Daniel Siad, a modeling scout who allegedly helped introduce young women to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home outside Paris while under investigation by French authorities.
French prosecutors said Siad, 69, was discovered Monday at his residence in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris. Officials have opened an investigation into the cause of death, and an autopsy has been ordered. Authorities have not announced any preliminary findings or suggested foul play.
Under investigation over Epstein allegations
Siad had been under investigation in France over allegations that he helped Epstein recruit and traffic women. According to prosecutors, he had not yet been formally questioned before his death.
Siad consistently denied knowingly participating in any criminal conduct.
In previous interviews, he said he believed Epstein was a legitimate businessman and insisted none of the women he introduced to Epstein ever told him they had been abused.
“I trusted him and believed this guy was a professional person,” Siad told CNN before his death.
Name appeared thousands of times in Epstein files
Public attention surrounding Siad intensified earlier this year after the Justice Department released additional records from the Epstein investigation under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The newly disclosed documents reportedly mention Siad thousands of times and include emails showing him sending Epstein photographs and descriptions of young women he believed had potential to work as models or assistants. Financial records also indicate Epstein paid Siad tens of thousands of dollars over several years.
In one email cited in the records, Siad told Epstein he had found a “cute French girl” who was willing to meet him. In another, he wrote that he was searching for a “good looking young assistant.”
One exchange included a photograph of a woman Siad described as “very polite” with “potential” as a “model” or “assistant.” Epstein responded, “Too old.”
The women referenced in the messages were often photographed in suggestive poses.
Women accused Siad of recruiting them
Several women have publicly alleged that Siad recruited or groomed them before introducing them to Epstein.
Siad denied those allegations, maintaining that he believed he was arranging legitimate modeling opportunities and had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct. As of his death, there was no public record that Siad had been charged in connection with Epstein’s crimes.
Another death linked to Epstein investigation
Siad’s death is likely to draw renewed attention because another prominent Epstein associate, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, was found dead in a Paris jail cell in 2022 while awaiting trial on rape and human trafficking charges. French authorities ruled Brunel’s death a suicide.
Prosecutors have not reached any conclusions about how Siad died. Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy as they continue examining the circumstances surrounding his death.
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