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Woman reunites with family 50 years after her abduction

<p>DNA testing has confirmed the identity of a Texas woman who was allegedly abducted by her own babysitter when she was 22 months old, and reunited with them after 51 long and painful years apart. </p> <p>The Fort Worth Police Department announced that they had “completed official DNA testing which confirmed Melissa Highsmith’s identity”, while noting their hope that “this test result will offer additional closure for the Highsmith family”. </p> <p>While they requested that anyone with more information come forward, the criminal statute of limitations expired 20 years after Melissa’s 18th birthday. </p> <p>As <em>NBC Dallas-Forth Worth</em> reported, Melissa’s own mother was initially suspected of possibly killing her and then covering up the crime, and the family claimed that a babysitter had been responsible for taking her back in 1971. </p> <p>Melissa’s disappearance had been one of America’s oldest missing persons cases, according to <em>WFAA</em>. </p> <p>And while Melissa’s family had spent decades searching for their long lost loved one, it wasn’t until November 2022 that they made their first major breakthrough, when a 23andMe DNA test presented a link between Melissa and her biological parents. It was these same results that the Fort Worth Police Department was seeking to confirm.</p> <p>"I feel like I am dreaming,” Melissa told <em>WFAA</em> upon reuniting with her parents after their life changing discovery, “and I keep having to pinch myself to make sure I'm awake.”</p> <p>"I’m just elated, I can't describe my feelings,” Melissa’s mother, Alta Apantenco, added, “I'm so happy to see my daughter that I didn't think I would ever see her again.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, her father Jeffrie Highsmith admitted that he “cried like a baby”.</p> <p>Melissa went on to tell her family that she had had a difficult life, even going so far as to run away from home, and that she’d done “what I had to do to get by”.</p> <p>“I didn’t feel loved as a child,” she said. “It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old.” </p> <p>And the whole time, she’d been living just 20 minutes from her biological family. </p> <p>That same family who are overjoyed to have their beloved Melissa back with them, and took to social media to update followers, sharing the delightful news that their search was - finally - over. </p> <p>“The results were exactly what we already knew. She was in fact Melissa Suzanne HIghsmith!” they wrote on their Facebook page. “We now have the OFFICIAL confirmation that she is ours! Our daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, niece. We are thrilled! We are thankful and grateful for all the love and support we have received over the years and especially since we found Melissa. </p> <p>“Our family is whole and we look forward to the time we will be able to spend as a family of 7!”</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

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“I knew she was gone”: Melissa Caddick’s husband opens up

<p dir="ltr">Anthony Koletti, the husband of missing scam artist Melissa Caddick, has opened up about life since she vanished in 2021, including how he knew she was dead.</p> <p dir="ltr">In an interview with <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11459481/Anthony-Koletti-interview-Melissa-Caddicks-husband-reveals-really-thinks-happened-her.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a>, Koletti said he knew his wife of ten years was dead when police told him they had found her severed foot in March 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In your heart, you know if someone is no longer on the Earth,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I spoke with police that day, I knew she was gone. I felt it inside my heart.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And as sad as it is, maybe not knowing what happened to her is more of a blessing in disguise. Do I feel like I'll ever get answers? No, I don't.”</p> <p dir="ltr">While the past two years had been difficult, Koletti said the realisation that he would never see his wife again was probably his darkest moment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, Koletti said he wants to restart his life but doesn’t believe he will find love again.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I still love Melissa, and I always will,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I highly doubt I'll find someone else, but that's OK.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Koletti told the outlet that he had struggled to find work in the two years since Caddick’s disappearance, with the constant scrutiny deterring employers from hiring him to avoid bad press.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the difficulties, including being described as a “failed DJ” and Caddick’s “boytoy”, the 40-year-old has returned to hairdressing and now looks after his wife’s teenage son.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s an honour to raise her son,” he said, adding that they hadn’t talked about Caddick’s $23 million theft from clients or her disappearance because “we don’t need to”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We both had a terrible time, that's for sure, but we understand it because we lived it so there are no questions we have to ask each other,” Koletti said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It takes a lot more care to look after a child who's been through that - a lot more care than is otherwise required.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Maybe that's the reason he's chosen to stay with me full time, he knows I can cater to that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As for reports that claimed he relied on Caddick’s money to fund his lifestyle, Koletti said they were incorrect and that he had been working as a hairdresser four days a week throughout their marriage.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, Koletti stopped working when their life became the subject of headlines, instead taking on freelance clients and cutting their hair in their homes.</p> <p dir="ltr">While most of the claims were “water off a duck’s back”, he said he struggled with the “impact it’s had on my life in general”.</p> <p dir="ltr">His new boss, Deborah Bradshaw of The Hair Angel in Balmain, said she was warned against hiring Koletti but made her decision based on what she felt was right.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He's done nothing wrong. He deserves to get a job and earn money,” Ms Bradshaw said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Of course I've read the news and I know the situation, but he's a good hairdresser and, when he came in, I realised he was really talented and really lovely and my clients love him.</p> <p dir="ltr">“His work is excellent, and that's what I'm judging him on.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5dacd74f-7fff-7432-ff10-7ec21ebc6672"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

