Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teen, has died by suicide in Western Australia after making a series of troubling Instagram posts.
Ms Giuffre was one of the most prominent accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who she said kept her as a sex slave while flying her around the world and offering to their powerful associates 'like a platter of fruit'.
She alleged they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17 and was three times sexually assaulted by him - a claim which Prince Andrew has denied. The prince reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.
Ms Giuffre is understood to have died at her farm in Western Australia, just weeks after being involved in a car crash which saw her say she had just 'days to live'. She was involed in a domestic dispute with her husband, who is father of her three children.
Her family said in a statement: 'It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia.
'She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
'Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. 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.'
Her family added that 'the light of her life' were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily.
'It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realized she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,' they said.
The 41-year-old, born Virginia Roberts, grew to prominence after she went public with allegations against the late financier and called for charges to be brought against him.
'There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia,' the statement continued.
'She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit.
'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.'
Virginia Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein
Giuffre claimed she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew at the behest of Epstein's associate, jailed British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, when she was just 17. She is seen here alongside the two
This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein. He died in a New York prison in 2019
Ms Giuffre is understood to have died at her farm in Western Australia.
Police confirmed emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in the Perth suburb of Neergabby on Friday night.
'Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,' a police spokeswoman said.
'The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.'
On Saturday, Giuffre's brother Danny Wilson paid tribute to his sister on Facebook with a sweet photo of the pair and another man.
Giuffre is seen smiling at the camera with her arm around her brother in the picture.
Giuffre claimed she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew at the behest of Epstein's associate, jailed British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, when she was just 17.
The Duke of York was forced to pay out a settlement reportedly worth around £12 million after Ms Giuffre alleged that paedophile Epstein trafficked her across the world to have sex with the prince. He has denied ever having sex with her.
She had alleged he sexually assaulted her three times, in London during a 2001 trip, at Epstein's New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.
Andrew repeatedly denied her allegations and has said he can't recall ever meeting her, although a photograph of them together in a London townhouse, his arm around her bare midriff, was included in Giuffre's lawsuit against him.
The settlement did not involve any admission of liability on his behalf, and he denies any sexual contact with her.
The scandal led to Prince Andrew stepping back from royal life after a disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis, then working for the BBC.
The discussion, in which Andrew made a series of claims - including insisting he couldn't have been with Ms Giuffre at the time because he was dining at Pizza Express in Woking, and that a medical condition left him unable to sweat - has since gained notoriety and is widely acknowledged to have embarrassed the royals.
Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, some as young as 14.
The charges came 14 years after police in Palm Beach, Florida, first began investigating allegations that he sexually abused underage girls who were hired to give him massages.
The Duke of York was forced to pay out a settlement reportedly worth around £12 million after Ms Giuffre alleged that paedophile Epstein trafficked her across the world to have sex with the prince
The scandal led to Prince Andrew stepping back from royal life after a disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis, then working for the BBC (pictured)
On Saturday, Giuffre's brother Danny Wilson (left) paid tribute to her on social media by displaying a photo of him and his sister.
Giuffre is seen here arriving at Federal Court in New York in August 2019 for a hearing into the case against Epstein
Originally born in Florida, Giuffre had moved to Australia with her husband Robert in 2019 prior to Epstein being arrested, she is seen here alongside her brother earlier this month
Giuffre came forward publicly after the initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made a secret deal to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009.
In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's Palm Beach club, when she was approached in 2000 by Epstein's girlfriend and later employee, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Giuffre said Maxwell hired her as a masseuse for Epstein, but the couple effectively made her a sexual servant, pressuring her into gratifying not only Epstein but his friends and associates.
Giuffre said she was flown around the world for assignations with men including Prince Andrew while she was 17 and 18.
The Duke of York denied the allegation, as has Maxwell - who is a convicted sex offender - while Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in a Florida federal prison following her conviction for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Originally born in Florida, Giuffre had moved to Australia with her husband Robert in 2019 prior to Epstein being arrested. The couple have three children.
Most recently, she had been sharing images of herself to Instagram from a hospital bed after being in a car crash, stating doctors told her she had just days to live.
She said her car had been hit by a school bus travelling at over 60mph and the accident had left her with kidney failure.
The photograph showed discoloration to Giuffre's face and chest which has been described as severe bruising.
In the post after the crash, she expressed that she was ready to die.
'I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology,' she said.
'I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time.'
Three days after the picture emerged, a spokesman for Giuffre said she had 'made a mistake' and had not intended to share the post publicly. She then returned to social media with a series of cryptic posts.
Giuffre initially shared a YouTube link to the chart-topping break up song Somebody That I Used To Know by Australian artist Gotye.
That post was quickly followed by a second story which had no title, photo or sound.
Most recently, she had been sharing images of herself to Instagram from a hospital bed after being in a car crash
Epstein is seen here alongside Ghislaine Maxwell
The second post, just a black screen, was then made into a 'highlight,' on her feed accompanied by the broken heart emoji as its title. There was no further clue to the meaning or context for the posts.
Daily Mail Australia subsequently spoke to the bus driver and multiple eye witnesses to the crash who confirmed it was a 'minor bump.'
It was also revealed that Giuffre had been listed to face court ten days before the crash over the alleged breach of the family violence restraining order.
The following day she was spotted by a Daily Mail Australia photographer where she flipped her middle finger as her brother Danny Wilson drove off in the $150,000 Chevrolet Silverado they were traveling in.
Her father Sky Roberts said that Giuffre was going through a 'messy' divorce and no longer lives with Robert, at their $1.9million beachside mansion in Perth.
Two days before the car crash, on March 22, Giuffre posted a sun-dappled picture of her children on a beach, accompanied by an apparent desperate plea to see them.
'My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them and they're being poisoned with lies,' she posted.
'I miss them so very much. I have been through hell and back in my 41 years but this is incredibly hurting me worse than anything else.
'Hurt me, abuse me but don't take my babies. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.'
In the post from her hospital bed a week later, Giuffre said: 'I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.'
'I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.'
Her former lawyer Sigrid McCawley, who represented her during her lawsuit against Prince Andrew said: 'Virginia was much more than a client to me; 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. The world has lost an amazing human being today. Rest in peace, my sweet angel.'
Her representative Dini von Mueffling added: 'Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honor to know.
'Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims. She adored her children and many animals.
'She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.'
Ms Giuffre had been charged with breaching a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, on February 2, Western Australia (WA) Courts said.
The case was first heard in Joondalup Magistrates' Court in northern Perth on March 14, where she did not enter a plea.
The matter was adjourned to June 11 for a plea hearing, according to Western Australia Courts.
