Washington madam found dead at her mother's home

FLORIDA police last night said that a woman they believe to be the operator of a Washington prostitution ring has taken her own life.

Police said a body was found in a shed near the home of Deborah Jean Palfrey's mother yesterday. There was a suicide note, but police did not disclose its contents or how she had killed herself.

Palfrey was awaiting sentence for running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite, including the Republican senator David Vitter.