As the sun rose on Thursday, November 12, Melissa Caddick went for her daily run in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Unlike every other day, though, the mother-of-one left her cliff-top home without her phone, keys or wallet.
The 49-year-old hasn’t been seen since.
Her husband, Anthony Koletti, reported her as missing the day after, at midday. He explained to reporters in the days following her disappearance that everything had been “as normal” when the couple went to sleep the night before. Melissa was wearing a black singlet top, leggings and silver ‘Nike’ sneakers when she left her family home, according to the NSW Police Force.
Since being reported as missing, the Sydney woman's dodgy business dealings have been unveiled, with her reportedly misappropriating millions of dollars in the past few years.
Watch: Melissa Caddick's husband, Anthony Koletti, makes a public plea. Post continues below.
Here's everything we know about the mysterious disappearance of the Sydney woman.
Caddick's 'fraudulent' business dealings and 'Witness A'.
In the wake of her disappearance, the complicated and allegedly fraudulent business methods of the financial adviser have been brought to light.
Caddick’s wealth management business Maliver Pty Limited has been subject to an investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) since early September. The company is accused of operating without a licence and the corporate regulator alleges tens of millions of dollars are potentially missing.
Caddick is accused of orchestrating false financial statements to clients, making them believe their investments were growing.
The case was listed for a hearing on November 13, one day after she went missing. On November 27, Melissa Caddick was due to appear in the Federal Court, which was held in her absence.
Last week a court heard that investors handed over more than $13 million before she disappeared. But there is one witness who has revealed why she wasn't 'fooled' by the financial adviser.
Known as 'Witness A' in court, the woman stopped her husband from investing more than $250,000 of their savings into Caddick's account last year.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Witness A and her husband were introduced to Caddick by a "good friend". The financial adviser reportedly told them she could make them a 20 to 30 per cent profit per year if they invested $250,000. But after doing research, Witness A discovered Maliver Pty Limited had no current licence. The couple decided not to transfer any of their wealth to Ms Caddick, last communicating with her in October last year.
Caddick's personal bank records, as uncovered by The Sydney Morning Herald, show she had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury clothes, accessories and travel.
The 49-year-old reportedly spent $250,000 at Dior and $236,150 at Canturi Jewellers, according to SMH.
Two days prior to her vanishing, Caddick's home had been raided by the Australian Federal Police and she had been banned from travelling overseas or withdrawing cash from her bank accounts.
Detective Inspector Gretchen Atkins has confirmed her disappearance is being treated as suspicious.
'CCTV cameras stopped working.'
The CCTV cameras attached to Caddick's home in Sydney’s Dover Heights stopped working in the days prior to her vanishing, police have confirmed.
Wednesday, November 11, was the last day the cameras did record.
Police have said the theory she staged her own disappearance remains a possibility. “Maybe she just doesn‘t want to be found,” one officer told the Daily Telegraph.
The family's pleas.
Her husband made a desperate plea in the days after Caddick vanished, telling reporters this was "out of character" for his wife, who he described as a "beautiful daughter, sister and loved wife".
“We’re asking the community to help bring Melissa home.”
Sending a message directly to his wife, Koletti said: “You know how much we love you, please come home, everything’s taken care of, you’re not in trouble.”
Caddick’s brother, Adam Grinley, gave a brief statement, also pleading for her return home.
"Melissa, please let us know that you're safe and sound. We love you," he said, holding back tears. "To our communities, we need your help to bring Melissa, my little sister, home."
This story was first published on November 26th, and updated on December 21st.
Feature image: Facebook.
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