Daniel Siad, a modelling scout with extensive ties to Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead at his home in Colombes, France, on Monday. The 69-year-old was facing multiple rape allegations in France, and his death now leaves victims without the opportunity for a trial, marking a second major loss for investigators following the 2022 death of Jean-Luc Brunel.
The Death of Daniel Siad in Colombes
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office confirmed that Daniel Siad was discovered at his home in the Paris suburb of Colombes on Monday. Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of his death, with an autopsy pending, according to reporting from the BBC. Siad’s name appeared thousands of times in the Epstein files
released by the U.S. government, linking him to the late financier for years.
Siad had consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing. In a recent interview with BFMTV, he stated, I have never raped anyone in my life.
Despite these denials, he was the subject of several formal complaints in France, with the first allegations filed in February. Before his death, Siad had defended his professional relationship with Epstein, telling CNN: I trusted him, I believed this guy is a professional person.
Victims and the Loss of Legal Closure
For the women who accused Siad of abuse, his death represents a final, frustrating barrier to justice. Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a lawyer representing six women who brought complaints against Siad, noted the profound impact of the news. It is deeply regrettable that the slow pace of the investigation resulted in his death before he could be questioned or taken into police custody, thereby depriving the victims of a crucial step in their pursuit of truth and justice,
Le Jeune said.
A former model who testified against Siad in June expressed similar despair to the BBC, noting that Siad held information that is now permanently inaccessible. An important link in the chain has just vanished into thin air, without there even having been a chance to recover the information Daniel Siad might have possessed—given that he was never questioned,
she said.
Historical Parallels: The Case of Jean-Luc Brunel
Siad’s death echoes the 2022 death of another key figure in the Epstein investigation, French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel. As reported by the AP, Brunel was found hanged in his cell at Paris’ La Sante prison while awaiting trial on charges of rape and sex trafficking. Brunel, who founded MC2 Model Management with Epstein’s financial backing, was considered a central figure in the French probe into the trafficking of minors.
The pattern of key figures dying before trial has left many victims feeling that the judicial process has failed them. Thysia Huisman, a Dutch former model who accused Brunel of drugging and raping her as a teenager, described the news of Brunel’s death as a double blow
following the suicide of Jeffrey Epstein in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
Stakes for Ongoing Investigations
While the deaths of Siad and Brunel have removed central defendants from the French legal system, advocates argue that the pursuit of accountability must continue. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, reflected on the broader implications of these deaths. In a statement provided by her lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre emphasized that while the deaths prevent personal confrontation in court, they do not end the search for truth.
“For the women who have stood up and called for accountability from law enforcement around the world, it is not how these men died, but how they lived, and the damage they caused to so many. The fight to seek truth and justice goes on.”
Sigrid McCawley, lawyer for Virginia Roberts Giuffre
The French investigation into Epstein’s circle remains active, though the loss of these two men complicates the ability of prosecutors to secure convictions. For the victims, the focus remains on the institutional reckoning that the cases have sparked, as more women continue to come forward to describe systemic abuse within the modelling industry.
