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An investigation has received new details about the badly decomposed and fractured foot of missing con artist Melissa Caddick that washed up on a beach.
Her cause of death will remain a mystery according to a coroner’s report, as D-Day is set for the coroner to deliver his findings in the case of the missing con woman.
Ms Caddick, 49, disappeared from her home in Dover Heights, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in the early morning of November 12, 2020, just hours after ASIC and the Australian Federal Police raided the luxury residence. .
Three months later, a foot, whose DNA was later compared to that of Ms Caddick, washed up on a beach on the south coast of New South Wales, more than 400km south of Sydney.
A forensic pathologist revealed that how Ms. Caddick sustained her injuries could not be determined due to limited evidence.
It also revealed that the amputated foot had several fractures, but it would not be considered a fatal injury.
The investigation into her disappearance began in September last year and finally ended on Friday after several blocks of evidence spanning nearly five months.
The inquest, before Assistant State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan, focused on the police investigation, the actions of her husband Anthony Koletti and his delay in reporting her missing, and the scientific evidence regarding foot and ocean currents.
Mr. Koletti is not charged with any crime in connection with the actions or death of Ms. Caddick.
The investigation into the disappearance of Melissa Caddick ended on Friday.
The investigation ended with evidence from NSW Police Chief Inspector of Detectives Glen Browne, a former manager of the Missing Persons Register.
The court was told on Friday that after receiving written submissions from lawyers in the coming weeks, Ms Ryan would deliver her findings on April 27.
Ryan thanked Koletti and Caddick’s parents, Barbara and Ted Grimley, who sat in the back of the courtroom during the lengthy investigation.
“I appreciate the stress your investigation inevitably placed on you, thank you very much for participating as well,” Ms Ryan said before adjourning the court.
The corporate watchdog accused Ms Caddick of operating a Ponzi scheme since 2012, embezzling $24 million in funds from investors, including from her friends and family, to finance a lavish lifestyle that includes vacations, designer jewelry, watches, clothes and shoes.
She has been accused of posing as a financial adviser, using her company Maliver, and pretending to invest millions of dollars for clients using fake CommSec wallets.
The court was told that police concluded that she took her own life by jumping off the cliff at Rodney Reserve, about 500 meters from her home on Wallangra Road, on the morning of November 12.
The investigation looked into the actions of Melissa Caddick’s husband, Anthony Koletti (pictured left), and his delay in reporting her missing. He is not accused of any crime.
The court was told that Ms Caddick was heard leaving the front door at around 5:30 am and did not return.
His badly decomposed right foot was discovered inside an Asics running shoe washed up on Bournda beach near Tathra in February 2021.
A coroner’s report, which was delivered during the last day of the inquest on Friday, said Ms Caddick’s foot had several fractures.
In her report, forensic pathologist Jennifer Pokorny said that given the limited evidence, it could not be determined how Ms Caddick sustained her injuries.
Dr Pokorny added that Ms Caddick’s cause of death could not be determined either.
“Based on postmortem examination of the limited remains available, it is not possible to determine the cause or manner of death,” he said.
“The image-identified fractures in the foot would not be considered a lethal injury, and in the absence of further recovered remains, it is not possible to determine whether or not they represent part of a larger and more complex series of injuries.”
Ms Caddick’s severed foot which washed up on a beach on the south coast of New South Wales had several fractures, according to an investigation.
Melissa Caddick’s cause of death could not be determined, according to a coroner’s report.
The court was told that in the initial stages of the investigation, the police were working on two theories: he had gone into hiding to avoid prosecution or had taken his own life.
Inspector Browne provided assistance to the Caddick investigation during its initial stages.
The lawyer assisting coroner Jason Downing questioned why the homicide squad did not show up during the first week of the inquest into Ms Caddick’s disappearance.
Mr Downing told the court that, in accordance with the NSW Police Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the homicide squad must be alerted if a murder is suspected or if circumstances exist. suspicious.
He questioned why homicide investigators were not called in the Caddick case because of ‘suspicious’ circumstances.
Inspector Browne, in his role as missing persons chief, was also the author of that part of the police guidelines and said the wording was unclear and had since been revised.
Melissa Caddick disappeared from her Dover Heights home in November 2020
Footage of the moment investigators raided Melissa Caddick’s safe was reproduced in an investigation into the scammer’s disappearance.
He said the intent of the guidelines was that the homicide squad would only be called in if there was a “suspicion” that a murder had occurred.
“There was enough material and real suspicion (in the first week after Ms Caddick’s disappearance) and the homicide should have been reported,” Downing said.
“I am not aware of any material or evidence to support that view,” Inspector Browne said.
He said that while the wording in the manual was unclear, he did not come across an officer who was confused about their obligations to call the homicide squad.
Ms. Caddick during an ASIC raid on her home hours before she went missing. Image: New South Wales Police.