Even though Melissa Caddick’s remains were found in a running shoe, police say it’s not enough to confirm her death. Photo: Supplied.
Police have confirmed that part of a torso found on Mollymook Beach on 26 February belongs to a man, but not the 39-year-old ACT father who went missing while snorkelling near Batemans Bay on 25 January.
The new finding also rules out any connection to human remains found inside a running shoe on a beach in the Bega Valley on 21 February, which police identified as belonging to missing Sydney woman Melissa Caddick.
Instead, the gruesome search continues, with police awaiting DNA results this Friday (5 March) to determine who the new remains belong to.
The DNA profile will be compared against the missing person’s database, which contains the hereditary and genetic mapping of long-term missing people in NSW.
Chief Inspector John Sheehan of Batemans Bay Police said there will be a new investigation into the unidentified remains.
Chief Inspector John Sheehan of Batemans Bay Police Station leading the search for the missing snorkeler in January. Photo: Supplied.
He said the ACT snorkeller was the only person who had gone missing in local waters recently and that police had expected the remains to be connected to him or Ms Caddick.
The investigation into the disappearance of Ms Caddick began in November.
The 49-year-old disappeared a day after her $7 million Dover Heights home was raided on the evening of 11 November 2020 by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Even though Ms Caddick’s remains were found in a running shoe, police say it’s not enough to confirm her death.
On 25 January, an investigation also began into the disappearance of the missing snorkeller.
The ACT man was on a spearfishing day trip with friends and his two children when he went missing at Richmond Beach.
His two children were playing nearby on the beach while his pregnant wife remained at home.
The man last entered the water carrying a knife and wearing a snorkel, wetsuit, goggles and aqua shoes.
Members of the South Coast Police District, Surf Life Saving NSW, Marine Rescue NSW, Eurobodalla Shire Council lifeguards and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter searched the beaches and water between Richmond Beach and Malua Bay for two weeks after the man’s disappearance.
However, with no evidence found, police suspended the search and suspected the snorkeller’s body had floated further south.
Inspector Sheehan said police were still searching for anything that could provide closure for the snorkeller’s family. The investigation remains open.
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