Legal

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"They weren't real tears": Damning testimony at Melissa Caddick inquest

<p dir="ltr">One of the first police officers to interview Melissa Caddick’s husband has said he was acting extremely strangely and, when seen crying, wasn’t shedding “real tears”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sergeant Trent Riley told the inquest into Caddick’s death of Anthony Koletti’s behaviour after he reported her missing 28 hours after he says she left their <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/property/real-estate/melissa-caddick-s-husband-ordered-to-vacate-15-million-mansion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dover Heights home</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Louise Coleman, the junior counsel assisting, asked whether Sergeant Riley believed Koletti’s behaviour “was extremely strange and unusual”, to which he said, “Yes”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought it was strange a husband would ring the police station, report his wife missing two days later and wasn't prepared to come to the police station,” Sergeant Riley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Or didn't really want police to go around and see him (because) he had too much work on that day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Since the inquest began on Monday, it has been heard that Koletti impersonated Caddick the day after she went missing and falsely told friends he was with her at home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Koletti cancelled an appointment with their cleaner via text using his wife’s phone and lied to Caddick’s brother Adam Grimley and friend Scott Little in text messages, telling them he was home with her when he hadn’t actually seen her that day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Coleman asked Sergeant Riley about the text message sent to the cleaner, which he described as strange.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I did think it was strange,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(He) contacted her closest friends but hadn’t let them know she was missing?” Coleman asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He did. Very strange,” Sergeant Riley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The part-time hairdresser and DJ reported that his wife was missing on November 30, just over a day after he said she left the house to go for a walk or a run.</p> <p dir="ltr">The inquest heard on Wednesday that Sergeant Riley’s suspicions prompted him to visit Koletti at the couple’s home in the eastern suburbs, with his body-cam footage played before the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You can’t be too careful these days,” Koletti can be heard saying while unlocking one of the doors.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the cellar, Koletti points out that Caddick “hasn’t even taken any grog”.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the upstairs deck, where the Harbour Bridge could be seen in the background, Sergeant Riley mentioned that it was a good spot for New Year’s Eve.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was looking forward to New Year's Eve, but I don't know now. It doesn't mean anything when you don't have the love of your life,” Koletti responds.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Did you go anywhere last night?” Sergeant Riley asks again.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Not that I know of,” Mr Koletti says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sergeant Riley repeatedly says he doesn’t believe Koletti is telling him the complete truth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Like I said before I think there's something you're not telling me,” Sergeant Riley says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I told you if something comes up I will tell you ... I've been on this for a long time now,” Koletti responds.</p> <p dir="ltr">Solicitor Judy Swan, who is representing Koletti, pointed out to the sergeant that her client began to cry at the end of the search and interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They weren't real tears in my opinion ... I'm very confident they weren't real tears,” Sergeant Riley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He noted that Koletti gave him two different versions of the last time he saw Caddick, first telling police that he wasn’t worried about his wife and hadn’t left home at all and later saying he had spent the day searching above the ocean near The Gap.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(He says) he didn't think she was missing but he was checking the cliffs around Rodney Reserve all day,” Coleman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Extremely strange,” Sergeant Riley responded.</p> <p dir="ltr">The officer, who was unaware that the couple’s home had been raided by the Australian Federal Police and Australian Securities and Investments Commission on November 11, added that he was bewildered by Koletti’s ability to describe the clothes his wife was wearing when she left the house, despite not seeing her leave.</p> <p dir="ltr">The inquest before Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan continues.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f2f2ce33-7fff-9678-4c7f-f542a1728f98"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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“I needed to say it”: Ian Thorpe opens up about coming out

