French model scout who worked for Jeffrey Epstein found dead, alleged Epstein victim expresses disappointment: ‘I wanted for justice to be served’

A French modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead. According to French officials, Daniel Siad, 69, was discovered at his residence in Colombes, near Paris, on Monday evening. An investigation into the cause of his death is now underway, and an autopsy is scheduled to be performed.

Per The Guardian and CNN, Siad was under investigation by prosecutors specializing in human trafficking. His name appeared more than 2000 times in over 1,000 of the documents related to Epstein. The files were declassified and released by the Department of Justice earlier this year. 

According to The Guardian, Siad was a significant figure in the modelling world, working on commission for Jean-Luc Brunel. Brunel himself was a prominent agent in Paris, New York, and Miami for over four decades. He killed himself in prison in February 2022 while awaiting trial on charges of sexual harassment and the rape of minors. Like Brunel, Siad had faced serious accusations, including claims of rape and human trafficking. 

There wasn’t enough evidence to arrest him yet

Earlier this year, The Guardian noted that a former Swedish model named Ebba Karlsson accused Siad of raping her in France in 1990 when she was 20 years old. Karlsson, who filed criminal allegations against Siad in Paris, told AFP that the news of his death was very frustrating, stating, “He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice.” 

Despite the growing legal pressure, Siad had reportedly not yet been questioned by investigators, though he had denied the allegations. His lawyer, Ménya Arab-Tigrine, maintained that her client was innocent and had not been formally implicated in any legal proceedings. In a statement provided to the media on Wednesday, she said, “We must await the autopsy results to confirm whether his body simply gave out.”

Per The Guardian, the relationship between Siad and Epstein was extensive and well-documented through emails. This made him a big part of Epstein’s fashion network. Siad traveled globally to source women, often visiting small villages in Eastern Europe or flying to Sweden and Cuba.

In 2014, he reportedly compared his scouting work to fishing in an email to Epstein. He wrote: “In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache (sic) quick, some time no fish.” Epstein’s replies were often short and transactional. Per the files, he frequently asked about recruits with messages like, “wht about new girls?” or “Any interesting women?”

CNN reported that in one instance, Siad sent a photo of a woman to Epstein, and Epstein replied with the words: “Too old.” Siad frequently emphasized the youth of the women he found, writing in one email, “26 but she look 18.” In another 2018 message, Siad mentioned he was searching for a “good looking young assistant” for the financier.

The Guardian reported that Siad previously told France TV that he believed Epstein had abused his trust and claimed he was not “in a position to know that this man was dangerous.” In an interview with CNN published in June, he insisted that he viewed Epstein as a professional. 

“I trusted him and believed this guy was a professional person,” he told CNN. “I never heard anything from anyone I introduced to him who came back to me that they had a bad situation. I believed this guy is a professional person.” He also claimed to believe that Epstein was a casting director for Victoria’s Secret and the modeling agency MC2. CNN noted that they have found no evidence to support this claim.

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s office confirmed to the press that the broad investigations launched in February regarding human trafficking and criminal conspiracy will continue. 24 women have come forward and/or been identified by prosecutors. However, the team noted that they didn’t collect sufficient evidence to justify Siad’s immediate arrest. Notably, Siad isn’t the only French national under investigation for Epstein ties. A former French minister insisted he was ‘clean as a whistle.’

Svetlana Pozhidaeva, a Russian-born model who previously alleged to CNN that Siad introduced her to Epstein, expressed her disappointment regarding the loss of potential accountability. “If it wasn’t for him, my life would have unfolded completely differently,” she said. “I wanted for justice to be served, for there to be some kind of investigation and achieve some closure.”