French model recruiter with close ties to Jeffrey Epstein found dead
Daniel Siad, 69, a French model scout who introduced women to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead at his home near Paris. He was under investigation in France for rape and human trafficking.
French prosecutors said on Wednesday that Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old model scout who introduced women to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead at his home in the Paris suburb of Colombes. His death occurred on Monday.
Siad was one of several French men accused of helping Epstein traffic and abuse women. Multiple women say he connected them to Epstein, who then abused them. Siad maintained that Epstein had deceived him and that he had no reason to know the sex offender "was dangerous."
Siad himself was under investigation in France over allegations of rape and human trafficking, which he denied. Prosecutors in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of death and an autopsy will be carried out.
Siad's name appeared in nearly 2,000 documents released as part of the declassified Epstein files, showing he regularly sent Epstein photographs of women he met while traveling. In one email to Epstein in 2014, Siad likened his recruitment efforts to fishing.
Siad had not yet been questioned by investigators in France but denied the allegations. His lawyer said he died an innocent man and that if he died of a heart attack, the unbearable waiting, pressure, and anxiety he suffered daily would have contributed.
Siad is not the first person in the modeling industry with Epstein connections to have died suddenly in France. In 2022, modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel hanged himself in prison after being arrested over allegations he procured women for Epstein. Epstein himself died in prison in the US in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, also by suicide.
For victims, Siad represented a possible avenue to finally "shed light on what happened" in relation to Epstein, said Juliette G., a former French model who says Siad recruited her in 2004 to introduce to Epstein. She noted that another link in the chain has disappeared.
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson, who filed the first complaint against Siad in February, accusing him of raping her when she was 20, expressed frustration, saying he was very close to being arrested and they worked hard for justice.