<p dir="ltr">Ian Thorpe has opened up about the moment he first decided to speak out about his sexuality during an interview with English television presenter Sir Michael Parkinson, and how he wished had come out earlier.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Olympic swimmer spoke about the 2014 interview during Sunday night’s episode of <em>This Is Your Life</em>, telling host Melissa Doyle he was “comfortable” coming out at that moment.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was always doing this interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. I had just come out to my family and to my very, very closest friends,” the 39-year-old said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I had spent some time with [Sir Michael Parksinson] before the interview and told him, ‘You should ask me if I’m gay because I’m going to tell you I am’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Thorpe added that it was the first time he felt he could put himself “out there” and be his “authentic self”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I needed to say it,” he continued. “It was the first time I felt I was comfortable enough to put myself out there. It was important to be my authentic self.”</p> <p dir="ltr">During the 2014 interview, he said: “I’ve thought about this for a long time. I’m not straight. And this is only something that very recently – in the past two weeks – I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Referring to the first time he was asked about his sexuality at 16 years of age, Thorpe said he didn’t know at that stage but “was still gay at the end of the day”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yes I lied about it,” he said. “I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The then-31-year-old also spoke about his fears of letting his friends, family and the country down by being open about his sexuality.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Part of me didn’t know if Australia wanted its champion to be gay. But I’m telling the world that I am,” he said, adding that the support of his family and friends made him wish he’d come out sooner.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7af7a3df-7fff-44bf-a641-28c4d4521832"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

TV

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Teen mum takes her one-year-old son as her date to prom

<p>A teenage mother has gone viral after she made the very sweet decision to take her one-year-old son to her prom as her date.</p> <p>Melissa McCabe, 16, was unable to find a babysitter to look after her son, Arthur, on the night of her senior prom. </p> <p>So instead, she shared a video to TikTok of her and Arthur dressed in their finest outfits to attend the dance together. </p> <p>She captioned the video, "Everyone going to prom with their boyfriend whereas I took my biggest blessing."</p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="border-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7115346713434410246&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40melissaabby14%2Fvideo%2F7115346713434410246%3Fis_copy_url%3D1%26is_from_webapp%3Dv1%26refer%3Dembed%26referer_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%252F%26referer_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%252Ffemail%252Farticle-11008771%252FTeenage-mother-takes-toddler-prom-date.html%26referer_video_id%3D7115346713434410246&amp;key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"> </div> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;">The video, which has racked up over 1.6 million views, has been inundated with positive comments from social media users who praised Melissa for being the "best mother" and called Arthur "the cutest".</div> <p>Despite the influx of supportive comments, not all the messages Melissa received through pregnancy and motherhood have been so positive. </p> <p>She told the <a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/teen-mum-who-took-toddler-24472549" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Liverpool Echo,</a> "When I found out I was pregnant obviously I was really young. It was hard because everyone told me I was ruining my life and I wasn’t going to get my GCSEs. So many people make comments when I’m out with him."</p> <p>"Often people think he’s my little brother and when I tell them he’s mine their attitude completely changes. Older people especially find it disgusting because obviously their way was to get married first and then have kids."</p> <p>Melissa, who has finished her GCSEs and will be starting college to study heath and social care, wants to break the stigma of teenage pregnancies and being a young single mother. </p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Melissa Caddick’s husband ordered to vacate $15 million mansion

