Three people came forward to French authorities in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein rape investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office last month, a spokesman told CNN on Wednesday.
The alleged victims spoke to investigators on August 27, September 3 and September 9, the prosecutor’s office statement said.
As a result of the interviews, French national judicial police on Wednesday put a call out appealing for witnesses to come forward.
The Paris prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation into Epstein, 66, on August 23 on the counts of rape and sexual assault of minors under and over 15 years of age, criminal association with a view to committing crimes, and association of criminals with a view to committing offenses.
Paris prosecutors said the investigation was based on checks and cross-checks carried out on information provided to the public prosecutor’s office and exchanges with US authorities.
Epstein, an American financier, killed himself in a New York jail cell in August while he was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking involving underage girls in the US.
The prosecutor’s office added that the purpose of the investigation was to uncover possible offenses committed in France and abroad against French citizens.
CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report from Paris