Epstein-linked model scout Daniel Siad found dead near Paris

French authorities confirmed that Daniel Siad, the 69-year-old model scout linked to Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead at his home in Colombes, a north-west suburb of Paris, on Monday night. His death removes one of the figures tied to Epstein’s recruitment network, but it does not settle the allegations surrounding his role or the trail of contacts that investigators were still examining.

Siad had been under investigation by French prosecutors over alleged links to Epstein’s trafficking network. French media reported that at least five women accused him of rape and human trafficking, allegations he denied. Reuters said Siad was considered a witness in a child sex trafficking investigation, a detail that gave his account potential value in a wider inquiry into how women and girls were recruited and moved.

Recent reporting also pointed to a long paper trail between Siad and Epstein. Messages and emails showed the two corresponded for roughly a decade about young women and teenage girls, and CNN reported that Siad arranged for Epstein to meet multiple models over more than 10 years. Those communications keep attention on the role of modeling-industry figures in helping Epstein reach victims across borders and through professional casting networks.

The case echoes another major figure in the same circle. Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent, died by suicide in a Paris prison in February 2022 while facing charges of rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Brunel’s death, like Siad’s, left parts of the Epstein network without a live defendant to question, even as investigators continued to work from records, testimony and digital correspondence.

Survivor-led efforts, including work by the Model Alliance, have pushed for federal and state investigations into modeling-industry involvement in Epstein abuse. Siad’s death narrows the path to a courtroom account, but the allegations against him, the email record and the broader recruitment network remain central to the unresolved question of who helped Epstein find victims.