Dead fraudster mystery grips Australia

When conwoman Melissa Caddick vanished from her luxurious eastbound Sydney location successful November 2020 - with lone her partially decomposed ft recovered washed up connected a formation months aboriginal - it acceptable disconnected a frenzy successful Australia.

The lawsuit blindsided investors, baffled police, and captured the imaginativeness of a nation.

The fraudster has inspired a deed podcast, a TV dramatisation, and countless outlandish theories - including that she had been swallowed by a shark oregon had severed her ain ft to propulsion constabulary disconnected her scent.

A long-running inquest into the lawsuit heard of a flawed constabulary investigation, conflicting accounts from her husband, and each the extended speculation surrounding her fate.

But a coroner connected Thursday ruled that precisely what happened to her would stay a mystery.

"The decision I person reached is that Melissa Caddick is deceased. However... I bash not see the grounds enables a affirmative uncovering arsenic to however she died, oregon erstwhile and wherever this happened," Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan wrote.

For most, the Melissa Caddick communicative began with the quality that she was missing.

But her beingness had really begun to unravel months earlier erstwhile Australia's fiscal watchdog was tipped disconnected that she had been utilizing a friend's fiscal adviser's licence, having simply pasted successful her ain sanction connected the document.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) recovered she had been conning clients for years, utilizing methods specified arsenic forging her boss's signature connected cheques and altering fiscal documents with correcting fluid to grant herself higher fees.

Regulators fishy she stole much than A$23m (£12m; $15m) from much than 60 clients, including galore of her household and friends, to assistance money a lavish lifestyle.

There were overseas trips connected backstage jets, high-end cars, decorator clothes, and costly jewellery.

And truthful erstwhile constabulary knocked connected Ms Caddick's doorway astatine dawn connected 11 November 2020, they allege the 49-year-old knew she was successful trouble.

The past confirmed sighting of Melissa Caddick was by officers astatine the raid connected her home.

Her husband, Anthony Koletti, told constabulary they believed she had gone for an aboriginal tally the adjacent morning. Her car and each her idiosyncratic belongings had been near behind.

But she was not reported missing by Mr Koletti for much than 30 hours, and lone aft helium had dialled successful to a tribunal proceeding that she was owed to be and appeared amazed she had not turned up.

Police initially explored 2 theories - that Caddick was inactive live and had gone into hiding to flight justice, oregon had taken her ain life.

But the inquest heard however Mr Koletti, a hairdresser and part-time DJ, behaved erratically successful the aftermath of his wife's disappearance, starring constabulary to fishy helium could beryllium involved.

Mr Koletti has denied immoderate cognition of his wife's crimes oregon immoderate engagement successful her disappearance, and constabulary accidental they person uncovered nary grounds to quality that.

An researcher told the coroner's tribunal that Mr Koletti had visited a cliff apical country adjacent their location and taken a photograph of a footwear print, an enactment the policeman described arsenic "extraordinary".

"He didn't look to beryllium overly concerned," Lead Detective Sergeant Michael Kyneur said.

The inquest besides heard that Mr Koletti had sent texts from Caddick's telephone pretending to beryllium her, told constabulary helium was "too busy" to be an interview, and gave conflicting versions of events.

For example, helium was capable to supply a statement of what his woman was wearing connected the greeting she vanished, contempt besides saying helium had not really seen her, constabulary said.

Mr Koletti had besides recounted his mentation of events by releasing a philharmonic conception medium containing tracks with titles specified arsenic "Melissa Is Missing" and "Above the Law".

It was "regrettable" that Mr Koletti had not fixed a "full and frank" relationship of what had happened, Magistrate Ryan said connected Thursday.

The lawsuit took a grisly twist successful February 2021 with the find of a rotting, trainer-clad ft connected a distant formation 500km (310 miles) southbound of Sydney.

Experts matched the assemblage portion to Caddick done DNA, but an autopsy couldn't find if it was separated by unit oregon decomposition.

The inquest heard a slew of theories to explicate however it ended astatine Bournda Beach. Among the explanations enactment guardant was that a shark ate her and aboriginal regurgitated her assemblage parts.

Police were astatine a nonaccomplishment too, the tribunal heard, and adjacent considered throwing pig carcasses with moving shoes connected their trotters into the oversea to find however shark behaviour oregon water currents could person played a role.

But a subject writer dismissed lurid speculation that Caddick could person severed her ain foot.

"The analyzable statement of bones astatine the apical of the ft and the ankle … makes it astir intolerable to get a cleanable portion without cutting done bone," Erika Engelhaupt told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Scientists enactment guardant a elemental mentation astatine the inquest. Oceanographers said currents could person easy carried the ft that distance, portion a pathologist described however quality feet tin go detached from bodies during decomposition.

The inquest besides heard disapproval of constabulary handling of the case.

Officers assigned to the Caddick lawsuit stuck excessively intimately to their presumption that she had voluntarily vanished, immoderate said.

A transgression country introspection of the location was not done until 19 days aft Caddick disappeared, and a lawyer assisting the coroner questioned wherefore the homicide squad wasn't brought successful immediately, if lone to regularisation retired foul play.

Another detective expressed astonishment that NSW Police lone sought retired the firm watchdog's affidavit connected Caddick - which outlined its lawsuit against her - immoderate months aft her disappearance.

The inquest was besides told that Caddick had a beingness security policy, which included termination cover, and had made a fig of references to ending her beingness implicit the years - but constabulary initially devoted constricted resources to this enactment of inquiry.

Magistrate Ryan connected Thursday said the uncovering of Caddick's deception whitethorn person triggered a "narcissistic injury", with the illusion of her wealthiness and occurrence shattered.

"The Asic probe and hunt warrant precise apt caused her a catastrophic level of shame and despair," she said.

"She whitethorn good person reached the decision that ending her beingness was the lone option."

But the mode of her decease volition yet stay unresolved, she said.