Human torso and bones found in hunt for missing 'fraudster' after foot washed up on beach

A human torso and bones have washed up on a remote beach as police continue to hunt for a missing businesswoman accused of a £14million fraud.

The news comes after Melissa Caddick's rotting foot was found 250 miles further along on the Australian coast last week.

The 49-year-old vanished three months ago from her lavish mansion in the wealthy suburb of Dover Heights, outside Sydney, having allegedly swindled 60 unsuspecting clients.

Experts are mapping the tidal patterns to determine whether it’s possible the alleged conwoman entered the ocean around her clifftop home.

And now large piece of torso flesh including a belly button has been found in the sand at Mollymook Beach on February 26.

The decomposed foot was found by campers inside a running shoe on the shores of Bournda Beach, 250 miles from Mollymook.

Subsequent DNA testing has confirmed the foot belonged to the missing woman.

On Turra Beach, two bones and remains resembling human intestines were also uncovered.

Yesterday yet more remains were found at Warrain Beach, near Culburra on the south coast, and testing is underway to determine if they are human or animal.

Caddick went missing on the morning of November 12, 2020, hours after police had raided her home.

She was reportedly living a life of extravagance up until her disappearance, spending the cash she allegedly stole on luxury holidays and expensive clothes.

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.

An inquiry led by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission remains ongoing.

Mr Willing said 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."