Deborah Jeane Palfrey, AKA "The DC Madam", Has Committed Suicide

Police in Florida are investigating the suicide of Deborah Jeane Palfrey who was to be sentenced in the "The DC Madam" trial later this year. Palfrey had been convicted of running a prostitution ring that involved several high up figures int he government. Police were called when Palfrey's body was found in a storage shed outside a mobile home park where she had been staying with her mother.

Palfrey had run the ring from 1993 to 2006. She was convicted on charges such as guilty of money laundering, racketeering and using the mail for illegal purposes and was to be sentenced in July. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, was among the clients that had used the escort service that Palfrey ran.

Police have yet to reveal details of how she killed herself. Palfrey was 52 years old at the time of her death.