New information has been provided before an inquest on the broken and severely decomposed foot of missing con artist Melissa Caddick that washed ashore on a beach.
According to a forensic assessment, her cause of death will remain a mystery until the coroner releases her findings in the case of the missing con artist on D-Day.
In the early morning hours of November 12, 2020, Ms. Caddick, 49, disappeared from her Dover Heights home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. This happened only hours after ASIC and the Australian Federal Police searched the opulent house.
Three months later, a foot that was eventually DNA-matched to Ms. Caddick washed up on a beach more than 400 kilometers south of Sydney in far-southern NSW.
According to a forensic pathologist, the little information made it impossible to identify how Ms. Caddick’s injuries occurred.
She also disclosed that while the dismembered foot had multiple fractures, the damage wouldn’t have been fatal.
Her absence was investigated for about five months beginning in September of last year, and it was ultimately concluded on Friday.
The police inquiry, her husband Anthony Koletti’s conduct and his delay in reporting her abduction, and scientific data about the foot and ocean currents have all been the main topics of the inquest before Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan.
In connection with Ms Caddick’s behavior or passing, Mr. Koletti is not charged with any misconduct.
The former manager of the Missing Persons Registry and Detective Chief Inspector Glen Browne of the NSW Police gave testimony at the conclusion of the inquest.
The court was informed on Friday that Ms. Ryan will deliver her conclusions on April 27 after hearing written comments from attorneys in the next weeks.
Ms. Ryan thanked Mr. Koletti and Ted and Barbara Grimley, who had waited at the rear of the court throughout the protracted inquest on behalf of Ms. Caddick’s parents.
Before adjourning the court, Ms. Ryan stated, “I recognize the burden that his inquest has obviously inflicted upon you, thank you very much for attending as well.”
The corporate watchdog has accused Ms. Caddick of running a Ponzi scheme since 2012, stealing $24 million from investors, including her friends and family, to pay for a luxurious lifestyle that included vacations, expensive jewelry, watches, apparel, and shoes.
She is charged with utilizing her firm, Maliver, to pose as a financial advisor and purporting to invest millions of dollars for customers using fictitious CommSec portfolios.
She committed herself on November 12 in the early hours by leaping from a cliff at Rodney Reserve, around 500 meters from her Wallangra Road house, according to the police, who testified in court.
According to testimony given in court, Ms. Caddick left the house at 5.30 am and never came back.
In February 2021, her severely decomposed right foot was found inside an Asics running shoe that had washed ashore on Bournda Beach, close to Tathra.
Ms. Caddick’s foot suffered many fractures, according to a forensic report that was presented on Friday during the last day of the inquest.
According to forensic pathologist Jennifer Pokorny’s findings, there was insufficient information to identify how Ms Caddick’s injuries occurred.
Dr. Pokorny said that it was also impossible to pinpoint Ms. Caddick’s cause of death.
The reason or method of death cannot be determined based on post-mortem analysis of the few remaining remains, the doctor said.
“The fractures observed on imaging in the foot would not be regarded a deadly injury,” the report reads. “It is not feasible to assess whether or not they reflect part of a broader more complicated sequence of injuries in the absence of any more remains being recovered.”
According to information provided to the court, authorities first considered two hypotheses: either she had gone into hiding to escape capture or she had committed herself.
During the early phases of the Caddick inquiry, Inspector Browne gave support.
The murder squad should have been called in during the first week of the inquiry into Ms. Caddick’s disappearance, according to Jason Downing, the coroner’s attorney.
The homicide squad must be notified in accordance with NSW Police Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), according to Mr. Downing, if it is believed that a murder has occurred or if suspicious circumstances exist.
He questioned why, given the “strange” circumstances in the Caddick case, specialized murder detectives were not contacted.
That section of the police rules was written by Inspector Browne, who also served as the director of missing people. He said the phrasing wasn’t clear and has since been changed.
At a hearing concerning the disappearance of the con artist, video of the moment detectives searched Melissa Caddick’s safe was aired.
The homicide squad should only be summoned, according to him, if there is “suspicion” that a murder has taken place.
In the first week after Ms Caddick’s disappearance, there was enough evidence and cause for suspicion, according to Mr. Downing, and murder notification ought to have been made.
Inspector Browne said, “I’m not aware of any documentation or evidence supporting that opinion.”
Despite the manual’s ambiguous phrasing, he said that not a single officer had questions regarding when they had to contact the murder squad.
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