(Image from US Department of Justice) —
Daniel Siad, a French talent scout accused of connections to Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse case, was found dead at his residence in Paris. The exact cause of death remains unknown.
Foreign news agencies reported on 22 Jul 2026 that Daniel Siad, a 69-year-old model scout named in Jeffrey Epstein's case documents, was found dead at his home in a northwestern suburb of Paris last Monday.
Local prosecutors revealed that an investigation into Siad's cause of death has begun, with an autopsy to follow.
Siad’s name appears thousands of times in Epstein case documents released by the US government. One of Epstein’s victims stated that Siad introduced her to Epstein and described him as a “professional talent scout for procuring victims.”
However, Siad consistently denied these allegations, asserting he was unaware of Epstein’s sexual abuses and insisted on his innocence, never having assaulted anyone. Siad’s lawyer said that although his client faced multiple complaints in France, “he was never formally charged and died innocent.”
Meanwhile, Epstein’s victims and their legal teams expressed deep sorrow and frustration, saying Siad’s death deprived them of a chance for justice through the courts.
Victims' lawyers strongly criticized the Paris prosecutor's office for delays in the investigation, which allowed time to pass until Siad died without ever being summoned for questioning or detained, causing crucial leads about Epstein’s network to be lost.
Notably, Siad’s death resembles that of Jean-Luc Brunel, another French talent scout linked to Epstein, who was found hanged in a Paris jail in 2022 while awaiting investigation for human trafficking and child rape.
Jeffrey Epstein himself died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting federal trial on charges of sex trafficking.
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Source:BBC