French modelling scout linked to Epstein found dead near Paris

French modelling scout Daniel Siad, who had close ties to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home outside Paris, prosecutors and his lawyer said. Siad was 69 and had said he also held Swedish citizenship.

The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said an investigation was opened on Monday evening to determine the cause of death after the discovery. An autopsy will be carried out as part of that probe.

Siad was under investigation in France over allegations including rape and human trafficking. He was one of several French men accused of helping Epstein traffic and abuse women. Siad had not yet been questioned by investigators and had denied the allegations.

His lawyer, Menya Arab-Tigrine, said Siad had asked to give his side of the story before he died. She said he was innocent, and said that if he died of a heart attack, the waiting, pressure and anxiety he had faced would have contributed to it.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it was dropping the probe targeting Siad after his death, but would continue a wider investigation into alleged human trafficking linked to Epstein, who had a flat in the French capital.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. French authorities arrested modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in 2020 after allegations that he procured women for Epstein. Brunel was found dead in prison in 2022.

Siad's name appeared in more than 1,000 documents released as part of declassified Epstein files. In a 2014 email to Epstein, Siad compared his efforts to recruit women to fishing. Siad had said Epstein had taken advantage of his trust.

Juliette G., a former French model who says Siad recruited her in 2004 to introduce her to Epstein in New York, said victims had seen Siad as a possible way to learn more about what happened. She asked that her surname be withheld to protect her privacy. She said another link in the chain had disappeared that could have helped uncover the truth and identify those responsible.

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 said it was frustrating because she believed he had been close to being arrested. Karlsson has also accused Siad of introducing her to Gerald Marie, the former European head of the Elite modelling agency, whom she has also accused of rape.

Several women have accused Marie of rape and human trafficking and have urged France to investigate him for possible links to Epstein. Marie has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Lisa Brinkworth, a former BBC journalist who co-founded a collective to support victims of modelling industry abuse, said she was shocked by Siad's death and felt victims were being denied justice. Brinkworth, who has accused Marie of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s, urged prosecutors to investigate people connected to Epstein who face similar allegations.