The woman convicted of running a high-end Washington prostitution ring that catered to members of Washington’s political elite, including Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter killed herself today.

The body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, otherwise known as the “DC Madam”, was found in a shed near her mother’s house in Tampa with two suicide notes. Palfrey had hung herself with nylon rope from the shed’s ceiling.

Defense attorney Preston Burton, who defended Palfrey in her criminal trial, said: “This is a tragic news and my heart goes out to her mother.”

Capt. Jeffrey Young of the Tarpon Springs Police Department said Palfrey’s mother had no indication her daughter was depressed to the point of being suicidal. Young said there’s no early indication that alcohol or drugs were involved in the death.

Palfrey was convicted April 15 by a federal jury of running a prostitution service, allegations she had denied. Palfrey maintained that if any of the women in her escort service engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.

She was also convicted of money laundering, using the mail for illegal purposes and racketeering.

Palfrey faced 57 to 71 months in prison. She was free pending her sentencing July 24.

“I am sure as heck am not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone, you know, four to eight years here, because I’m shy about bringing in the deputy secretary of whatever,” Palfrey told ABC last year when she released phone records in a public news conference that revealed some of her clients. “Not for a second. I’ll bring every last one of them in if necessary.”

Vitter, a married first-term senator, had admitted being involved with Palfrey’s escort service and apologized for what he called a “very serious sin.”

Others implicated included military strategist Harlan Ullman and Randall Tobias, a former senior State Department official.

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