<p dir="ltr">Melissa Caddick’s husband has been ordered to vacate the alleged fraudster’s multi million-dollar mansion in Sydney’s eastern suburbs within the next two weeks, ahead of its sale to repay Ms Caddick’s victims.</p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Brigitee Markovic told Anthony Koletti he had to leave the $15 million property in Dover Heights by May 18, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/melissa-caddicks-husband-anthony-koletti-ordered-to-leave-15-million-dover-heights-mansion/news-story/cde0b09f71b707f8771af7237c1a0775" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sky News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Anthony Koletti is to be granted liberty to apply on two days’ written notice in respect of any dispute regarding the removal of personal property items from the Dover Heights,” Justice Markovic said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The profits from selling the home will be used to repay 74 investors who lost a total of $23 million through Ms Caddick’s Ponzi scheme.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Caddick bought the three-bedroom mansion for $6 million using misappropriated funds in 2014, which was later raided by police on behalf of the Australian Investment and Securities Commission (ASIC) in 2020. </p> <p dir="ltr">ASIC has alleged that Ms Caddick duped friends and family into <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/melissa-caddick-s-hidden-millions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investing millions</a> by posing as a financial advisor and pretending to invest clients’ money with forged CommSec statements.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court order comes two weeks after <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/melissa-caddick-s-husband-claims-millions-in-jewels-cars-homes-and-assets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mr Koletti claimed</a> his financial and non-financial contributions to the home entitled him to parts of Ms Caddick’s assets, including her fine art collection, diamond jewellery and Gucci wedding dress.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Koletti, who married Ms Caddick in 2013, said in his statement that he was seeking a $4 million cut from the sale of her Dover Heights property, $360,000 from luxury cars already sold, and $7 million in shares.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Caddick, who disappeared the day after the police raid and whose decomposed foot was found washed up on a NSW beach, will be the <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/not-so-innocent-detail-in-cute-puppy-pic-reveals-melissa-caddick-s-huge-profits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subject of an inquiry</a> in September which could answer some of the questions about her death and disappearance.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ddc95484-7fff-963a-3e3b-eb7f82b80fb7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: news.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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Not so innocent: Detail in cute puppy pic reveals Melissa Caddick’s huge profits

<p dir="ltr">A previously unnoticed detail in an innocent photograph has revealed the eye-watering amount accused fraudster Melissa Caddick was making from her alleged crimes per day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Caddick sent the photo of her pet dog posing in her home office to one of her victims, according to the podcast <em>Liar Liar: Melissa Caddick and the Missing Millions</em>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1f31aa36-7fff-bb16-cf57-e370267c42d5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">After zooming in on the notepad on Caddick’s desk, it can be seen that “$46K per day” was written under the heading “Average Profits” between April 27 and May 27.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/smh-cadddick.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Zooming in on the photograph reveals the record sums Melissa Caddick was making. Image: The Sydney Morning Herald</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Kate McClymont, the <em>Sydney Morning Herald</em> and <em>The Age</em> journalist who hosts the podcast, <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/melissa-caddick-podcast-how-a-cute-dog-photo-provided-a-clue-to-her-staggering-profits/4474e72b-e7f2-4472-902a-fa3ee10029bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told <em>Today</em></a><em> </em>that these kinds of discoveries showed how clues could be “hiding in plain sight”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The person that provided me with that photo is one of, not only Melissa’s victims, but she worked one day a week for Melissa,” McClymont said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So she is sitting there day after day seeing all of these things, but it wasn’t until after Melissa disappeared and the Herald broke the story saying she was running a Ponzi scheme, they didn’t realise they were all victims.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In May 2020 alone, Caddick made a whopping $1.426 million profit - and her case has since captured the nation’s attention.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her home in Sydney’s east was raided by federal police on behalf of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in November 2020, and it was suspected she had fleeced millions of dollars from her victims - mostly friends and family - to fund her lifestyle.</p> <p dir="ltr">Caddick then disappeared a day after the raid.</p> <p dir="ltr">Months later, the remains of her foot inside a running shoe washed up on a beach on the NSW South Coast.</p> <p dir="ltr">An inquest into her death will commence in September, and McClymont told <em>Today </em>it could dispel some mysteries surrounding how she died.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Already I have heard that some of her victims have been interviewed by the police to provide alibis,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The journalist added that a forensic pathologist would hopefully be able to determine if Caddick’s foot was cut off or had deteriorated in the ocean.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Until we hear from a forensic pathologist, that is still one of the big mysteries in this case.”</p> <p dir="ltr">To read the full story and hear the <em>Liar Liar</em> episode, click <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-a-puppy-picture-revealed-melissa-caddick-s-stunning-46-000-per-day-profit-20220429-p5ahbm.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7014543-7fff-dec0-63fe-12c9612cc9a9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

