French model scout Daniel Siad, linked to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, was found dead in his apartment in Paris. The body of the 69-year-old was discovered on Monday night, and the cause of death will be determined by autopsy.
Siad's lawyer, Menya Arab-Tigrine, said his client died of a heart attack. "Even though he died of a heart attack, the unbearable wait, the stigma attached to him, and consequently the daily pressure and anxiety experienced by his loved ones undoubtedly played a role," Arab-Tigrine said. The lawyer added that the exact cause would be clarified by the autopsy results.
According to Reuters, Siad's name appears around 2,000 times in the Epstein files. An email allegedly sent by Siad to Epstein read, "I'm in Barcelona, Australian girls of Croatian origin are staying with me, you can talk to a very sweet one." Epstein reportedly replied, "Photo?"
In April 2009, another email Siad sent to Epstein while scouting models in Bratislava reportedly contained photos of a 17-year-old Slovak girl.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that at least 24 women have come forward as victims or witnesses of acts allegedly committed by Siad or others as part of a human trafficking and fraud investigation launched in February.
Lawyer Arab-Tigrine stated that investigators had examined Siad but found insufficient evidence to warrant his immediate arrest. "Let us not forget that he was never prosecuted and was never formally included in any legal process," the lawyer said, adding, "In the coming days, we must respect the mourning of his loved ones. He passed away and was innocent."
