The Jeffrey Epstein case, which sent shockwaves through the world with its disturbing revelations and appalling scope, just keeps on getting creepier.
Even after his death in August 2019, which many believe was in fact a plotted murder rather than a suicide, the disturbing secrets and allegations surrounding this wealthy financier and convicted sex offender refuse to fade into obscurity.
Instead, new developments continuously emerge, with the latest news sparking more outrage and heartbreaks.
Carolyn Andriano, one of the four victims to testify at the trial against Jeffrey’s partner (in love and crime) Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place in December 2021, has died, and her family feels the circumstances of her death are nothing short of a mystery, perhaps even a conspiracy.
According to The Daily Beast, the 36-year-old mother-of-five had planned to start a new chapter with her life in North Carolina, in a new home with a fireplace and a half-acre lot that includes a chicken coop.
Carolyn and her husband, John Pitts, bought the house just weeks before she was found unresponsive in a West Palm Beach hotel room on May 23.
No obituary or funeral service has been organized following Carolyn’s passing, but police in West Palm Beach, Florida, had reportedly opened an investigation into her death.
Police spokesman Mike Jachles told The Daily Beast that the investigation was concluding and that Carolyn died of an accidental overdose.
Dorothy Groener, the mother of Carolyn Andriano, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, has spoken about her daughter's sudden death
Image credits: LandlordLinks
Carolyn had given a crucial testimony that helped put Ghislaine away in prison.
She had survived being abused by the late sex trafficker and had claimed Ghislaine would routinely schedule “massages” for her and Jeffrey, as well as being molested up to three times.
Despite police reaching the conclusion that Carolyn died from an overdose, Dorothy Groener - Carolyn’s mother - has been desperate for authorities to re-open her case, because her daughter’s new lifestyle didn’t match her death’s surrounding circumstances.
Carolyn’s brother had seen his sister after she had arrived in Florida, and said she was “the happiest [he had] ever seen her”.
When he tried to contact Carolyn a couple of days later, he discovered his sister had fallen ill.
The brother recalled a conversation he had had with Carolyn’s husband, John: “I said, ‘If she’s so sick why don’t you call the ambulance, bro?
“‘Do something. You gotta take her to the hospital.’ He said, ‘Oh, no, she’s alright.’”
Despite being ruled as an "accidental overdose" by the police, Carolyn's family believes there might be another underlying cause of death
Image credits: LandlordLinks
Dorothy was subsequently informed about her daughter's death in a text from John, which read: "I gotta call u back. Carolyn died last night.”
Officers on the scene had reportedly taken a statement from John, who claimed his wife had been using drugs and that he had attempted to administer CPR.
According to news reports, Florida police went on to discover “six empty small plastic containers that, according to the husband, were methadone in syrup that they received from the methadone clinic”.
Moreover, the medical examiner on Carolyn’s case reported that her purse had been found with crack pipes, a small baggie with white powdery residue, and a needle cap.
A toxicology report obtained by The Daily Beast also indicated that Carolyn had methadone, fentanyl, and alprazolam, which is the generic name for Xanax, in her system when she passed away.
Alprazolam and fentanyl can be a fatally dangerous combination as they suppress breathing, Lewis Nelson, professor and chair of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Division of Medical Toxicology, said.
Despite testifying during her Ghislaine trial that she was “allowed to do whatever [she] wanted because [her] mom was an alcoholic and a drug addict”, Carolyn’s mother has been claiming a different narrative.
Epstein shocked the world in 2019 after he was exposed for trafficking and sexually abusing minors - a case which was connected with some of the most powerful people in the world
Image credits: Wikipedia
Dorothy has denied this claim and even confessed she had been “working” in the period her daughter was referring to.
During the trial, Carolyn also opened up about her rough childhood and confessed she had dropped out in seventh grade and never returned to school.
She recalled becoming addicted to drugs while visiting Epstein’s property: “Marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, anything that could block out for me to go to the appointment.”
“It shouldn’t be closed. I begged them, I sent them numerous messages. I’ve asked for them to make meetings, and contact me, and to no avail,” Dorothy said.
While John has not responded to his mother-in-law’s remarks, his sister Serena did in turn step in.
Serena told The Daily Beast that the suggestion Carolyn’s death was suspicious was “ridiculous”.
She said: “Right now our family is grieving the loss of Carolyn and prioritizing the care of her children.
Ghislaine was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offenses in connection with Epstein
Image credits: Ghislaine Maxwell
“At this time we kindly appreciate space and privacy.”
Nevertheless, Dorothy has been adamant that her daughter’s death hides a bigger picture, as she said: "Nobody’s giving me any answers, and you know what? I’m over it.
“Because this is my daughter, and she deserves justice.
“She got to a point where she was turning her whole life around.”
Dorothy is currently fighting a legal battle against John over Carolyn’s will, which she filed in 2010 before marrying.
Carolyn had reportedly left her estate to her mother and two oldest children.
As a result of the will not being updated, John and his three kids with Carolyn were left out of her estate.
Jeffrey Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019, while Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence
Image credits: Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
Carolyn had been compensated with millions of dollars in the settlements related to the Epstein case.
However, probate court documents have indicated that she had $183,000 left in her bank account.
While Jeffrey was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York, before dying in his jail cell on August 10, 2019, Ghislaine is still living and breathing, in prison.
In 2021, the former British socialite was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offenses in connection with Jeffrey and was finally sentenced in a New York court in 2022 to twenty years' imprisonment.
Ghislaine is currently facing a second criminal trial for two charges of lying under oath about Jeffrey's abuse of underage girls.
Despite Dorothy's suspicions, many people seemed to believe Carolyn did suffer from substance abuse
