Melissa Caddick’s strange actions before vanishing forever

The lead investigator who uncovered Melissa Caddick’s multimillion-dollar fraud claims the conwoman painted her nails and took a nap during the 12-hour raid on her home by ASIC agents and Australian federal police officers.

Isabella Allen of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission led the formal investigation into Ms Caddick’s Ponzi scheme from 8 September 2020 – culminating in a raid months later.

She noticed Ms. Caddick’s strange behavior when her home in Dover Heights was searched by officers on November 11, 2020, just hours before the conwoman disappeared the next morning.

It comes as an inquest into Mrs. Caddick’s disappearance has learned that Mrs. Allen does not believe Mrs. Caddick was tipped off before her house was robbed – even though she began destroying documents shortly after the investigation began.

On September 14, ASIC conducted a telephone interview with one of its investors, Dominique Ogilvie, about the investigation.

“We said that if (Mrs. Ogilvie) ran into Mrs. Caddick or got a call or talked to her, she could talk to her freely, but keep the contents of our conversation confidential,” Mrs. Allen said.

Records from Ms Caddick’s cell phone showed she had been looking for extermination services that evening, Ms Allen told the NSW Coroner’s Court on Monday.

A day later, she booked Shred-X’s corporate document destruction services at her home.

After the extended search warrant executed at Ms. Caddick’s home on Nov. 11, Ms. Allen’s team looked closely at some of the shredded evidence.

She determined that this was not the result of being “tipped off by someone.”

Meanwhile, her luxurious five-bedroom, four-bathroom Eastern Suburbs home has hit the market, the main asset in the estate of Caddick, 49, who disappeared on Nov. 12, 2020.

The Dover Heights mansion offers uninterrupted and expansive views of Sydney Harbor and a ‘magnificent swimming pool’, which recipients hope will bring in at least $10 million.

The house of the conwoman (pictured) was raided on November 11, 2020 by ASIC and the AFP. Mrs. Caddick disappeared the next morning.

Investigators spent 12 hours snooping through the Dover Heights property. Mrs. Allen thinks Mrs. Caddick wasn’t tipped off before her house was searched

Bruce Gleeson of Jones Partners, Melissa Caddick’s trustees and Maliver’s liquidators, said the sale campaign would continue through October 31 through expressions of interest.

“We are also well advanced and nearly finalized an application in federal court that will seek sales orders in respect of the designer jewelry, apparel and artwork,” Mr Gleeson said in a statement Monday.

Ms Caddick’s last verified sighting was when ASIC and the Australian Federal Police raided her mansion on November 11, 2020.

Barbara Grimley, Mrs. Caddick’s mother, holds ASIC responsible for her daughter’s presumed death.

The AFP’s agent, Amelia Griffen, shadowed Ms Caddick for most of the 12-hour search, confirming that she had prepared food herself and was allowed to leave the premises whenever she wished.

On Monday, Const Griffen returned to the witness box and reaffirmed that she saw Mrs. Caddick make herself a protein smoothie in the morning.

“I remember talking to her that she was free to roam the property if she wanted to,” Const Griffen said.

Ms. Allen confirmed that during the raid, Ms Caddick was observed to file her nails “from time to time” and take an afternoon nap.

Her husband Anthony Koletti reported the 49-year-old missing, about 30 hours after he said she last left their home around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 to “go for a jog.”

In February 2021, Mrs Caddick’s decomposing foot, encased in an Asics shoe, washed ashore on Bournda Beach on the south coast of NSW, about 400 km south of Sydney.

She mainly preyed on friends and family and stole up to $30 million between 2013 and 2020, counsel who represented Jason Downing SC previously told the court.

The inquest for Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Ryan continues.