Legal

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Melissa Caddick’s husband claims millions in jewels, cars, homes and assets

<p>Melissa Caddick’s husband, Anthony Koletti, has lodged a claim indicating that he is entitled to a significant share of the multi-million dollars worth of cars, houses, artworks and jewellery left by the missing Sydney woman.</p> <p>After it was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/melissa-caddick-s-hidden-millions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that Caddick had misappropriated $25 million of investors' funds in a Ponzi scheme via her company Maliver Pty Ltd, court proceedings were begun in November 2020 by the corporate watchdog in order to return the vast amounts of swindled money to investors. These proceedings remain underway.</p> <p>Mr Koletti has now filed a statement in Federal Court as an interested party, claiming that he is entitled to matrimonial property including $2 million of clothes and jewellery, $7 million worth of shares, proceeds from $360,000 of cars that have been sold, as well as two homes in the multi-million dollar price range.</p> <p>Mr Koletti also claims entitlement to personal property that includes five valuable John Olsen paintings, a Louis Vuitton watch, a Gucci wedding dress and several more pricey items of white-gold jewellery – including a $33,960 diamond ring set by Sydney fine jewellery designer Canturi and his own $26,500 wedding band.</p> <p>According to court documents, Mr Koletti’s claim was based on his “financial and non-financial contributions” to the relationship since his December 2013 marriage to Caddick.</p> <p>Mr Koletti’s basis for the claims rest with the fact that he used up almost all of his income and assets to support Caddick and her son during their marriage, and that furthermore that since Caddick’s disappearance he has personally paid around $500 a week to care for her child.</p> <p>The claim went on to state that “due to the extensive media coverage relating to the Defendant’s disappearance, the time taken by legal proceedings and Mr Koletti’s grief, he has not been able to secure gainful employment in his usual trade other than casual hairdressing services and some income from <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/melissa-caddick-s-husband-releases-album-about-her-disappearance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his music</a>.” </p> <p>Mr Koletti’s court filing comes ahead of an inquest set for September, which will further probe the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/wild-theories-over-melissa-caddick-disappearance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mysterious disappearance</a> of Caddick.</p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

News

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Why this new mum lay down with her baby daughter in front of a train

