The rotting foot of a missing businesswoman accused of defrauding people out of millions of pounds has washed up on a remote beach, police have confirmed.
Melissa Caddick disappeared three months ago from her lavish mansion in Sydney, Australia, having allegedly stole up to £14 million from over 60 unsuspecting clients.
An inquiry led by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission remains ongoing.
The 49-year-old mum vanished on the morning of November 12, 2020, hours after police had raided her home in the Dover Heights suburb.
However, investigators could find no trace of her until campers last week came across a running shoe containing a decomposed foot.
Subsequent DNA testing has confirmed the body part was that of the missing woman.
New South Wales Police assistant commissioner Mick Willing said: "It remains a mystery as to when and how she came into the water.
"At this point we can't rule out anything.
"We have kept an open mind, however given the circumstances of her disappearance, we have always considered the possibility that she may have taken her own life."
The foot was found some 250 miles outside of Sydney and the commissioner said it is possible Caddick entered the water at her home before drifting the considerable distance.
Mr Willing added officers continue to search a national park near Tathra on the south coast as they try to piece together what happened.
When reports of Caddick's disappearance first came out, police said they believed she was still alive.
The businesswoman, who lived with her husband and teenage son, was known to take regular overseas holidays and had a liking for expensive fashion, according to reports.
Among her alleged victims is friend Cheryl Kraft Reid who transferred £600,000 of her pension to Caddick said last heard from her around September last year.
She told 2GB radio: "Wow, that's a sad tragic outcome for her son but it’s also just a sad tragic outcome for us because we just don't get closure."
Referring to her money, she added: "Besides the news we're unlikely to see any return of that, it's pretty devastating.
"It's not just the money, it's the consequences of what's happened to us and for the many years we've worked for zero returns because she decided to live an entitled and frivolous life."
