Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old French modeling scout with alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was discovered dead at his home in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris, on Monday. The Nanterre prosecutor's office confirmed an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of death, and an autopsy will be performed. Siad's name reportedly appeared thousands of times in the Epstein files released by the U.S. government, and he was accused of arranging meetings between Epstein and young models, having received tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein.
Siad was targeted by several complaints, including allegations of rape, and was under investigation by a French office specializing in combating human trafficking. Although he had denied the allegations, he had not yet been questioned by investigators. His death has prompted strong reactions from victims' lawyers, who expressed "immense anger" and "sadness" at what they perceive as a lost opportunity for justice, calling the authorities' inaction "scandalous." They emphasized that a crucial link in the investigation into Epstein's French network has now vanished with potentially unrecovered information.
Lawyers representing women who had made complaints about Siad expressed their dismay, stating that victims have been deprived of justice. Anne-Claire Le Jeune, who represents six women, highlighted the slow pace of the investigation, regretting that Siad's death occurred before he could be questioned or taken into police custody. She voiced concerns that this development could cause leads to go cold and reiterated her hope that Siad's home would still be searched, despite believing it might already be too late to recover crucial information. His clients had shown remarkable courage in coming forward, given Siad's known ties to Epstein.
