Associates of Jeffrey Epstein are dying one after another. Now, modeling scout Jean-Luc Brunel—linked to the late, convicted sex offender Epstein—has been found dead in his home. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office confirmed that the 69-year-old Brunel was found dead last Monday in Colombes, a northwestern suburb of Paris. The prosecutor’s office stated that an investigation into the cause of death began on Monday evening and an autopsy would be performed. Brunel’s name appeared thousands of times in Epstein-related documents released by the US government.
However, he had denied knowing anything about Epstein’s criminal activities. Defending an investigation launched last February, the Paris prosecutor’s office stated that there was insufficient evidence to arrest Brunel. Multiple allegations, including rape, had been filed against Brunel with the French police. The BBC reported this news. In a statement, the deceased’s lawyer, Maître Arab-Tigrine, emphasized that Brunel had never been charged with a crime.
He said, “He has died, and he was innocent.” Anya (not her real name), a victim of Epstein’s abuse, had previously told the BBC that it was Brunel who introduced her to Epstein. Describing the incident as a complete trap, she said Brunel was essentially a professional trafficker. In an email found among the leaked documents, Brunel wrote to Epstein: “In this business, I sometimes feel like I’m in prison; sometimes I catch fish quickly, sometimes I don’t.” However, in a recent interview with CNN, Brunel claimed he was unaware that women and girls were being abused by Epstein. Brunel had said, “I trusted him; I thought this man was a professional.” The first complaint against Brunel in France was filed last February. He denied committing any crime in interviews with multiple media outlets. In May, he told BFMTV, “I have never raped anyone in my life.” Lawyers for the former model who first brought allegations have expressed deep shock at Seyad’s death. They stated, “We have no words to express our feelings and anger; the victims have been denied justice.”
Another former model told the BBC that with Seyad’s death, any information he held regarding Epstein is now lost. She added that much time had been wasted and that this was yet another way for evidence to vanish. “I hope we won’t have to wait another seven years for a search of his home, though I feel it is already too late.” Previously, in 2022, another associate of Epstein—French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel—was found hanged in his prison cell in Paris.
The 76-year-old had been detained for over a year on suspicion of raping minors and trafficking them for sexual exploitation. However, Brunel had denied all allegations against him. Brunel had founded MC2 Model Management with Epstein’s funding and was accused of arranging transport and accommodation for young women on Epstein’s behalf. Notably, prison authorities reported that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting federal trial on sex trafficking charges.
