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A modeling recruiter who allegedly helped introduce young women to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in France while under investigation for rape and human trafficking.
French authorities confirmed that the body of Daniel Siad, 69, was discovered Monday evening at his home in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris.
Police have opened an investigation into the cause of his death and ordered an autopsy, though officials have not yet released any findings.
Siad had come under renewed scrutiny earlier this year after the U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of pages of documents connected to Epstein’s criminal network (via The Guardian).
The files referenced Siad extensively and prompted multiple women in France to file criminal complaints accusing him of rape and human trafficking.
According to investigators, Siad worked as an international modeling scout and maintained a professional relationship with Epstein for years, introducing aspiring models during the disgraced financier’s trips to Paris and other parts of Europe.
In interviews before his death, he claimed he believed Epstein was conducting legitimate model castings and insisted he had no knowledge of the abuse that would later become synonymous with Epstein’s name.
“I trusted him and believed this guy was a professional person,” Siad previously told CNN (via The Guardian), adding that none of the women he introduced to Epstein ever reported mistreatment back to him.
However, documents released this year painted a more troubling picture, including emails between Siad, Epstein, and fellow model scout Jean-Luc Brunel discussing the recruitment of young women from across Europe.
One exchange reportedly referenced a 15-year-old girl, further fueling investigators’ concerns.
One of Siad’s accusers, former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson, alleged that he raped her after scouting her for modeling work decades ago.
She later filed criminal complaints in France, accusing him of rape and human trafficking. Siad denied those allegations through his attorney.
His death comes more than four years after another prominent Epstein associate, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, was found dead in a Paris prison while awaiting trial on charges including rape of minors and human trafficking. Authorities ruled Brunel’s death a suicide.
For now, French prosecutors say the circumstances surrounding Siad’s death remain under investigation. An autopsy is expected to help determine exactly how he died.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available,