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Dusti Rhea Duke

Nineteen-year-old Oklahoma woman found dead of a gunshot wound two weeks after allegedly reporting sexual assault by Trump and Epstein, according to an unverified FBI tip released in the 2025 DOJ Epstein files.

FieldDetails
Full NameDusti Rhea Duke
BornSeptember 28, 1980, Sapulpa, Oklahoma
DiedJanuary 10, 2000
Age at Death19
Location of DeathSapulpa (near Kiefer), Oklahoma, USA
Cause of DeathGunshot wound to the head
Official RulingSuicide
CategoryAlleged Victim

Assessment: SUSPICIOUS​

Dusti Rhea Duke was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head at age 19 in Oklahoma. Her death was ruled a suicide. Twenty years later, an anonymous FBI tipster — identifying himself as a former limousine driver — called the FBI's National Threat Operations Center and alleged that Duke had reported being sexually assaulted by Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein approximately two weeks before her death. The tip was released publicly in December 2025 as part of the DOJ Epstein file releases. The DOJ has stated the claims are "unfounded and false." No independent evidence has corroborated the tipster's account, and the tip was submitted one week before the 2020 presidential election.

Circumstances of Death​

On January 10, 2000, Dusti Rhea Duke was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at an address in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, near Kiefer. The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner's office, under Dr. Eric Pfeifer, ruled the death a suicide. She was buried on January 13, 2000, at Green Hill Memorial Gardens in Sapulpa, with services officiated by Reverend Raymond Coats. Her obituary was published in the Sapulpa Daily Herald on January 12, 2000.

According to the FBI tip (see below), the anonymous caller stated that people present at the scene believed "there was no way it was a suicide." According to reporting on the German Wikipedia article (citing The Oklahoman), police officers who initially arrived at the scene reportedly expressed doubt about self-infliction, deeming it "technically barely possible." However, the official suicide ruling has stood for over 25 years.

Background​

Duke was a 19-year-old student from Kiefer, Oklahoma (Creek County), near Sapulpa. She had one brother and two sisters. Her mother is listed in records as Cheryl Renee Duke. Little public information exists about her life beyond the obituary and the FBI tip that surfaced decades later.

The FBI Tip and Epstein Connection​

The key document linking Duke to the Epstein investigation is a three-page FBI intake report describing a call received on October 27, 2020 — one week before the 2020 presidential election — to the FBI's National Threat Operations Center. The report was released publicly on December 23, 2025, as part of over 11,000 files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405, signed into law in November 2025).

According to the FBI document, the anonymous caller identified himself as a former limousine chauffeur who worked in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the mid-1990s. The caller's account, as documented in the FBI intake report:

  1. In 1995, he drove Trump to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. During the ride, Trump spoke on a cellphone and "continuously referenced the name 'Jeffrey.'"
  2. At some later point, the driver reportedly overheard Trump discussing "abusing some girl" during a phone call with someone named Jeffrey.
  3. In December 1999, a young woman (described as the driver's step-daughter or his ex-wife's daughter) confided in him that she had been sexually assaulted by Trump and Epstein. She described being taken to "a fancy hotel or building" by a lady "with a funny name" — interpreted by some as a possible reference to Ghislaine Maxwell.
  4. When the driver encouraged her to contact law enforcement, she allegedly responded: "I can't. They will kill me."
  5. She subsequently reported the assault to police around late December 1999 or early January 2000.
  6. Approximately two weeks after reporting to police, on January 10, 2000, the driver's ex-wife called him and said her daughter had been found dead from a gunshot wound to the "back of her head."

According to The Oklahoman, the newspaper independently found death records matching the FBI tip's description, identifying Dusti Rhea Duke as the person referenced.

Congressional Action​

In February 2026, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) raised Duke's case during Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. According to reporting by NBC News and the Daily Beast, Lieu stated that the witness who called the FBI in 2020 was never interviewed by the DOJ. Lieu and Rep. Dan Goldman subsequently called for a special counsel to investigate whether Bondi lied under oath about whether evidence existed in DOJ files regarding Trump's relationship with Epstein.

Why This Death Possibly Raises Questions​

  • A 19-year-old was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head, ruled a suicide
  • According to the FBI tip, the caller stated that people at the scene believed "there was no way it was a suicide"
  • According to German Wikipedia (citing The Oklahoman), responding officers reportedly expressed doubt about self-infliction
  • The FBI tip alleges she reported a sexual assault by Trump and Epstein approximately two weeks before her death
  • The caller alleged she said "They will kill me" when encouraged to go to police
  • The National Association of Medical Examiners revoked the accreditation of Oklahoma's Chief Medical Examiner's office in 2019 (though this was years after Duke's death) due to 29 deficiencies
  • The DOJ reportedly never interviewed the FBI tipster despite the specific and verifiable nature of the claims
  • The death fits the broader pattern of alleged Epstein victims or witnesses dying before their accounts could be formally investigated

The Counterargument​

  • The DOJ has stated the claims are "unfounded and false," adding: "if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already"
  • The FBI tip was submitted on October 27, 2020 — one week before the presidential election — raising questions about political motivation
  • The tipster was anonymous and was never publicly identified or interviewed by the DOJ
  • The official suicide ruling has stood for over 25 years
  • The Kiefer police chief stated there is "absolutely no indication of anything related to information" from the DOJ document
  • No independent evidence has surfaced linking Trump or Epstein to Duke or to Oklahoma at the time in question
  • The FBI tip is at minimum second-hand information (the driver relaying what his ex-wife's daughter told him)
  • Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and stated he cut ties with Epstein years before Epstein's arrest
  • No police report from Duke alleging assault has surfaced publicly

Key Quotes from Media Coverage​

"I can't. They will kill me." — Attributed to Dusti Rhea Duke when encouraged to report her alleged assault, according to the anonymous FBI tipster's account as documented in the FBI intake report

"To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already." — Department of Justice, statement on the FBI tip (December 2025)

"Absolutely no indication of anything related to information" from the DOJ document. — Kiefer police chief, as reported by News9

See Also​

  • Jeffrey Epstein — Named in the FBI tip alongside Trump
  • Ghislaine Maxwell — The "lady with a funny name" referenced in the tip may refer to Maxwell
  • Virginia Giuffre — Top Epstein accuser who also died by gunshot, ruled suicide
  • Pam Bondi — Attorney General questioned by Congress about the Duke case

Other Shocking Stories​

  • Virginia Giuffre: Top Epstein accuser. Posted "not suicidal." Died by gunshot in strict-gun-law Australia. Father says "somebody got to her."
  • Aaron Owen: Age 17. Found hanged in jail hours before sister was to testify about elite child abuse.
  • Danny Casolaro: Investigating PROMIS/Maxwell intel op. Wrists slashed in hotel room. Briefcase missing.
  • Carolyn Andriano: Key Maxwell trial witness. Mother says drug-free and "turning her life around." Dead in Palm Beach hotel.

Sources​

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.

Status: Deceased (2000)

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