For about two weeks there has been no news from Elisabetta Tai Ferretto, a 50-year-old Italian originally from Montagnana, in the province of Padua, but resident in New York, in the United States, since 2001. The former model, whose name in the past has been linked to the Epstein scandal, appears to have vanished into thin air since last April 22nd.
Disappeared into thin air
The 50-year-old, who has been in the States for over 20 years, has worked in the world of fashion and real estate. Until a few days before his disappearance, contact with his family was daily, especially with his mother, then it stopped. The family members filed a missing person report with the Rovigo prosecutor’s office, which opened a case as he was an Italian citizen abroad, then forwarded the report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Just in the first days of April the woman had returned from Manhattan to Veneto to visit her parents and brother. But, once she returned to the US, silence fell: the phone calls fell on deaf ears and her social channels were deactivated or deleted.
The connection with Epstein
As confirmed by the US media, in 2019 the former model, who then only presented herself with the surname Tai, had been among the people involved, years earlier, in the events linked to Jeffrey Epstein. She reportedly reported having been approached by the American entrepreneur through circles in the fashion world, reporting that she had been harassed, but that she had resisted. The Venetian had told investigators that she had escaped from the financier’s villa, after a meeting organized in 2004 by her agent, who had offered her the possibility of starting to model for the well-known Victoria’s Secret brand, owned by Leslie Wexner, for whom Epstein was a financial advisor.
Rejection and escape
Elisabetta thought she would have to take an audition, but instead found herself in a shocking situation. As emerged from the dozens of complaints filed against Epstein, his modus operandi was always the same. He promised to fulfill his victims’ every wish, opening the doors of success and the world of fashion in exchange for sexual services. According to the woman’s story, after receiving her in his office the financier did not look at her work or her CV, but immediately stripped naked and lay on a massage table. The woman then managed to escape, rejecting the approach of the rich American businessman. After the complaint from the family and the report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the American authorities began investigating the case, but at the moment, Elisabetta cannot be found.