuse became so high that it became unbearable for Virginia to bear its weight."
It was only at the beginning of April this year that the American-born woman posted a shocking picture on Instagram , marked by an accident and covered in bruises. She only had three days to live, she said, adding: "I'm ready to go - but not before I see my children one last time."
Now she has indeed gone, broken by the terrible experiences of abuse.
Giuffre was only 41 years old. She leaves behind three children.
Who was Virginia Giuffre?
Giuffre had accused the British Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her at the age of 17.
According to her own statements, she had met him through the US billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (†66), who had connections to numerous political and social figures such as former US President Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates .
The Epstein case made headlines for years. Epstein , who had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008, was found dead in his New York prison cell in August 2019 after being re-arrested .
According to the authorities, the well-connected financial investor and multimillionaire had committed suicide.
Virginia Giuffre fell into the clutches of sex billionaire Jeffrey Epstein as a minor
Epstein's long-time confidante Ghislaine Maxwell - a close acquaintance of Prince Andrew - was found guilty of sex trafficking by a jury in a court case in New York at the end of December 2021.
According to the indictment, the British woman had systematically recruited minors for Epstein for years, who were then sexually abused by him. The sentence imposed was 20 years in prison.
The legal dispute between Giuffre and Prince Andrew was settled out of court in 2022. A federal court in New York enforced a corresponding agreement following the payment of compensation.
The amount of the compensation payment was not disclosed. Prince Andrew thus escaped not only criminal prosecution, but also civil proceedings with many unpleasant questions.
TAG24 does not normally report on suicides. In this case, however, the editorial team has decided to report on it. If you are affected by suicidal thoughts yourself, you can contact the telephone counseling service around the clock, anonymously of course. Telephone counseling: 08001110111 or 08001110222 or 08001110116123.