1 of 3 The Australian scammer who stole nearly BRL 100 million and mysteriously disappeared Photo: Melissa Caddick/Facebook The Australian scammer who stole nearly BRL 100 million and mysteriously disappeared Photo: Melissa Caddick/ Facebook
When scammer Melissa Caddick disappeared from her luxury home in East Sydney in November 2020 and only her partially decomposed foot was washed up on the beach months later Australia was in an uproar.
The case caught investors by surprise, left police perplexed and captured the imagination of an entire nation.
The scammer has inspired a hit podcast, TV dramatization and a slew of bizarre theories including that she was swallowed by a shark or her own foot chopped off to evade police.
A lengthy investigation by the state’s deaths court analyzed allegedly flawed police investigations, conflicting testimonies from the husband, and much speculation about Caddick’s fate.
A court ruled Thursday that Caddick is dead although it remains a mystery exactly what happened to her.
“I have come to the conclusion that Melissa Caddick is dead. However, I don’t think the evidence supports a positive answer as to how she died or when and where it happened,” wrote Elizabeth Ryan, the assistant medical examiner.
the last morning
For most, the Melissa Caddick story began with news that the seemingly successful financial advisor was gone.
But months earlier, her life began to fall apart when the Australian financial regulator received a tip that she was using a friend’s financial advisor license and simply put her own name on the document.
Regulators suspect she stole up to A$30 million ($30 million) from more than 60 customers, including many of her family and friends, to fund a luxurious lifestyle.
These included traveling abroad in private jets, luxury cars, designer clothes and expensive jewelry.
Their methods were not “particularly complicated,” the judge said.
When new clients gave her money to invest, she used a portion of it to pay out dividends to existing clients before taking and spending the rest.
Ryan stated that she was impressed by the “strong impression of wealth and success” Caddick made on her clients and potential investors.
“Equally significant was the trust they placed in her … almost all of whom were immediate family members or close friends of hers and her family,” she added.
One potential investor recalled, “I wanted to use successful people as role models for me and our family, and Melissa seemed to be successful.”
But everything fell through on November 11, 2020 when the police knocked on her door at dawn.
conflicting reports
The last time Melissa Caddick was seen was confirmed during a police raid on her home.
Her husband, Anthony Koletti, told police he believed she went for a jog the next morning. Her car and all of her personal belongings were left behind.
2 of 3 Anthony Koletti denied knowledge of his wife’s crimes Photo: GETTY IMAGES Anthony Koletti denied knowledge of his wife’s crimes Photo: GETTY IMAGES
But he didn’t report her missing until more than 30 hours later, and only after phoning the courthouse where she was due to appear for a hearing, and seemed surprised she didn’t show up.
Police initially had two theories: that Caddick was alive and had gone into hiding to avoid justice, or that she had taken her own life.
However, the investigation also alleged that Koletti, a hairdresser and DJ, behaved strangely following his wife’s disappearance, leading police to suspect he may have been involved.
Koletti has denied any knowledge of his wife’s crimes or any involvement in her disappearance, and police say they have found no evidence to the contrary.
But an investigator told the court that Koletti “didn’t seem too concerned” when his wife disappeared.
Chief Sergeant Michael Kyneur also said Koletti visited an area on a cliff near the home and took a photo of a footprint, an action the officer described as “extraordinary.”
“It’s a dog park. That’s like saying I found a footprint on Bondi Beach.”
The court also said Koletti sent text messages from Caddick’s phone in which she posed as her, told police that she was “too busy” to attend an interrogation, and gave conflicting accounts of events.
For example, he was able to describe what his wife was wearing the morning she disappeared, although police said he also said he didn’t actually see her.
Additionally, Koletti had told his version of events by releasing a music concept album that included tracks with titles like “Melissa Is Missing” and “Above the Law,” which translates as “Melissa is Missing” and “Above the Law,” respectively can “. “.
It was “regrettable” that Koletti did not report “fully and openly” about the incident, the judge said on Thursday.
criticism of the study
The case took a macabre turn in February 2021 when a rotting foot was discovered on a remote beach 500 kilometers south of Sydney.
Experts have linked the foot to Caddick through DNA analysis, but an autopsy was unable to determine whether decomposition was forcibly separating it from the rest of the body.
The inquest heard a number of theories to explain how Caddick’s foot landed on Bournda Beach, including that a shark ate parts of her body and then spat it out.
Police even considered throwing pig carcasses into the sea with running shoes to see if shark behavior or ocean currents might have played a role.
An orthopedic surgeon stated that Caddick was unlikely to have been able to amputate his own foot, as it would have required “considerable force” to cut the bone, would have caused massive blood loss and required special postoperative care.
But the scientists found a simple explanation during the investigation.
Oceanographers said ocean currents could easily carry a foot that far, while one pathologist described how human feet can detach from the body during the decomposition process.
The investigation also raised criticism of the way the police handled the case.
Some felt that the investigators were too attached to the theory that she disappeared voluntarily.
3 of 3 Police comb the cliffs in Dover Heights for clues to Caddick’s whereabouts Photo: GETTY IMAGES Police comb the cliffs in Dover Heights for clues to Caddick’s whereabouts Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The crime scene analysis at the home was not conducted until 19 days after Caddick’s disappearance, and a lawyer assisting the judge questioned why homicide wasn’t called immediately, if only to rule out the crime.
Another detective expressed surprise that it was only a few months after her disappearance that New South Wales Police had obtained a statement about Caddick from the Financial Conduct Authority, who had brought the case against her.
Investigators were also told that Caddick had life insurance that included coverage for suicide and had indicated numerous times over the years that he wanted to end his life but police initially gave limited resources to this area.
The judge said Thursday that discovering Caddick’s cheating may have inflicted a “narcissistic wound” and shattered the illusion of her wealth and success.
“The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s investigation and search warrant likely caused her to experience a catastrophic level of shame and despair,” Ryan said.
“She may have come to the conclusion that ending her life was the only option.”
But how she died remains open, she said.
Also unresolved are the losses of their customers, many of whom have lost huge amounts of money.
“I sold my business because I felt my money was safe and retired in 2017,” one victim said in a statement.
“To make matters worse, she also stole money from my mother, my wife, my motherinlaw, my son, my brother and my sister … destroying the savings of three generations of my family.”