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A French modelling scout linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in his home on Wednesday, prosecutors said.
Daniel Siad, 69, was being investigated on allegations of supporting Epstein to traffic women but he had not been questioned before he was found dead in Colombe, a north-west suburb of Paris.
“An investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening following the discovery,” prosecutors told the BBC. They added that an autopsy would be carried out
Siad was mentioned in over 1,000 documents in the latest tranche of documents released earlier this year.
He had denied the allegations and accused Epstein of taking “advantage of his trust”.
A close associate of Epstein he had sent photos, profiles, and travel updates of young women to Epstein, facilitating introductions under the guise of “model casting”.
Both Epstein and Siad were active in central Barcelona from 2017 onwards, with Siad stating that the city made a good base for recruitment, “much safer than Paris”, owing to the decriminalisation of sex work, the large influx of tourists and relative anonymity.
Interviewed by CNN on his connection to the disgraced financier, Siad said: “My work with him has been strictly professional.”
He claimed: “I never hard anything from anyone introduced who came back to me that they had a bad situation with him.”
Records show Epstein paid thousands to Siad, according to the outlet.
More follows on this breaking news story....