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Virginia Giuffre, a prominent survivor of financier Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and an advocate for sex trafficking victims, died by suicide in her home in Australia, her family said Friday.
Giuffre’s family announced the news of her death in a statement, saying “the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Giuffre, 41, was one of the most outspoken women who accused Epstein of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She said she was a troubled teenager trying to rebuild her life when she met Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who roped her into their circle as Maxwell groomed her for Epstein’s abuse, which lasted years. Epstein, she said, then “passed [her] around like a platter of fruit” to his powerful friends.
Giuffre had named Britain’s Prince Andrew as one of the men who sexually abused her. She sued him in federal court in 2021, alleging that she was forced to have sex with him multiple times when she was 17 years old. Andrew denied her allegations, but the fallout became a national scandal in the U.K., and he was stripped of his royal titles in early 2022. Andrew settled with Giuffre for an undisclosed sum one month later and did not admit to any of the allegations.
Giuffre also hit Maxwell with a defamation suit in 2015, and the two settled in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell in New York City while awaiting trial for his crimes in 2019. In December 2021, Maxwell was convicted on charges of recruiting and grooming teenagers for Epstein’s abuse. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Giuffre’s family called her “a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking.” She continued to speak out against Epstein in recent years and pushed for the release of documents related to the late financier as part of the settlement she reached with Maxwell.
“She was the light that lifted so many survivors,” her family said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.