A major thread in the French branch of the Jeffrey Epstein case was abruptly cut on Monday evening when Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old model scout, was found dead at his home in Colombes, west of Paris.
Siad died before judicial authorities could question him over complaints accusing him of rape and human trafficking, or examine in detail the nature of his relationship with the American financier convicted of sexual offences.
The Nanterre public prosecutor’s office said that “an investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening” after Siad’s body was discovered inside his home. An autopsy is expected as part of the investigation being handled by the judicial police in Hauts-de-Seine, where Colombes is located.
French newspaper Le Parisien reported that Siad was believed to have died of a heart attack. His lawyer, Minya Arab-Tigrine, also told Reuters that he had suffered a heart attack, although the official cause of death remains subject to the autopsy findings.
A Man Behind the Fashion Industry
Daniel Siad was little known outside the fashion sector, but he spent decades scouting models, a profession based on searching streets and cities for new faces and connecting them with agencies. He told French radio station RTL that he had worked in the industry for around 30 years.
Siad described himself as “born in France and a Swedish citizen”, while The Guardian identified him as French-born, of Algerian origin and holding Swedish citizenship.
His work was connected to prominent figures in the modelling industry. He worked on commission with Jean-Luc Brunel, the modelling agent closely associated with Epstein, and also worked with Gérald Marie, the former European head of Elite Model Management.
These relationships are significant because the fashion industry was one of the channels Epstein used to gain access to young women and girls.
As Epstein’s files were declassified, Siad emerged not merely as a model scout, but as a participant in repeated correspondence concerning the ages and photographs of women and girls, as well as meetings he sought to arrange with Epstein.
The central question surrounding Siad therefore shifted from the nature of his profession to the role he may have played within Epstein’s network. That question will now remain unresolved in court after his death before questioning.
The “Model Hunter”
The Epstein files reveal more than a passing connection between Siad and the disgraced financier. They document extensive and prolonged communication between the two men about women and girls, some of whom were under the age of 18.
Agence France-Presse and Le Monde reported that Siad’s name appeared in more than 1,000 documents, while Reuters said he was mentioned nearly 2,000 times.
According to correspondence published by The Guardian, Siad spent almost a decade sending Epstein photographs and information about women and girls, including their ages, nationalities and appearance, while proposing meetings with them.
His activity was not confined to one city or country. He travelled for this purpose across France, Sweden, Spain and Eastern European countries, as well as Cuba and Morocco.
In a 2009 message, Siad told Epstein that he had 45 women for him to meet in Slovakia and that he intended to search small villages in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Other messages showed him discussing girls aged 15, 16 and 17.
Epstein’s replies revealed the nature of his interest in these suggestions. He asked Siad, “What about new girls?” and “Are there any interesting women?”, or simply: “Age?”
In one message cited by CNN, Siad sent Epstein a photograph of a woman and suggested that she could work as a model or assistant. Epstein replied: “Too old.”
Siad himself described the work using the language of hunting. In a 2014 message, he wrote: “In this business, I sometimes feel like a fisherman. Sometimes I catch quickly, and sometimes I find no fish.”
A Relationship That Continued After Epstein’s Conviction
The files show that Siad’s relationship with Epstein extended beyond messages and arranged meetings to include financial transfers.
CNN reported that Epstein paid Siad tens of thousands of dollars. A 2018 message also contained instructions to transfer US$25,000 to him as a five-year loan.
The relationship continued for years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sexual offences and his release from prison the following year. Siad continued sending photographs of women and girls, along with information about their ages, despite Epstein’s conviction and criminal history being publicly known.
Siad defended the arrangement by saying the payments covered travel and work expenses, and that the meetings were professional auditions for the MC2 agency or Victoria’s Secret. CNN said it found no evidence that Epstein was conducting model auditions on behalf of Victoria’s Secret.
Siad also told the network that he believed Epstein’s claim that he had paid for his crimes, and that none of the women he introduced to him had told him they had been harmed.
In an interview with RTL, Siad insisted that the relationship was “purely professional” and said he had introduced only “10 or 15” women to Epstein over 15 years.
After the scale of Epstein’s crimes became clear, Siad described him as a “monster” and claimed that Epstein had “exploited his trust”.
Five Complaints and Allegations of Grooming
Siad was under investigation in Paris by the office responsible for combating human trafficking after five women filed complaints against him, including allegations of rape and human trafficking, according to RTL.
Former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson said she recognised Siad from photographs in the Epstein files. She accused him of raping her when she was 20 and then introducing her to Gérald Marie, the former European director of Elite Model Management, whom she also accuses of raping her.
A former French model identified as Juliette said Siad offered her a job opportunity in the United States in 2004, before she found herself meeting Epstein in New York.
According to her account, Epstein took her passport, gave her money she had not asked for, and then touched her body inside a bedroom.
She described the process as a form of grooming that began with a professional promise, followed by the creation of dependence and indebtedness, and ultimately a test of the young woman’s ability to refuse.
Another woman, identified as Malika, told The Guardian that Siad lured her in 2013 with an offer of fashion work before introducing her to Epstein in Paris. She said she worked as a “masseuse” and was later asked to recruit other girls.
Siad denied all the allegations. His lawyer also denied that he had introduced Malika to Epstein. Siad repeatedly maintained: “I have never raped anyone in my life.”
What Was Lost With His Death?
Siad died before authorities questioned him or formally placed him under investigation, although The Guardian reported that the FBI had received information about his work with Epstein as early as 2016.
In February 2026, French prosecutors formed a team to analyse newly released documents and the French names appearing in them. Siad died before providing investigators with his version of events.
His death prompted criticism of the prosecution’s handling of the case. Lawyers representing Ebba Karlsson described the failure to act against him as a “serious mistake”, while Juliette said that “another link in the chain has disappeared” before helping expose the truth and identify those responsible.
Siad is now the second prominent figure in Epstein’s French circle to die before the allegations against him were resolved in court.
Jean-Luc Brunel was found hanged in his prison cell in 2022. Epstein died in prison under disputed circumstances in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Authorities later declared that he had died by suicide.
French left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for the investigation to continue, saying that “the victims have the right to the full truth and to justice”.
Until the autopsy results are released, the available sources contain no evidence that Siad was killed. His death, however, has closed a door that might have provided answers about his travels, the money he received and the precise nature of his role in introducing women to Epstein.
