A French modeling scout accused of finding women for Jeffrey Epstein has died before investigators could question him about r*pe and human trafficking allegations.
Daniel Siad, 69, was found dead Monday evening at his home near Paris, French officials said. An autopsy has been ordered, and authorities are investigating what caused his death.
Siad had denied the claims against him and said he was prepared to give investigators his account. His name surfaced repeatedly in newly released U.S. Department of Justice records tied to Epstein, appearing in more than 1,000 documents.
Emails in the files showed Siad traveled across Europe and elsewhere to recruit models and that he also sent Epstein information about women he met and received payments that appeared to cover travel expenses.
Siad insisted he believed the women were attending legitimate castings at Epstein’s Paris apartment. “The casting time would not last more than 10 minutes,” he told The Guardian. “I always left the place with the models immediately.”
Earlier this year, former model Ebba Karlsson accused Siad of raping her after recruiting her in Stockholm in 1990. Karlsson, who said she never met Epstein, filed criminal allegations in Paris. Siad’s lawyer denied her account.
Karlsson expressed anger that the case would not reach a courtroom.
“It was very frustrating,” she told AFP. “He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.”
Siad also worked with late modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who denied involvement in Epstein’s trafficking operation before dying in a French jail in 2022.
