Content warning: This story discusses suicide and sexual abuse.
Virginia Giuffre‘s attorney is addressing her past comments concerning the nature of her client’s death.
Days after she was quoted saying that there were “big question marks” over Giuffre’s apparent suicide, Karrie Louden clarified her remarks, explaining that she was not trying to spread doubt.
“I would like to set the record straight as things I said have been misinterpreted,” she told People in a May 2 statement, saying that she does not believe Giuffre’s death was “suspicious in any way.”
“The Coroner will determine in due course the cause of death and that will be established based on the evidence,” she continued, emphasizing that she’s “not critical of the police” or asking for authorities to look further into Giuffre’s passing. “The police are only able to release limited information to non-family members as is their standard procedure.”
Louden added, “The police are already conducting an investigation and will no doubt provide all of their evidence to the Coroner.”
Giuffre—who accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of trafficking her to Prince Andrew for sex when she was a teenager—died at her home in Australia in late April, according to a family statement. She was 41.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the family told NBC News. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.”
Their statement continued, “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
And while Giuffre’s dad Sky Roberts has since expressed his own doubts about his daughter’s cause of death, other family members have took to social media to continue her legacy of speaking out for survivors. Her brother Danny Wilson and her sister-in-law Amanda Roberts recently shared an powerful message found in one of Giuffre’s old diaries.
“While spending time with family and celebrating our sister, we were going through journal entries that Virginia had written over the years and stumbled upon this quote and thought it was a beautiful moment to share with you all,” Amanda wrote in an April 29 Facebook post. “Survivors should know that she’s with you and her voice will not be silenced. I know that it’s so important, and her wish is that we continue to fight.”
Sharing an image the handwritten entry, Giuffre’s note read: “Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers need to show the battle lines are drawn, and stand together to fight for the future of victims. Is protesting the answer? I don’t know. But we’ve got to start somewhere.”
Giuffre’s passing came five years after Epstein died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and three years after Andrew—who denied any wrongdoing—reached an out-of-court settlement with her over a sexual abuse lawsuit she filed against him.
In a 2022 letter filed to court as part of the settlement, Andrew’s attorneys said the royal “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
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