Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer has raised serious questions over the claim the sexual assault survivor died by suicide, saying there had been no signs she was contemplating taking her own life.

Perth-based barrister Karrie Louden, who had represented Giuffre since the start of the year, told media that she was shocked to hear of her client's death.

“When I got the phone call, I was like, are you joking? Because there was no sign that was something she was considering,” Louden said. “We’ve got big question marks over it.”

Western Australia Police were called to Giuffre’s rural property on Friday evening and found the 41-year-old unresponsive after concerns were raised for her welfare.

Giuffre’s family later released a statement saying she had died by suicide, describing her as “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," the statement read. "In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight. She will be missed beyond measure.”

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre previously said "in no way, shape or form am I suicidal…"

"Too many evil people want to see me quieted."

Today, her death was ruled a suicide. pic.twitter.com/Q69ZDOwNQa

— Remarks (@remarks) April 26, 2025

However, Louden said Giuffre had shown excitement about future plans and was recovering from significant injuries suffered in a bus crash earlier this year.

“She was in a lot of pain but she was looking forward to things in the future,” Louden said. “She wanted to renovate [her] house and all sorts of things like that. The family said what the family has said, but I’m not going to speculate whether it was suicide or accidental. There’s suicide and then there’s misadventure.”

Giuffre made international headlines after alleging Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to Prince Andrew, claims he has strenuously denied. In 2022, Prince Andrew paid Giuffre a reported £12 million (AU$25 million) to settle a civil suit without any admission of liability.

🚨#BREAKING: Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, has reportedly “died by suicide” in Neergabby, Australia. pic.twitter.com/F3VopBguyH

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 26, 2025

Adding to the mystery, a 2019 post by Giuffre recently resurfaced in which she wrote, “in no way, shape or form am I suicidal”.

Her final social media activity included a link to Gotye’s song ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ and a post featuring broken heart emojis.

Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au

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