'Utterly broken hearts': Prominent accuser in Jeffrey Epstein case dies by suicide

A prominent accuser of Jeffrey Epstein has died by suicide, according to a report.

Virginia Giuffre became a leading figure in unearthing Epstein's trafficking network and shared detailed accounts of abuse and trafficking by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. That included claims she was trafficked to high-profile figures, including Britain's Prince Andrew.

The 41-year-old died by suicide in Neergabby, Australia, where she lived for several years, NBC reported Friday night, citing her family.

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"It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia," her 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."

"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 said. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."

Giuffre founded the nonprofit organization Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, or SOAR, to support victims of sex trafficking. She also pursued legal actions against Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew, seeing Maxwell for defamation in 2015 and agreeing to a settlement in 2017. A civil lawsuit she filed against Prince Andrew was settled in 2022.

Earlier this year, Giuffre was hospitalized following a car crash involving a school bus in Western Australia. She claimed she was critically wounded in the crash and was given just days to live.

"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."

However, police described the wreck as a "minor crash" and that there were "no injuries reported to us."

Epstein, a wealthy financier, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.