The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that a broad investigation into human trafficking linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump will continue despite the death of a key figure at the center of the probe.
Daniel Amar Siad, a 69-year-old Swedish modeling scout whose name appeared nearly 2,000 times in recently declassified Epstein files, was found dead at his home in Colombes, a northwestern suburb of Paris, on Monday.
His lawyer, Ménya Arab-Tigrine, said he died of a heart attack, though an autopsy has been ordered to determine the official cause of death.
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office said an investigation into the cause of death was opened following the discovery, and a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
In a statement, Chief Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the ongoing investigation into allegations of organized human trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime, which opened Feb. 18, is continuing “in order to identify all individuals who may be implicated.”
The probe will continue despite the termination of the public prosecution concerning Siad.
The investigation was launched following the incomplete release of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice, which prompted French authorities to re-examine evidence linked to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent and Epstein associate who died in prison in 2022.
The 76-year-old Brunel had been held for over a year as he was investigated on suspicion of the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Brunel had denied any wrongdoing.
Brunel, a French modelling agent and close associate of the late US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead in his prison cell in Paris in February 2022.
Jeffrey Epstein and his associates Jean-Luc Brunel and Daniel Siad were key figures in an international modeling and recruitment network.
While Epstein and Brunel socialized broadly within elite circles that included Trump years earlier, research indicates that the connection between Trump and Daniel Siad stems from an online social media account praising Trump that was traced back to Siad.
Investigators acquired mass-analysis software in June to process approximately 1.5 million documents from the American data.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, 24 women have come forward or been identified since the probe began, reporting incidents that Siad or other individuals may have committed.
Investigators have interviewed 16 of them, with eight more interviews scheduled.
Siad was placed under special investigative techniques, including phone surveillance, but authorities said these measures had not “produced evidence justifying his immediate arrest.”
Siad had publicly denied allegations of rape and trafficking. In a May interview with BFM, he said, “I have never raped anyone in my life,” and described his relationship with Epstein as strictly professional.
The first complaint against Siad in France was filed in February by former Swedish model Ebba P. Karlsson, who accused him of raping her in Cannes in 1990. At least five women had publicly accused him of rape and sex trafficking.
His death has drawn criticism from victims and their advocates. Lawyers for several women who filed complaints expressed frustration that Siad was never questioned. Anne-Claire Le Jeune, who represents six women, said the “slow pace of the investigation resulted in his death before he could be questioned … thereby depriving the victims of a crucial step in their pursuit of truth and justice.”
Siad is the second man publicly linked to Epstein who has died in France.
Brunel, who was arrested in 2020 and faced charges of rape and trafficking minors, was found dead in his prison cell in 2022. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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