Virginia Giuffre, the most prominent victim of late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, took her own life Thursday — just weeks after she made headlines for saying she “had days to live” after she claimed to have been hit by a bus.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” the 41-year-old’s family said in a statement to NBC News.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”
Giuffre took legal action against billionaire financier Epstein in 2015, alleging that she was sex trafficked at 16 after his ex-lover and convicted madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, recruited her from her job as a locker room attendant at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
The mom of three also alleged she was forced to have sex with disgraced Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 — including at Epstein’s Little St. James island, in New Mexico and in Maxwell’s London home, where a notorious photo of her with King Charles’ eldest brother was taken.
The allegations became the biggest scandal to rock the royal family in a generation.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors,” her family’s statement said.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.