In France, model scout Daniel Siad, known to have ties to Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead in his Paris apartment. The body of the 69-year-old Siad was discovered on Monday night, and an autopsy is expected.
Siad's lawyer, Menya Arab-Tigrine, stated that his client died of a heart attack. Arab-Tigrine said, "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." The lawyer added, "We must wait for the autopsy results to determine whether his body simply gave up."
According to Reuters, Siad's name appears about 2,000 times in the Epstein files. An email allegedly sent by Siad to Epstein contained the words, "I'm in Barcelona, Australian girls of Croatian origin are staying with me, you can talk to a very sweet one." Epstein is said to have replied, "Photo?"
In April 2009, another email sent by Siad to Epstein while scouting for 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.
Arab-Tigrine stated that investigators had examined Siad but found insufficient evidence to warrant his immediate arrest. The lawyer said, "Let us not forget that he was never tried and was never formally included in any legal process," adding, "In the coming days, we must respect the mourning of his loved ones. He has passed away and was innocent."
