Western Australian police will examine how officers handled interactions with Virginia Giuffre, a prominent victim of Jeffrey Epstein who died by suicide on her farm last April, following a formal request from her family.
Giuffre's brother Sky Roberts and his wife Amanda Roberts said on Wednesday they had written to both the state coroner and police asking for an investigation into how authorities responded to a domestic violence dispute in the period before her death at age 41.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed during a parliamentary hearing that the department received the letter and has initiated a review. He acknowledged the state's police force handles more than 100,000 family violence incidents annually but said he did not yet know details of how Giuffre's case was managed.
"The coroner can also choose to do an investigation, as could the ombudsman," Blanch said.
The Roberts family emphasized they were not questioning whether Giuffre died by suicide, but rather seeking clarity on police process and follow-up procedures. Amanda Roberts said the family wanted to understand what happened during Giuffre's visits to the police station and where those reports ended up.
"There's a lot of things that happened before Virginia ultimately made that decision," Amanda said.
The coroner's office responded to the family's request with condolences but has not yet committed to launching a formal inquest, according to Amanda.
Researchers and practitioners from Australian universities and family violence organizations have also submitted letters to the coroner requesting an inquest. They argue the case raises systemic questions about how domestic and family violence is handled nationally.
Sky Roberts said such an investigation could benefit others facing similar circumstances. He expressed confidence that more thorough police work might have changed the outcome.
"I wholeheartedly believe that if the police had done a thorough investigation, that Virginia would still be here," he said.
Giuffre became one of Epstein's most visible accusers in recent years. She alleged she was groomed and sexually abused by the financier and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell beginning in her teenage years and was sexually trafficked to Prince Andrew. In a 2009 civil case against Epstein, she alleged she was "sexually exploited by Epstein's adult male peers including royalty." That lawsuit was settled before trial.
In 2021, Giuffre filed a federal civil lawsuit in New York against Prince Andrew, alleging he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17. Andrew has consistently denied the accusations. The pair reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.
Maxwell, who maintained her innocence throughout proceedings, received a 20-year prison sentence in 2022 for sex trafficking.
Giuffre died without a valid will, prompting the appointment of an interim administrator to oversee her estate while her two sons pursued competing claims.
Author James Rodriguez: "This case cuts to the heart of how police handle vulnerable people caught in cycles they may not escape alone, and whether systemic indifference leaves more blood on official hands than anyone wants to admit."
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