Jeffrey Epstein survivor who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell dies in Florida

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — One of Jeffrey Epstein's victims who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell in her trial for sex-trafficking minors has died of an accidental overdose, authorities said.

Carolyn Andriano, 36, was found dead in a West Palm Beach, Florida, hotel room on May 23, according to West Palm Beach Police Department spokesperson Mike Jachles. But her death wasn't made public until this week.

Andriano died an overdose of methadone, fentanyl and alprazolam, Jachles said. She testified in 2021 that she had been addicted to "pain pills and cocaine" and that she had taken them "to block out" Epstein's sexual abuse. For four years, Epstein had abused her at his Palm Beach mansion, starting in 2001 when she was 14, she said.

Andriano lived in Wellington at the time of her death and leaves behind her husband, John Pitts Jr., five children and her mother, Dorothy Groenert. She is the second Epstein survivor known to suffer a fatal overdose in Palm Beach County.

Leigh Skye Patrick, 29, was also found dead in a West Palm Beach hotel room in 2017. Patrick's twin sister blamed her struggles with drugs on Epstein.

She "suffered tremendously and it started with Epstein," Selby Patrick told the Daily Mail in 2019. "She struggled with addiction since the time she met that guy."

Epstein's case had drawn worldwide attention. The 66-year-old investment banker was known for his powerful connections, including Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom and former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

He died in 2019 awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein was accused of drug trafficking and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida.

What we know:Jeffrey Epstein suicide blamed on 'chronic problems' within Bureau of Prisons.

Judge to release Epstein grand jury transcripts in lawsuit

The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, sued in 2019 to reveal grand jury transcripts after its investigation revealed that the first-ever prosecutor to consider charges against Epstein discredited the only victim to testify during the 2006 proceedings. What emerged was only one solicitation of prostitution charge, which reflected neither the victim's age nor the fact that police had found multiple victims.

Then-Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer could have stopped Epstein in 2006. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to the solicitation charge plus solicitation of a minor in 2008 and served 13 months at the Palm Beach County Jail in the "deal of the century."

Epstein was charged with the sex trafficking of minors by New York federal prosecutors in July 2019. In less than a month, he was found dead, hanging in his Manhattan jail cell.

Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Luis Delgado is reviewing the grand jury transcripts for release "in furtherance of justice" after the Fourth District Court of Appeal directed him to do so in May. The Post's lawsuit was based in part on the Florida law, which says grand jury materials can be released "in furtherance of justice." Delgado has had the transcripts since June.

Carolyn Andriano had bought a house in North Carolina

The West Palm Beach Police investigation into Andriano's death at the DoubleTree by Hilton in West Palm Beach should be concluded anytime, Jachles said. He said he expects her death will be ruled accidental by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner, pending the toxicology report.

Andriano and Pitts had bought a $570,000 home in North Carolina a month before she died, according to court documents.

Pitts is involved in a legal battle with Groenert over Andriano's estate. Her will, naming her mother and two oldest children as beneficiaries, was signed in 2010 before she married Pitts and had three children with him.

Andriano had $183,000 in a savings account when she died, court papers show. Payments from the JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank settlements are expected.

Jeffrey Epstein settlements:JPMorgan reaches settlement with victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Carolyn Andriano testified to a troubled past in Ghislaine Maxwell trial

Many of Epstein's victims had been sexually abused previously and their families struggled financially.

After Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, Andriano told the Daily Mail that she had a troubled past and chaotic life when she first visited Epstein. She said she had been sexually abused when she was 4.

A juror said in an ITV documentary that Andriano's testimony had been crucial in convicting Maxwell, who she said arranged and participated in the abusive episodes at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion. Maxwell is currently serving her time in a Tallahassee, Florida, prison.

"Carolyn, her testimony was the most gripping and I felt the most compassion for her because she had literally had one of the hardest life stories," said the juror, identified only as David.

After the trial, Andriano revealed her identity and said the person who had recruited her, Virginia Giuffre, allegedly told her about being sexually abused by Prince Andrew at the time it happened.

Andriano said she went to Epstein's mansion about 100 times, three or four times a week.

"I’m not ashamed at being a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell," she told the Daily Mail. "For other girls that have been victimized, I want them to know that it is OK to come out and tell somebody — even if you don’t want to be identified — and the sooner the better.

Contributing: Ella Lee and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

Holly Baltz is an editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com.