By USA Daily Now 
VIRGINIA GIUFFRE, a key figure in the exposé of disgraced financier JEFFREY EPSTEIN and British royal PRINCE ANDREW, has tragically passed away by suicide at the age of 41, according to reports. GIUFFRE, one of the most prominent accusers in the high-profile case, had been living in Neergabby, Australia, where she died earlier this week, as confirmed by family members in a statement to NBC News.
GIUFFRE gained international attention after filing a lawsuit in New York in 2021, alleging that she was forced into sexual encounters with PRINCE ANDREW on three occasions between 1999 and 2002 when she was a minor. Her case was part of a broader investigation into EPSTEIN, who was charged with sex trafficking before his death by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019.
“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,” her family said in the statement. They described her as “a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking” and “the light that lifted so many survivors.” They added, “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
A native of Florida, GIUFFRE alleged that she was recruited by EPSTEIN‘s accomplice, GHISLAINE MAXWELL, to work for him at the age of 16. Her courageous revelations brought global attention to the exploitation and abuse perpetrated by EPSTEIN and his associates.
GIUFFRE‘s death marks a somber moment in the ongoing fallout from the EPSTEIN scandal, which continues to uncover the devastating impact of sexual abuse and trafficking on survivors.
For further details, visit [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com) and [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com).