Credits: Ralph Alswang / White House, public domain.
The death of Daniel Siad does not close the French branch of the Epstein case. His body was discovered on July 20 at his home in Colombes. His death ends the proceedings that could have targeted him. The Paris prosecutor’s office is nevertheless keeping the investigation open for human trafficking as part of an organized criminal group. Twenty-four women have been identified or have come forward, while the cause of death remains unknown.
Death Ends Proceedings Against Daniel Siad
The body of the Franco-Swedish modeling scout was found Monday, July 20, in his house in Colombes, in the Hauts-de-Seine department. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office opened an investigation to determine the cause of death. It entrusted the case to the department’s judicial police and announced an autopsy. No results were public as of July 23. At this stage, no theory about the circumstances of the death can be ruled out.
Under French law, Article 6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure extinguishes public prosecution upon the death of the person being prosecuted. Daniel Siad therefore cannot be tried or convicted. This death neither proves nor disproves the accusations against him, which he disputed in their entirety.
He was the subject of several complaints, notably for rape and human trafficking. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau specified that he was being wiretapped. According to her, the evidence gathered did not justify his immediate arrest. This statement contradicts unconfirmed claims that his arrest was imminent.
A Broad Investigation That Goes Beyond a Single Suspect
Opened on February 18, the investigation concerns human trafficking as part of an organized criminal group. It also targets criminal conspiracy in preparation for a crime. It remains entrusted to the Central Office for the Suppression of Human Trafficking. Its goal, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office, is now to identify all other people who may be implicated. Some complaints already targeted other individuals.
In total, 24 women have come forward or been identified as victims or potential witnesses. Sixteen had been interviewed since March 19 and eight interviews were still scheduled, some involving people living abroad. So this figure does not refer to 24 complainants, but to a group of women who may shed light on different facts and people involved.
A Documentary And International Effort
Investigators are reviewing the sealed evidence from the Jean-Luc Brunel case. They are also analyzing about 1.5 million documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice. Mass-analysis software obtained in June is supposed to make this sorting easier, involving about ten investigators from OCRTEH. However, the presence of a name in these archives alone is not enough to establish an offense or responsibility.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has sent a mutual legal assistance request to the United States. It has also received a European Investigation Order from Poland, examined during a meeting at Eurojust on June 18. These cooperations may make it possible to obtain testimony, documents, or investigative actions outside France, without prejudging the outcome.
Expectations For Justice Remain Unchanged
On July 22, Ouest-France published an exclusive report. The association Innocence en danger had sued the state before the Paris judicial court for denial of justice. This separate procedure reflects criticism of the pace of the French branch, but it neither suspends nor replaces the ongoing criminal investigation.
Daniel Siad’s death deprives justice of a possible interrogation, a confrontation with the complainants, and any trial involving him. Continuing the investigation does not guarantee a formal charge or trial for anyone else. It does, however, make it possible to verify testimony, use available evidence, and look for potential responsibility. That work continues without speculating about the cause of death.