French modelling scout Daniel Siad, aged 69, has been found dead at his home outside Paris, prosecutors and his lawyer confirmed on Wednesday.
Siad was under investigation in France over allegations of rape and human trafficking linked to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was one of several French men accused of aiding Epstein in trafficking and abusing women.
French authorities had not yet questioned Siad, though he denied all allegations and stated he wanted to be heard by investigators to give his version of events.
The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre opened an inquiry on Monday evening following the discovery of the body. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Siad’s lawyer Menya Arab-Tigrine stated that her client had repeatedly requested to present his side of the story. “He is dead and he was innocent,” Arab-Tigrine said. “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.”
Documents released from declassified Epstein files contained Siad’s name more than 1,000 times. In the documents, Siad likened his efforts to recruit women to fishing.
Siad is the second individual linked to the network to die in France during legal proceedings. French authorities arrested modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in 2020 on charges of procuring women for Epstein. Brunel was found dead in prison in 2022. Epstein died in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Former French model Juliette G., who accused Siad of recruiting her in 2004 to introduce her to Epstein, expressed disappointment over the death.
“Another link in the chain has disappeared that could have helped uncover the truth and identify those responsible,” Juliette G. said.
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson filed a formal complaint against Siad in February, accusing him of raping her when she was 20 years old. “It’s very frustrating,” Karlsson said. “He was very close to being arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to get justice.”
Karlsson also accused Siad of introducing her to Gerald Marie, the former European head of the Elite modelling agency. Several women have accused Marie of rape and human trafficking, urging French authorities to investigate his potential links to Epstein.
Marie has denied all wrongdoing.
Lisa Brinkworth, an ex-BBC journalist and co-founder of a collective supporting victims of abuse in the modelling industry, expressed shock over the development.
“It feels like victims are being denied justice,” Brinkworth said. “The failure of the Paris public prosecutor’s office to act in the knowledge that Siad was a close associate of Epstein and facing multiple rape and trafficking allegations is beyond comprehension. I urge the public prosecutor to now urgently investigate all individuals connected to Epstein and who are facing similar allegations.”