<p dir="ltr"><strong>CONTENT WARNING: Distressing content</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">A Victorian courtroom has heard further details surrounding an incident in which a new mother struggling with postpartum depression killed her daughter by laying down with her on train tracks.</p> <p dir="ltr">Melissa Arbuckle appeared in the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday where she pleaded guilty to infanticide over the tragic incident at a train station in July last year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Defence barrister Megan Tittensor told the court that Arbuckle suffered severe postpartum depression and psychosis when she tried to kill herself and her daughter, Lily.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard that Arbuckle thought Lily was suffering from shaken baby syndrome and that she would eventually die.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This act was committed by someone with a significantly disturbed mind,” Tittensor told the court, <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/court-justice/vic-court-told-of-mums-disturbed-mind-c-6341505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She had a fixed delusional belief she had harmed her child and they were both broken.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She had a perfectionist personality and need for control...she wanted to be the perfect mother.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Arbuckle was struggling with Lily while taking her for a walk when she began looking at train timetables, the court heard.</p> <p dir="ltr">She then messaged her husband saying their daughter was unsettled, before placing Lily on the train track and laying down next to her.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair were struck but Lily died while being airlifted to hospital, and Arbuckle survived with fractures and internal bleeding.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arbuckle remains on bail and will be sentenced on Thursday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Lifeline 13 11 14</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>beyondblue 1300 22 4636</em></p> <p><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-24028b0b-7fff-a14b-36d0-4e28f7f0372d"></span></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Seven News</em></p>

Mind

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Melissa Caddick’s husband releases album about her disappearance

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After making a </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/it-s-time-for-the-truth-to-come-out-melissa-caddick-s-husband-speaks" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">series of bombshell claims</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the husband of missing fraudster Melissa Caddick has released an unusual album about the day police raided her home and her disappearance.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hairdresser and DJ Anthony Koletti released his new album online after his music was featured on Channel 7’s </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Spotlight</em> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">investigation into Ms Caddick’s case.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Caddick was accused of ripping off her family, friends, and investors, prompting corporate watchdog ASIC to raid her multimillion-dollar Dover Heights home in search of evidence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The following day, Ms Caddick disappeared.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three months later, her decomposed foot was found on a beach hundreds of kilometres from her home, prompting the emergence of a string of theories about her fate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some theories include that she cut off her foot and faked her disappearance, or that she may have taken her own life.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844940/caddick1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7f041784b7f2491a8e0c87ed4cb18353" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melissa Caddick and Anthony Koletti. Image: 7NEWS</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bizarre album, titled </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Raid</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, was inspired by the case and was released under the name Paws Off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tracks consist of looped phrases with Mr Kholetti impersonating police officers and speaking as himself to represent interactions he had with police on the day of the raid.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The opening track, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Introduction</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, includes a spoken snippet from Mr Kholetti </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/anthony-koletti-releases-album-about-melissa-caddicks-disappearance/news-story/47a46aae9b3eec0d9f743ed203216d55" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">saying</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: “November 11, 2020, 5am. This is a true account of what happened on the day of the raid. Parental guidance is recommended.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The next track, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Good Morning</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, includes the sound of snoring and Mr Kholetti’s impersonation of a female police officer, saying, “No, no, we don’t have any proof or evidence, we’ll just get them”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Yeah that’s good enough for me,” Mr Kholetti replies in a deeper voice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another voice says, “Freeze, don’t move.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In another track called </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ten Minutes Too Late</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Mr Kholetti entertains conspiracy theories about the disappearance.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If you walked out on your own accord, or if you were taken from the front door, I woke up 10 minutes too late,” he says in the song.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turn Your Bodycam Off</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Mr Kholetti impersonates a female police officer, singing, “You should turn your bodycam off so we don’t get in trouble”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We can take whatever we want and we don’t owe you an explanation for anything,” he says, appearing to impersonate police officers involved in the raid conducted by ASIC.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You and ASIC hurt hundreds of people unnecessarily. It could have been prevented.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also claims a female officer “interrogated our family for 14 hours” on a track titled </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bragging</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Truth is, you let a young girl from a large corporation brutally interrogate a lady for 14 hours and you did nothing.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The album comes after Mr Kholetti appeared on Channel 7’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spotlight</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> program over the weekend, claiming Ms Caddick was killed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Police believe it is more likely Ms Caddick took her own life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“She wasn’t the kind of person who would chop off her foot and go AWOL,” Mr Kholetti said on the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I know why she died. Someone got greedy and wanted her dead.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: news.com.au</span></em></p>

