A former Italian model who was one of the first women to accuse Jeffrey Epstein of sexual misconduct has vanished in New York.
According to Metro, Elisabetta Tai Ferretto from Montagnana, northern Italy, has not been heard from since April 22 after returning to the United States.
The 50-year-old, who has lived in New York since 2001, had travelled back to the Veneto region at the start of April to visit her parents and brother.
But after returning to Manhattan, her daily contact with her family suddenly stopped.
Relatives said phone calls now go unanswered and her social media profiles appear to have been deactivated or deleted.
Her family reported her missing to prosecutors in Rovigo, who opened a file because she is an Italian citizen abroad.
The case has also been passed to Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has activated diplomatic channels with US authorities. However, American officials are also investigating.
Elisabetta’s family said she had remained in regular contact with them until the day she disappeared.
The former model worked in fashion after moving to the United States and later moved into the New York real estate sector.
Her name emerged publicly in 2019 when she spoke about an alleged encounter with Epstein that she said took place in 2004.
Elisabetta said she had been introduced to Epstein through contacts in the fashion world after being told he could help her work with major brands, including Victoria’s Secret.
She said she went to what she believed would be a professional meeting at Epstein’s home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
