French Modeling Scout Linked to Epstein Found Dead in Paris

Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old French modeling scout who was under investigation for alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein's human trafficking network, has been found dead at his home in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris, according to French prosecutors.

Siad's body was discovered on Monday evening, and an autopsy is pending, authorities said. His attorney, Menya Arab-Tigrine, told Fox News Digital that he died from a heart attack, adding: "While he died of a heart attack, the unbearable waiting, the stigma cast upon him—and, by extension, his loved ones—as well as the daily pressure and anxiety he endured, undoubtedly played a role. We must await the autopsy results to determine whether his body simply gave out."

In a separate statement, Arab-Tigrine said Siad died an innocent man, according to Al Jazeera.

Investigation and Allegations

Siad was being investigated by French prosecutors specializing in human trafficking, with allegations including rape and other charges, according to The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post. He had denied the allegations and had not yet been questioned by investigators, though he had expressed a desire to give his version of events, as reported by Al Jazeera.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Siad was mentioned more than 1,000 times in the declassified Epstein files, while Fox News and Al Jazeera reported that his name appeared around 2,000 times in the documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.

Emails contained in the files show Siad regularly sent Epstein photographs of women he met while traveling, often comparing his recruitment efforts to fishing. In one 2014 email, Siad wrote: "In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache (sic) quick, some time no fish." In another message, he mentioned having "girls staying with me from Australia Croecian origin" in Barcelona, adding that he was "looking to place her here and Paris."

Victim Accounts and Legal Context

At least 24 women have come forward as victims or witnesses of alleged acts committed by Siad or others, following the February launch of a human trafficking and fraud probe by Paris prosecutors, Fox News reported.

Ebba Karlsson, a former Swedish model, accused Siad of rape, according to multiple sources. Siad, however, maintained that Epstein had deceived him and that he had no reason to know the sex offender "was dangerous," as Al Jazeera reported.

In a recent interview with CNN, Siad denied the allegations, saying: "I never heard anything from anyone I introduced to him who came back to me that they had a bad situation. I believed this guy is a professional person." His lawyer also told Reuters that Siad was never formally the subject of judicial proceedings and that he believed Epstein was casting the women for Victoria's Secret and the modeling agency MC2, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Background

Siad was one of several French men accused of aiding Epstein in trafficking and abusing women, according to The Guardian and Al Jazeera. He worked as a scout on commission for Jean-Luc Brunel, a prominent modeling agent who killed himself in prison in February 2022 while awaiting trial on charges of rape of minors and sexual harassment, which he denied. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The Nanterre prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to determine the cause of Siad's death, and an autopsy will be carried out, as confirmed by officials cited in multiple reports.