'D.C. madam' dies in apparent suicide
Police say Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, who was convicted of running a prostitution service last month and was facing up to 55 years in prison, hanged herself in Florida.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, convicted of operating an escort service that supplied prostitutes to Washington, D.C., officials, hanged herself in Florida, police said today.
Palfrey, known as the "D.C. madam," was found this morning in Tarpon Springs, Fla., when police said they responded to a call at her mother's home, authorities said.
"The victim of an apparent suicide by hanging has been identified as Deborah Jean Palfrey," Tarpon Springs police said in a statement released this afternoon.
Palfrey, 52, was found by her mother Blanche Palfrey, 76, police said.
"Blanche Palfrey had awoken from a nap and began to search the residence for her daughter. . . . When she went outside, she noticed a three-wheel bicycle had been moved that was normally kept in the shed. Upon entering the shed located on the west side of the residence, Blanche Palfrey discovered her daughter Deborah had apparently hung herself using a nylon rope from a metal beam on the ceiling of the shed. She then called 911," Tarpon Springs Police Capt. Jeffrey P. Young told a televised news conference.
He said that the mother had not noticed that her daughter was despondent or was exhibiting any indications of suicidal behavior.
The "mother is very distraught," Young said. "Discovering your child in this state is not something anybody wants to go to. We feel for the family as they're victims in this case."
Palfrey was pronounced dead at about 11 a.m. The Pinellas County medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy and determine the cause of death, officials said.
Young said hand-written notes describing Palfrey's desire to kill herself were also recovered.
Palfrey was convicted April 15 by a federal jury of money laundering, using the mail system for illegal purposes and racketeering. She was free pending sentencing on July 24, when she could have received a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Palfrey operated the prostitution service for 13 years, earning more than $2 million. She had insisted that if women engaged in sex for money, it was without her consent.
One of the famous clients who was accused of using the service was Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana). He apologized in July 2007, after his telephone number appeared among those connected to Palfrey.
