Epstein Files' Daniel Siad found dead; he supplied women and called himself a 'fisherman'

Daniel Siad, a modeling scout who worked closely with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home near Paris, according to French authorities. He was 69.

Siad was under investigation by French prosecutors specializing in human trafficking. He faced allegations of rape, human trafficking, and other crimes, but had not yet been questioned by investigators. French officials have opened an investigation into his death, and an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause.

His death comes months after his name appeared in more than 1,000 documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the declassified Jeffrey Epstein files.

Investigators believed Siad was one of several French associates accused of helping Epstein recruit women. The newly released records showed that Siad remained in frequent contact with Epstein for years and received money for travel expenses while searching for women across Europe and elsewhere.

According to the documents, Siad traveled to countries including Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, and Cuba looking for women interested in modeling. In a 2014 email to Epstein, he compared the work to fishing, writing, "In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache (sic) quick, some time no fish."

The emails also revealed repeated conversations about recruiting women. Epstein's messages were often short, asking, "wht about new girls?", "Any news", "anything worth coming to paris for?", and "Any interesting women?" In one exchange, after Siad suggested a woman, Epstein replied with a single question: "age?" Siad once described one woman by writing, "26 but she look 18".

Siad had also worked as a modeling scout for Jean-Luc Brunel, the French modeling agent who was later accused of rape and sex trafficking. Brunel died by suicide in a French prison in 2022 while awaiting trial. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Earlier this year, former Swedish model Ebba Karlsson accused Siad of raping her in France after scouting her in Stockholm in 1990. She said she only identified him decades later after seeing his photographs in reports about the Epstein files. Karlsson filed criminal complaints in Paris accusing him of rape and human trafficking.

Siad's attorney denied the allegations.

Reacting to news of his death, Karlsson told AFP it was "very frustrating." She added, "He was very close to be arrested. We worked so hard for this, trying to have justice."

In an email sent earlier this year, Siad denied knowingly helping Epstein abuse women. He told The Guardian that he believed he was arranging legitimate model casting sessions.

"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," Siad wrote. "The casting time would not last more than 10 minutes. I always left the place with the models immediately."

Speaking to French television earlier this year, Siad also claimed Epstein had deceived him.

"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.

French prosecutors had recently formed a special team to examine evidence from the Epstein files involving French nationals. Authorities have not yet said whether Siad's death is linked to the ongoing investigation, and officials are awaiting autopsy results.