The life, and presumed death, of Sydney woman Melissa Caddick is shrouded in mystery.
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Melissa was the high roller who allegedly embezzled millions of dollars before completely disappearing in late 2020.
The mystery left her family, clients, and the police questioning everything they thought they knew about her, and utterly captivated the nation.
In 2021, during 7NEWS Spotlight, her husband Anthony Koletti broke his silence during the TV special and claimed to know what really happened to Melissa.
“I can’t keep silent any longer,” he said. “It’s time for the truth to come out.”
The alleged fraud
The special delved into Melissa’s lavish lifestyle – one that she allegedly funded after stealing upwards of $20m from family and friends through investments spanning seven years.
Melissa’s own brother, Adam Grimley, was also a victim of her fraudulent scheme, and in his interview for the TV special, he claimed to have given her $2 million before she disappeared.
The 49-year-old was allegedly operating a Ponzi scheme through her company Maliver, where she would use money that she collected from new investors to pay existing investors.
In November 2020, Australian Federal Police and ASIC raided Melissa’s multi-million-dollar home, after they found evidence in the form of fake business documents of her swindling over $23 million from dozens of investors.
When investigating the alleged fraud, personal bank records showed that Melissa had spent millions of dollars on luxury clothes, accessories, and travel.
The disappearance
Just a day after the Australian Federal Police and ASIC raided her home over claims of fraud, Melissa disappeared after going for an early morning run on November 12, 2020.
Later, it was discovered that not only was Melissa missing, but so were the millions of dollars she allegedly took from her family and friends.
In February 2021, Melissa was presumed dead after a shoe was found that contained the remains of her foot on a New South Wales south coast beach.
“DNA from the foot was last night matched to DNA. Melissa’s family were informed of the identification last night and are obviously distressed,” Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Willing said at the time.
He also said the police were keeping an open mind in relation to her disappearance, including the possibility that she may have taken her own life.
In an update in the case, in May 2023, a coroner ruled Melissa is certainly dead.
“I believe it is appropriate for me to say at the outset, I have concluded that Melissa Caddick is deceased,” Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan said.
“However, a more problematic issue is whether there is enough evidence as to how she died.”
The theories
Apart from suicide, there are other theories about what could have happened to Melissa, including wild claims that she may still be alive and that she cut her own foot off as a ruse.
However, Melissa’s husband Anthony isn’t convinced.
“She wasn’t the kind of person who would chop off her foot and go AWOL,” he told 7NEWS Spotlight, before alluding to claims that she’d been murdered.
“I know why she died,” he said. “Someone got greedy and wanted her dead.”
The real-life mystery that surrounds Melissa was also explored in Nine’s true crime-drama series Underbelly: Vanishing Act, available to stream on 9Now.
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