A former model and real estate entrepreneur who publicly accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse has been reported missing in New York after family members lost contact with her nearly two weeks ago
Elisabetta Tai Ferretto, a 50-year-old Italian native who has lived in New York since 2001, returned to Manhattan in early April after visiting family in the Veneto region, but daily calls with relatives suddenly stopped April 22, and her family reports she has not responded to attempts to contact her, The U.S. Sun reported.
Her social media accounts appear to have been deleted or deactivated, and her phone may have been disconnected, according to reports in Italian media.
Ferretto was among the first women to publicly detail allegations against Epstein. In 2019, she recounted an incident at his Manhattan home in 2004, when she believed she was attending a professional meeting that could advance her modeling career.
According to her account, Epstein undressed in front of her during the encounter and handed her a vibrator, instructing her to approach him. Ferretto said she grabbed the object and threw it at his head before fleeing the residence.
She claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, briefly detained her as she attempted to leave, telling her that Epstein was "important" and she could not depart. Ferretto said her booker had sent her to meet Epstein, claiming he could help secure her a position as a Victoria's Secret model.
Alarmed by the sudden communication loss, Ferretto's family reported her disappearance to the Rovigo prosecutor's office in Italy. The case has escalated to Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has contacted U.S. authorities, and the New York Police Department is investigating her disappearance.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
