Channel 9 has announced a new drama series based on the disappearance of Melissa Caddick.
The Sydney woman was under investigation from ASIC for allegedly misappropriating millions of dollars of investor funds and disappeared in November.
Last week, authorities revealed DNA from a foot found on a New South Wales beach hundreds of kilometres from her lavish Dover Heights home matched Caddick's.
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It was the first indication the 49-year-old had met a grisly demise rather than the theory she had skipped town and faded into the shadows.
Just two days after the DNA evidence was released, Channel 9 revealed it would be doing a new drama series to delve into the life of Caddick and what happened to her.
When the project was announced, it was not received well by the public.
A Twitter user said: "How can you even write a script for this when they are still identifying body parts?"
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Another added: "Seems a bit insensitive to announce this now given current situation...."
A third wrote: "This isn't entertainment, ffs."
People labeled it 'utterly grotesque', 'disgusting' and 'abhorrent' that a TV channel would hop on a situation so quickly, even though there were still so many question marks around her death.
It's unclear whether Channel 9 had been working on the series since she disappeared and capitalised on the recent revelation, or whether it simply leapt at the opportunity when it happened. Either way, people aren't happy.
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Nine's head of drama Andy Ryan told The Australian: "The mystery of Melissa Caddick's disappearance and the missing millions has all the elements of a gripping crime thriller, as well as a moving personal tragedy."
Police are forensically testing other items that have since washed up on other beaches along the NSW south coast, including Mollymook, at Cunjarong Point near Lake Conjola, and Warrain Beach at Culburra.
Authorities will be looking to see whether the remains are human or animal and whether they have any relation to Caddick.
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The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) launched an investigation into the Sydney woman and her financial services company, Maliver, in September last year.
They believed Caddick was operating without a licence and alleged she was misappropriating investors' funds by 'co-mingling' money in her own bank accounts.
Caddick was accused of falsifying financial documents in order to prove there were transactions from investors into her account.
In November, authorities raided her home and the following day she vanished without a trace.
Featured Image Credit: NSW PoliceTopics: Australia