PARIS, FRANCE. (THECOUNT) — Daniel Siad, a former model scout whose name appears thousands of times in recently released Jeffrey Epstein records, was found dead Monday night at his home outside Paris while under investigation by French authorities for alleged human trafficking and sexual crimes.
Siad, who reportedly recruited young women internationally for Epstein over several years, was found dead at the age of 69. French authorities have not yet released an official cause or manner of death.
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According to reports, Siad’s body was discovered by the sister of a neighbor.
His attorney, Menya Arab-Tigrine, told ABC News that she believes Siad may have suffered a heart attack but emphasized that autopsy results are still pending.
French prosecutors had been investigating Siad in connection with alleged trafficking activities tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as separate allegations involving sexual crimes.
The investigation gained renewed attention following the public release of U.S. Department of Justice documents earlier this year under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Those records reportedly contain more than 2,000 references to Siad and include numerous communications between him and Epstein discussing young women Siad claimed to have recruited from various countries, including Sweden, France, Slovakia, Russia, and other parts of Europe.
In one July 2014 email exchange, Siad informed Epstein that he had arranged for several young women to meet him. Epstein reportedly replied that he would reimburse expenses and requested additional information about the individuals.
Additional correspondence released in the DOJ documents allegedly referenced girls between the ages of 15 and 17 living in Scandinavia and France.
In one message, Siad compared his recruiting efforts to that of a fisherman, writing that sometimes he was successful and sometimes he was not.
The communications have become a focal point of French authorities’ renewed investigation into whether crimes connected to Epstein were committed on French soil or involved French citizens.
Jeffrey Epstein died in August 2019 while in federal custody at a Manhattan detention facility awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
Prior to his death, Siad publicly denied any criminal wrongdoing and disputed allegations that he knowingly participated in human trafficking activities.
He claimed in recent interviews with French and British media outlets that Epstein deceived him and exploited his professional trust.
According to Siad, he believed he was recruiting aspiring models for legitimate casting opportunities connected to Epstein’s professional associations within the fashion industry.
He stated that his dealings with Epstein were strictly business-related and maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct at the time.
Siad’s attorney has also stated that her client offered to cooperate with French investigators and was eager to publicly defend himself against the allegations.
She further claimed that Siad had been under significant emotional stress in recent months following renewed media attention surrounding the Epstein files and additional accusations leveled against him.
His death comes shortly after a BBC investigation detailed allegations made by an individual identified by the pseudonym “Anya,” who claimed Siad introduced her to Epstein and described him as a “professional trafficker.”
French authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Siad’s death while awaiting official autopsy findings.
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