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A French model recruiter accused of helping connect young women to disgraced money manager and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home outside Paris, according to French authorities.
Daniel Siad, 69, was found dead Monday evening at his residence in Colombes, a suburb northwest of Paris, the BBC reported. French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, with an autopsy underway to determine the cause.
"An investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening following the discovery," the office said, according to the BBC.
CNN reported that Siad spent more than a decade introducing young women to Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. (RELATED: Satanism Hits The Runway In Full Force At Paris Fashion Week)
Siad's name appeared nearly 2,000 times in Justice Department (DOJ) documents released earlier this year, according to BFMTV, a CNN affiliate outlet.
Siad had been under investigation in France over allegations that he helped recruit women who later became victims of Epstein's trafficking and abuse network, according to Le Monde.
French authorities had reportedly been examining claims involving rape and human trafficking, although Siad denied wrongdoing. His lawyer said he had never been formally placed under judicial investigation and maintained his innocence until his death, Reuters reported.
According to CNN, Siad insisted he had no knowledge that women he referred to Epstein were allegedly abused. He told the network he believed Epstein was affiliated with Victoria's Secret and the modeling agency MC2.
"I trusted him and believed this guy was a professional person," he said according to CNN. "I never heard anything from anyone I introduced to him who came back to me that they had a bad situation. I believed this guy is a professional person."
Despite his adamant defense, Siad wrote to Epstein in 2014 and related his efforts in recruiting women to fishing, according to Le Monde.
"In this [business] I feel like [a] fisherman some time I [catch] quick, some time no fish," he reportedly said.
CNN reported on several messages that Siad sent to Epstein, some including pictures of women in provocative poses, according to the DOJ files.(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Has Been Hobbling New Mexico's Epstein Ranch Investigation For Years, Former AG Says)
"Cute French girl in Marrakesh…" one message said, according to the outlet. "She said that she will (be) happy to meet you."
Siad is the second man publicly linked to Jeffrey Epstein to die in France, according to Reuters. Modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who was accused of procuring young women for Epstein but denied the allegations, was found hanged in his prison cell in 2022 while awaiting trial on charges of raping minors and sexual harassment.
French prosecutors emphasized Wednesday that the investigation into Siad's death remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced any findings regarding the cause of death.