Music

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Melissa Leong debuts new beau after split from husband

<p><em>Image: Melissa Leong / Instagram </em></p> <p>The 39-year-old food writer turned TV personality took to Instagram to gush over new boyfriend, Melbourne hair-care entrepreneur Rob Mason.</p> <p>Leong said Mason was the “best part of her day”, posting a photo of the father-of-three, who founded the hair-care brand Morries Motley.</p> <p>“Gratuitous hot dad post, a day late” Melissa wrote, in reference to Father’s Day on Sunday.</p> <p>“Creator of world class cosmetics and the brains behind @morriesmotley, brilliant father to a legendary babe squad and the best part of my day, nothing but love”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdVezvv3Cz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdVezvv3Cz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Melissa Leong | FOODERATI (@fooderati)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The couple appeared in a photo together posted on Leong’s Instagram story on the weekend, as they FaceTime chatted with friends for a lockdown double date.</p> <p>Last weekend Mason shared a photo of Leong for the first time showing her cooking in the kitchen, shared with the caption: “Twas Phenomenal”.</p> <p>The two have not previously commented on their relationship. This comes after Leong’s shock split from her bar owner husband, Joe Jones, in December last year.</p> <p>“It has brought us such happiness to walk together, but the time has come for Joe and I to part ways and walk on, apart” she said at the time. They were married in February 2017 after five months of dating.</p> <p>It would appear Leong met Mason recently, telling the<span> </span><em>Sydney Morning Herald</em><span> </span>in June she was “single and ready to mingle".</p> <p>Melissa fronted Channel 10’s MasterChef for the first time in 2020, alongside new judges Jock Zonfrillio and Andy Allen. The trio replaced original judges George Calombaris, Matt Preseton and Gary Mehigan who departed the show in 2019 after contraction negotiations broke down.</p>

Relationships

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Meghan Markle’s amazing 40th birthday message

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To celebrate her 40th birthday, Meghan Markle has released a hilarious video with comedian Melissa McCarthy where she calls on her Hollywood friends to help make her 40th birthday wish come true.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the clip, the Duchess of Sussex traded jokes with the American actress, who both burst out laughing after Prince Harry hijacked the Zoom call and began juggling in the background.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan has launched the 40x40 initiative, urging 40 people to donate 40 minutes of their time to mentor women trying to return to the workforce.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the video, Meghan calls McCarthy via Zoom and asks her to be a mentor, with the comedian sharing her own ideas on how they should celebrate Meghan’s birthday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s my 40th birthday, and I’ve got an idea,” Meghan says, after McCarthy changes from a dressing gown into a fancier outfit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I know what it is,” McCarthy replies. “My first guess is another photoshoot under a tree where you’re looking very peaceful”, resembling her pregnancy announcement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan pushes back on the idea, saying she is peaceful under a tree everyday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, McCarthy asks, “Are we finally getting matching tattoos?” as she holds up a drawing of herself and Meghan surrounded by flowers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You know I already have something similar across my back,” the Duchess replies, suggesting they save the idea for when she turns 50.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McCarthy then asks, “Are you finally going to do a </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suits</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reunion?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan says she “loves </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suits</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">” but questions why she would do a reunion for her birthday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan continues, “I think the bigger idea is…” before McCarthy interrupts with her next suggestion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A yacht party. Yacht party. Who’s ready for a yacht?!” McCarthy says while putting on a pair of huge sunglasses and a hat. “Like when you say no yacht, do you mean zero yachts?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After all the jokes, Meghan finally gets to share her birthday idea.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Because I’m turning 40, I’m asking 40 friends to donate 40 minutes of their time to help mentor a woman who’s mobilising back into the workforce,” she says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If we all do it, and all commit 40 minutes to an act of service, we can create a ripple effect.:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a lengthy message on her non-profit website, Archewell, Meghan says she came up with the idea after realising time was the most “essential gift”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In reflecting on my 40th birthday and the many things I am grateful for, I’m struck that time is among our greatest and most essential gifts: Time with our loved ones, time doing the things we love, time spent learning, laughing, growing, and the sacred time we have on this Earth,” Meghan says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Amongst the most valuable gifts of time is also time spent in service to others knowing that it can contribute to incredible change. To that last point, and with my 40th lap around the sun in mind, it made me wonder: What would happen if we all committed 40 minutes to helping someone else or to mentoring someone in need? And then what would happen if we asked our friends to do the same?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the past two years, and in large part because of the Covid-19 pandemic, tens of millions of women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the US. So many of these women are also shouldering the brunt of the crisis when it comes to unpaid labour, including schooling and caring for family members.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And the latest research shows that fewer women than men will regain work as we recover from the pandemic.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Supplied</span></em></p>

