Forensic pathologist could help solve mystery of Melissa Caddick’s foot: lawyer

A lawyer representing Melissa Caddick’s husband says a forensic pathologist could help resolve the mystery of the missing conwoman’s foot, found washed up on beach after she disappeared.

Melissa Caddick with husband Anthony Koletti.

The lawyer representing the husband of Melissa Caddick wants to call a forensic pathologist to help resolve the mystery of the missing con woman’s foot, found washed up on a NSW south coast beach three months after she disappeared.

Judy Swan, representing Anthony Koletti, told the inquest into Caddick’s disappearance that she received different forensic opinions on Caddick’s foot suggesting the way it had shattered was significant and what “could have potentially caused that shattering”.

Ms Swan stressed she hadn’t received instructions from her client about calling a forensic expert but said it was something in which she was interested.

“It’s just a suggestion, a scientist or a forensic somebody who could presently provide a comment on what could have happened to her foot,” she said.

Counsel assisting Jason Downing said he was “dubious” a forensic expert could assist the inquest given the level of decomposition of the foot and it is unclear whether one will be called when the inquest resumes in February next year.

Caddick’s foot was found inside a designer sneaker on Bournda Beach, near Tathra, on the NSW south coast in February 2021.

Months earlier in November 2020 the eastern suburbs con woman disappeared the day after fraud investigators raided her multimillion-dollar home in Dover Heights in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Earlier on Tuesday Ms Swan asked Detective Sergeant Michael Foscholo, who led a review of the CCTV footage in the Caddick investigation, whether he had observed shark teeth marks on Ms Caddick’s foot.

“I’m not in a position to comment on shark teeth markings,” said Mr Foscholo.

Mr Foscholo conceded it was possible CCTV footage depicting Caddick’s last moments had been lost but said he was confident locations around her Dover Heights home were captured by other cameras.

He told the inquest he requested additional resources on February 15, about three months after Caddick disappeared, after his team had only completed reviewing 20 per cent of the footage.

Mr Foscholo said his team had been prioritising what footage to review and had completed about 20 per cent and had started about 20-30 per cent.

“We never have all the resources at our disposal,” he said.

“It was just the reality of how long it was going to take,” he said.

Caddick is alleged to have swindled more than $20m from investors, including family and friends in a Ponzi scheme.

Mr Foscholo told the inquest he believed Caddick had taken her own life after her home was raided by fraud investigators.

Detective Inspector Gretchen Atkins said she didn’t believe more resources were available despite the intense public interest in the whereabouts of Caddick and said she did assign additional officers to the case.

“We always need more resources,” she said.

Ms Atkins told the inquest she had formed the view by November 21 that there were no suspicious circumstances around Caddick’s death and the case didn’t require the input of the homicide squad.

“Nothing that happened in this investigation surprised me by the end of it,” she said.

Caddick’s husband Anthony Kolleti, her brother Adam Grimley and her parents Barb and Ted Grimley were present in court.