Police have “geolocated” a French friend and former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in South America after he went “missing” in the wake of the disgraced American financier’s death, say French reports.

Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, a model scout who founded the Miami-based MC2 model agency with financial help from Epstein, dropped from sight after his friend’s death from apparent suicide in a US prison in August.

In 2015 he denied any involvement in Epstein’s alleged offences. French prosecutors have not named him and he has not been charged with any crimes.

On Tuesday, they announced that they had searched Karin Models, an agency he founded in 1978.

Le Parisien said that police had tracked Mr Brunel to South America although they gave no indication of which country.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a friend of Mr Brunel told Le Parisien: “As part of his professional activities, he organised agency dinners frequented by very pretty girls. And to balance things out, men were invited but it didn't go any further than that.”

As part of a sex trafficking probe, police on Monday also searched Epstein’s vast Parisian apartment on Avenue Foch, one of the capital’s most expensive streets, favoured by royalty, celebrities and billionaires.