Caring

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Can you guess which former Home and Away star is pictured in this childhood photo?

<p>This actress has a very rocky relationship with Australian media outlets for constantly highlighting <em>Home and Away</em> as her breakout role.</p> <p>The star who has appeared in <em>The Good Wife, Alias and Grey’s Anatomy,</em> secured her first Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress.</p> <p>On Tuesday, the 41-year-old shared a sweet photo from her childhood posing for the camera in pigtails.</p> <p>Do you recognise which Aussie star it is?</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="484" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816698/1_500x484.jpg" alt="1 (104)"/></p> <p>The little girl in the photo is none other than Melissa George.</p> <p>Addressing her followers on social media, Melissa wrote, “Baby Georgie girl (me).”</p> <p>As well as securing various roles across TV and film, Melissa is also a parent to her two sons – Raphael, 3, and Solal, 2.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816699/image__500x750.jpg" alt="Image_ (57)"/></p> <p>Melissa previously made headlines after criticising the Australian media for constantly referencing her role as Angel Brooks in <em>Home and Away.</em></p> <p>She said the focus on her early television career caused her so much stress that she was unlikely to live in Australia again.</p> <p>“I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me anymore,” she said in an interview with <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/melissa-george-i-regret-that-interview-and-im-sorry-youre-still-being-punished-for-it-20170321-gv30b3.html" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Sun Herald</span></em></strong></a> five years ago.</p> <p>“I'd rather be having a croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.”</p> <p>She gave the interview shortly after her Golden Globe nomination for the 2009 series <em>In Treatment. </em></p> <p>"I've got to be honest. I'm not going to be a good Aussie anymore. I'm going to speak out. I've just had it," she added. </p>

Art

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“The Big Bang Theory” star welcomes first child

<div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>If the last week is anything to go by, the cast of <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>’s lives are just as drama-filled as their characters! Just days after Kaley Cuoco (Penny) announced her engagement to partner Karl Cook, Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) has given birth to her first child!</p> <p>The 37-year-old actress took to Instagram to share the exciting news and reveal her baby girl’s adorable name.</p> <p>“I am beyond over the moon to share that our beautiful baby girl, Sadie Rauch, has arrived and our hearts are bursting at the seams with love for her,” she wrote. “I will never take for granted the difficult road it took to get here. To those on that road: I’m sending you so much love today and always.”</p> <p>It certainly hasn’t been an easy path towards motherhood for Melissa and husband Winston, who revealed in July that she had suffered a miscarriage during her last pregnancy.</p> <p>“The miscarriage I experienced was one of the most profound sorrows I have ever felt in my life,” she wrote in an emotional guest piece for <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/actress-melissa-rauch-announces-pregnancy-and-reflects-on-miscarriage" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Glamour</em></span></strong></a>.</p> <p>“It kick-started a primal depression that lingered in me. The image of our baby on the ultrasound monitor – without movement, without a heartbeat – after we had seen that same little heart healthy and flickering just two weeks prior completely blindsided us and haunts me to this day.”</p> <p>We wish all the best to Melissa and Winston and can’t wait to see the first photos of their miracle bub!</p> <p><em>Image credit: @thebigbangtheory_cbs/Instagram.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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