(Newser)
– When Australian businesswoman Melissa Caddick disappeared in November, hours after the police raided her Sydney home, there was widespread speculation that she had staged her disappearance after stealing millions of dollars from investors. Speculation ended when his foot was found on the beach. Authorities said on Friday that DNA tests confirmed that the decomposed foot found by campers 400 kilometers south of Sydney belonged to Caddick, who was reported missing by her husband and teenage son after she did not return from a morning run in November 12, BBC Reports. Investigators believe Caddick stole up to $ 30 million from investors – including friends and relatives – and used the money to finance a luxurious lifestyle, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Earlier this month, police said they believed the 49-year-old man was still alive. New South Wales assistant police commissioner Michael Willing said on Friday that the foot was in a shoe, and a drift model suggests that it is possible that Caddick entered the water near his Sydney home, the Guardian reports “It is still a mystery when and how it got into the water,” he told reporters. “At this point, we cannot rule out anything. We kept an open mind, however, given the circumstances of her disappearance … we always considered the possibility that she could have taken her own life.” Willing said the exact “manner, time and cause of death is an issue for the coroner.” (Read more stories from Australia.)