AUSTRALIA: Ms Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. She alleged they sold her to the Duke of York when she was 17, which Prince Andrew has strenuously denied.
Ms Giuffre – who was born in the US – had been living in the suburb of North Perth with her children and husband Robert, although recent reports revealed the couple had separated after 22 years of marriage.
Western Australia Police said they were called to a home in the Neeragabi area on Friday night where Ms Giuffre was found unconscious.
A statement added: “The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; initial indications are that the death is not suspicious.” The statement described the mother of three as a “light that lifted up so many victims” and said she died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia.
Relatives said in a statement on Friday that she was a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse”, and that “the burden of abuse … became unbearable”, adding that she committed suicide after “a lifetime of being sexually abused and sexually trafficked.”
Ms Giuffre had alleged that Epstein and Maxwell sold her to Prince Andrew when she was 17. The prince, who has denied all claims against him, settled with them out of court in 2022. The settlement included a statement in which she expressed regret for her relationship with Epstein, but it contained no admission of liability or apology.
Three weeks ago, Ms Giuffre posted on Instagram to reveal she had been seriously injured in a car crash, which her family later said she did not want to make public. Local police later disputed the severity of the accident.
In a statement, Ms Giuffre’s longtime spokeswoman Dini von Mueffling described her as “one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing”. She said Ms Giuffre was “a beacon for other survivors and victims” and “representing her was the privilege of my life”.
After making her abuse allegations public, Ms Giuffre became a prominent campaigner and was closely associated with the Me Too movement. Epstein took his own life in 2019 in prison, where he was held awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
He was previously convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the US for her role in Epstein’s trafficking and abuse. Ms Giuffre said she had been a victim of sex trafficking as a teenager. She said she met British socialite Maxwell in 2000.
From there, she said she was introduced to American financier Epstein and alleged she was abused by him and his associates for years.
