Virginia Giuffre, who had accused disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein and has taken her own life in , her family said on Saturday.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” the family said in a statement carried by news agencies.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”
Giuffre, a US and Australian citizen, was 41.
Who is Giuffre and what did her testimony reveal about the Epstein case?
Giuffre had accused US billionaire Epstein of emerging as a central figure in his prolonged downfall.
Investigation into allegations that Epstein sexually abused underage girls who were hired to give him massages started in 2005 and extended beyond his 2019 suicide while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Giuffre publicly came forward with her accusations, saying she was a teenage spa attendant at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club when Epstein’s then girlfriend and approached her and hired her as a masseuse for the billionaire.
She then detailed how he sexually abused her and also pressured her into sexual acts with his associates, including Prince Andrew.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight. We know that she is with the angels,” her family wrote in the statement.
She is survived by her three children: Christian, Noah, and Emily.
If you are suffering from emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, seek professional help. You can find information on where to find help, no matter where you live in the world, at this website: www.befrienders.org
Edited by: Sean Sinico
The post Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre takes own life appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
