Model scout for Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home near Paris

Daniel Siad faced allegations of rape and trafficking in France and appeared in more than 1,000 documents in Epstein files

A modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have said.

Daniel Siad, 69, was under investigation by the prosecutors specialising in human trafficking in France, accused of rape and other charges. His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice Epstein files that were declassified earlier this year.

Siad was one of several French men accused of aiding Epstein to traffic and abuse women. He had not yet been questioned by investigators, but had denied the allegations, saying he wanted to give his version of events.

He was found dead in his home on Monday evening. An investigation to determine the cause of death has been opened and an autopsy is to be carried out.

Siad traveled around the world, visiting villages in eastern Europe or flying to Cuba or Sweden, trying to source women to work in the modelling industry. Alongside searching for potential models, he looked for women whom he hoped Epstein might want to meet. He compared his work to fishing, explaining to Epstein in an email in 2014 that patience was required: “In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache (sic) quick, some time no fish.”

The files revealed Siad to be one of Epstein’s most loyal correspondents. He remained in frequent contact with him until months before the financier’s death, receiving wired payments apparently for expenses incurred during travel to find women.

Siad was well connected in the modelling world and also worked as a scout on commission for Jean-Luc Brunel, who was the leading agent in Paris, New York and Miami for more than four decades. Brunel killed himself in prison in February 2022, after spending 14 months in custody awaiting trial on charges of rape of minors and sexual harassment, which he denied along with any participation in Epstein’s sex trafficking. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

In an emailed statement, Siad told the Guardian in February that he believed he had been providing women to Epstein for legitimate model casting sessions in Paris. “He had a big apartment where he used to organise all his meetings, including casting for models I recruited, for Victoria’s Secret and MC2,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “The casting time would not last more than 10 minutes. I always left the place with the models immediately.”

Earlier this year, the former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson accused Siad of rape. She said he had scouted her in her home town of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1990, when she was a 20-year-old model, and later raped her in France. Siad then went by a different name, she said, and she was only able to identify him after seeing images of him in reporting of Epstein files. Karlsson, who did not have any interactions with Epstein, filed criminal allegations of rape and human trafficking against Siad in Paris earlier this year. Siad’s lawyer in Paris, Ménya Arab-Tigrine, told the Guardian earlier this year that he denied the allegation.

Responding to the news of Siad’s death, Karlsson told AFP it was “very frustrating”. “He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.”

Siad’s regular emails supplied Epstein with details about the young women he was recruiting. “Slovakia is the place to be,” Siad wrote to Epstein in 2009, noting that he had 45 women to see there. He told Epstein that he planned to spend the summer “scouting small villages” in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. “I will make you a great surprise when you come to Paris,” he promised. He was still working for Epstein in 2016, writing: “Call me if you have time I am in Barcelona. With amazing Beauty.”

Epstein’s emails to Siad were very succinct, asking: “wht about new girls?”, “Any news”, “anything worth coming to paris for?” or “Any interesting women?” The women were often referred to by nationality rather than their names. “I am in ny, is the swedish girl here?” Epstein asked Said in June 2014. Sometimes, Epstein replied to Siad’s suggested candidates with just a one-word answer: “age?”. Siad liked to emphasise that the women he had found for Epstein appeared youthful, writing on one occasion: “26 but she look 18”.

Siad, who described himself as French-born, of Algerian origin with Swedish citizenship, told France TV earlier this year that Epstein had abused his trust and he had not been “in a position to know that this man was dangerous”. He maintained that his dealings with the models he scouted were purely professional. “With time, one discovers that this individual committed atrocities; fortunately, I never introduced him to any minor or non-minor who was abused. I have nothing to reproach myself for,” he said in comments broadcast on French television.

The DoJ files suggest the FBI was tipped off about Siad’s work for Epstein in 2016. In February, French prosecutors announced they were setting up a team of magistrates to analyse evidence from the files, which mention a number of French nationals, including Brunel.

• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html