Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accuser, died by suicide on April 24. First responders in Western Australia found her unresponsive at her farm and told People that “early indications” show that “the death is not suspicious.”
Giuffre’s death comes less than a month after she told People that her husband, Robert Giuffre, was physically abusive. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight,” her family said in a statement to the Cut. “We know that she is with the angels.”
Her lawyers and loved ones say that despite her suffering, Giuffre used her story to advocate for other survivors. “Virginia was much more than a client to me,” said her attorney, Sigrid McCawley, in a statement to the Cut. “She was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims. Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring.” In 2010, Giuffre accused Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, of sexual assault, claiming they recruited her to join their sex-trafficking ring when she was a minor. She also alleged that the pair forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew, whom she later sued for sexual abuse (they reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022). A widely circulated photograph, first published by the Daily Mail, shows the Duke of York with his hand around the teenager’s waist while Maxwell smiles in the background. (Prince Andrew told the BBC he had “no recollection” of the incident and suggested the photo must have been doctored.)
Giuffre, who was the first of Epstein’s victims to come forward using her name in the press, told the Cut in 2021 that the birth of her daughter, who is now a teenager, motivated her to speak out. “I don’t want my little girl growing up in a world that is so vicious,” she said. She later founded a nonprofit, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), to advocate for victims of sexual assault.
In late March, Giuffre posted a photo of her bruised face to Instagram, saying she had been in a car crash and that due to kidney renal failure, the doctors had given her “four days to live.” Less than a week later, she told People that her husband of 22 years has been physically abusive throughout their marriage; her brother and sister-in-law told the magazine that they weren’t sure whether her recent medical issues were “caused by the crash or complications from a recent beating she allegedly suffered at the hands of her husband, or a combination of the two.” Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s sister-in-law, claimed that Giuffre “almost died” after a domestic-violence incident in early January. “So she’s fighting real physical pain that she endured, and she was fighting her real mental pain,” she told People. “And sometimes when that mental pain overrules, you can’t even see anything else but that.” (Robert’s attorney told the magazine that his client has “no comment” since the two had been in a legal battle involving a restraining order he filed against her.)
Meanwhile, Giuffre’s family and loved ones are remembering her as a devoted mother of three children, a strong advocate, and an animal lover. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” they said in a statement to the Cut. “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.”
