French scout tied to Epstein case dies before questioning in France

PARIS: French authorities have opened an inquiry into the death of Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old modelling scout who had been under investigation over allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein, after he was found dead at his home outside Paris, prosecutors and his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The prosecutor’s office in Nanterre said an investigation was launched on Monday evening after the body was discovered, and that an autopsy would be conducted. Siad had not yet been interviewed by investigators. French investigators had been examining allegations against him that included rape and human trafficking.

Siad was among several French men accused of helping the late US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein traffic and abuse women. He had rejected the accusations and, through his lawyer Menya Arab-Tigrine, had said he wanted an opportunity to present his account.

Arab-Tigrine told AFP that her client had sought to be heard before his death.

"He is dead and he was innocent,"

She added:

"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,"

Investigations and past links

Siad’s name appeared in more than 1,000 documents released in the declassified Epstein files. He had compared his efforts to recruit women to fishing. Siad had also maintained that Epstein had taken advantage of his trust.

The case comes after earlier scrutiny in France of people in the modelling world linked to Epstein. In 2020, French authorities arrested modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel over allegations that he procured women for the US billionaire. Brunel was later found dead in prison in 2022. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Reaction from women who made allegations

For women who say they were victimised, Siad’s death removes a figure they believed could have helped clarify what happened around Epstein’s network in France. Juliette G., a former French model who says Siad recruited her in 2004 and introduced her to Epstein, said his death had cut off a possible route to the truth.

"Another link in the chain has disappeared that could have helped uncover the truth and identify those responsible,"

the woman said, asking that her surname be withheld to protect her privacy.

Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson, now in her fifties, filed the first complaint against Siad in February, accusing him of raping her when she was 20. She told AFP that his death was a major setback after efforts to pursue the case.

"It’s very frustrating,"

Karlsson said.

“He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.”

Karlsson has also accused Siad of introducing her to Gerald Marie, the former European head of the Elite modelling agency, whom she has likewise accused of rape. Several women have accused Marie of rape and human trafficking and have called on French authorities to investigate possible links between him and Epstein. Marie has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Lisa Brinkworth, a former BBC journalist who co-founded a collective supporting victims of abuse in the modelling industry, said she was shocked by news of Siad’s death. Brinkworth, who has accused Marie of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s, said victims were being failed.

"It feels like victims are being denied justice,"

she 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,"

Brinkworth added.

“I urge the public prosecutor to now urgently investigate all individuals connected to Epstein and who are facing similar allegations.”