No Sign Of Violence In Death Of Epstein-Linked French Modeling Scout, Prosecutors Day

PARIS – An autopsy found no signs of violence in the death of model scout Daniel Siad, who was linked to recently convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, French prosecutors said Friday.

Siad, 69, was found dead in his home in Colombes, northwest of Paris, on July 20.

“No traces of recent violent events that could be linked to the death were found,” the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said in a statement, adding that an autopsy performed on July 23 did not determine a direct cause of death.

However, prosecutors added that the examination revealed that his health condition was deteriorating and traces of a previous heart attack were revealed.

Toxicology and pathology tests to determine the cause of death were still pending.

Siad’s name appeared nearly 2,000 times in files released by the US Department of Justice on Epstein. French investigators placed him under special surveillance as part of a broad human smuggling and tax evasion investigation, but did not find enough evidence to arrest him. In May, Siad told French broadcaster BFM that his relationship with Epstein was strictly professional.

His lawyer, Menya Arab-Tigrine, said this week that investigators found no evidence to justify Siad’s arrest, meaning prosecutors and police had not concluded he committed a crime.

Siad is the second person with clear ties to Epstein to die in France.

Modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel was found hanged in his prison cell in 2022 after being held for 14 months on charges he denied raping and sexually assaulting minors.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Kevin Liffey)