Fashion talent scout linked to Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home in France

Image caption, Daniel Siyad

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Author, Dan Sills Role, BBC

Published 5 hours ago

Reading time: 4 minutes

French authorities found the body of a fashion talent scout, with ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, inside his home in France.

Siyad's name is linked to many prominent figures in the fashion industry, but his connection to the Epstein case raised questions about his role in the network.

The Nanterre prosecutor's office told the BBC that the body of Daniel Siyad (69) was found on Monday in the town of Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris.

The office said it opened an investigation on Monday evening to determine the circumstances of the death, noting that an autopsy would be performed.

Siyad's name appeared thousands of times in the documents released by the U.S. government regarding Epstein, and he had denied any knowledge of the danger posed by the latter.

The Paris prosecutor's office defended the investigation it launched in February, saying the evidence was not sufficient to justify Siyad's arrest.

The office said: "The investigation opened on February 18, 2026, on charges of organized human trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime, is still ongoing with the aim of identifying all individuals who may be involved, despite the conclusion of criminal proceedings against Daniel Siyad."

It added: "Daniel Siyad was subject to special investigative techniques, notably phone surveillance, but they did not provide sufficient evidence to justify his immediate arrest."

Siyad had been the subject of several complaints in France, including allegations of rape.

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The deceased man's lawyer stressed that Siyad "was never prosecuted." Attorney Mignia Arp-Tegerin said in a statement: "He died, and he was innocent."

One of Epstein's victims, Anya - a pseudonym - told the BBC earlier that Siyad was the one who introduced her to Epstein.

She said: "The whole thing was a planned entrapment." She described Siyad as "essentially a professional human trafficker."

In one of the emails Siyad sent to Epstein, which was released as part of the files, he wrote in broken English: "In this business I sometimes feel like a fisherman; sometimes I catch quickly, and sometimes there are no fish."

Ahead of a BBC investigation on the subject published on Saturday, Siyad's lawyer said he was unavailable for comment, but in a recent interview with CNN, Siyad said he did not know the women were being abused by Epstein, adding: "I trusted him, and I thought this man was a professional."

Siyad himself had been the subject of several complaints in France, including allegations of rape, and the first complaint was filed in February. He denied any wrongdoing in several recent media interviews, telling BFMTV in May: "I have never raped anyone in my life."

The lawyers of the former model who filed the first complaint said they were "shocked" by his death. They added: "We are at a loss for words to describe the anger and sadness we feel." They noted that the sadness is because their client "has now been denied a criminal trial."

The lawyers said they feel "enormous anger towards the Paris prosecutor's office, which announced in February it had opened an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's French associates."

They accused the office of "flagrant inaction," saying it shows "the contempt of public authorities for victims of sexual crimes, even when those crimes are linked to the human trafficking network established by Epstein and his associates."

The BBC has contacted the prosecutor's office for comment.

Another former model, who gave a statement to police in June as part of the investigation into Siyad, said his death means any information he may have had about Epstein is now lost. She said: "An important link in the chain has vanished into thin air, without even the chance to obtain the information that Daniel Siyad may have possessed, given that he was never interrogated."

She added: "A lot of time has been wasted... and this is another way for the leads to go cold. I hope we don't have to wait another seven years for his home to be searched, although I think it's already too late."

Anne-Claire Le Jeune, who represents six women who have filed complaints against Siyad, said the victims have been denied justice, adding: "My clients found the strength to break a silence that was very heavy, given Daniel Siyad's connections to Jeffrey Epstein," adding: "They faced all stages of the proceedings with remarkable courage."

She continued: "It is extremely unfortunate that the slow pace of the investigation led to his death before he could be interrogated or detained by police, depriving the victims of a crucial step in their pursuit of truth and justice."

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Another accomplice of Epstein, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, was found hanged in his cell at a Paris prison in 2022.

Brunel, 76, had been detained for over a year while being investigated on suspicion of raping minors and trafficking minors for sexual exploitation. Brunel denied any wrongdoing.

Brunel had founded MC2 Model Management with funding from Epstein, and was suspected of transporting and housing girls or young women for Epstein.

As for Epstein, 66, he died by suicide in his cell at a New York prison in 2019, while awaiting a federal trial on sex trafficking charges.

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The French authorities continue their investigation into the human trafficking case opened in February, despite the lack of sufficient evidence to arrest Siyad. Sources indicate that his death may complicate efforts to uncover the details of the case. Siyad had faced rape allegations in France, but no conviction was ever established. Investigations continue to identify all potential accomplices.