French model scout linked to Epstein found dead near Paris
Daniel Siad, under investigation in France over rape and trafficking allegations he denied, was found dead in Colombes, prosecutors said.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Daniel Siad, a French model scout accused by several women of connecting them with Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home near Paris, French prosecutors said. His death removes a potential witness and suspect from a French inquiry into allegations tied to Epstein’s abuse network.
Marie-Celine Lawrysz, the deputy public prosecutor, said Siad, 69, was found dead on Monday in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris. Prosecutors in nearby Nanterre said they have opened an investigation to establish the cause of death and that an autopsy will be carried out.
Siad was under investigation in France over allegations of rape and human trafficking, according to prosecutors. He denied the accusations and had not yet been questioned by French investigators.
Allegations tied to Epstein
Several French men have been accused of helping Epstein traffic and abuse women. Multiple women have said Siad introduced them to Epstein, who then abused them.
Siad said Epstein had misled him and that he had no reason to believe the US financier “was dangerous.” His lawyer, Menya Arab-Tigrine, told AFP that Siad died an innocent man.
“If he died of a heart attack, the unbearable waiting, the pressure and the anxiety he suffered every day will have had something to do with it,” Arab-Tigrine told AFP.
Documents released as part of the declassified Epstein files showed Siad’s name appearing nearly 2,000 times. The files showed he regularly sent Epstein photos of women he encountered during travel.
In a 2014 email to Epstein, Siad described his recruitment efforts using a fishing metaphor, writing: “In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache quick, some time no fish.”
Victims say an avenue has closed
Juliette G., a former French model who says Siad recruited her in 2004 to meet Epstein, told AFP that Siad could have helped authorities “shed light on what happened.” She asked that her surname be withheld to protect her privacy.
“Another link in the chain has disappeared that could have helped uncover the truth and identify those responsible,” she said.
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson, now in her fifties, filed the first complaint against Siad in February, AFP reported. She accused him of raping her when she was 20.
“It’s very frustrating,” Karlsson told AFP. “He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.”
Siad is the second person in the modelling industry with Epstein ties to die suddenly in France. In 2022, modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel died by hanging in a French prison after being arrested over allegations that he procured women for Epstein.
Epstein died in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. US authorities said his death was a suicide.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.