Virginia Giuffre‘s loved ones have questions about her death, including whether she died by suicide.
Giuffre’s dad, Sky Roberts, has called for an investigation into her passing, according to TMZ. He specifically cited past social media posts from Giuffre where she stated she had no suicidal ideation.
Meanwhile, Giuffre’s lawyer, Karrie Louden, said she had “big question marks” about her death.
“When I got the phone call, I was like, ‘Are you joking?’” Louden told The Sun in an interview published on Monday, April 28. “Because there was no sign that that was something she was considering.”
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Louden argued that while Giuffre was “in a lot of pain,” she had been “looking forward to things” in her future. “There’s suicide and then there’s misadventure,” she started.
Giuffre’s family confirmed that she died in Neergabby, Australia on Thursday, April 24, at the age of 41.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” their statement read. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.”
The statement continued: “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
The news of Giuffre’s death came weeks after she said she was in a near-fatal car crash.
“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure,” Giuffre, who was in a heated custody battle over her three kids with estranged husband Robert Giuffre, wrote via Instagram last month. “I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes. S*** in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s*** at the end of the day.”
Giuffre was ultimately released from the hospital before her death. She originally made headlines in 2019 when Giuffre accused Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
Prince Andrew, 65, denied any wrongdoing at the time. In a notorious 2019 interview with the BBC, Andrew claimed he had no memory of meeting Giuffre, despite a picture of the pair together when Giuffre was underage. (Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in a New York City jail awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.)
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Giuffre subsequently filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August 2021. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money in February 2022.
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” the letter read. “Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
“Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” the letter continued. “He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
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