Detectives have revealed they are in the process of trying to locate a number of valuable items that went missing from the Kensington Park home of disabled woman, Ann Marie Smith.
The tragic tale of Ms Smith’s death pulled at the heartstrings of the nation last month when police revealed the shocking extent of neglect that led to her tragic death.
Ms Smith’s former carer, Rosemary Maione, is now the subject of a manslaughter investigation and police are reaching out to members of the public to try and ascertain where these items are.
Investigators believe that the missing items are valued at more than $35,000 and include two missing refrigerators and an abundance of missing jewellery.
The jewellery consists of distinctive claw hair clips, bangles, and bracelets manufactured by an Adelaide jeweller between 2009 and 2015. Detectives located valuation certificates for the jewellery during an initial search of Ms Smith’s home, but these items are still yet to be located.
Detectives have also revealed that some of this jewellery was given to Ms Smith following the death of her mother in 2009.
“They are not the types of jewellery you would see anyone else wearing because they were made for Ann specifically,’’ said Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Neagle.
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that these items may have been sold online or pawned at a second-hand store, but he reiterated the jewellery is “very distinctive and quite valuable.”
They are custom items, the jeweller has never made these hair clips for any other client,” said Mr Neagle.
Investigators would also like to hear from any health practitioners or nurses who may have treated Ms Smith since 2015 or provided her with medication.
The sad details and public outcry regarding Ms Smith’s death prompted the creation of a Safeguarding Task Force that was established to examine flaws in the NDIS system.
The public appeal from investigators to find Ms Smith’s missing jewellery coincided with the release of an interim report by the Safeguarding Task Force which has already yielded five recommendations and 12 areas of concern that are referred to as safeguarding gaps.
The recommendations include revisiting information-sharing guidelines as they impact on screening of workers and expanding the role of the Adult Safeguarding Unit so that its scope includes vulnerable adults of any age.
Two of the most significant safeguarding gaps that were identified were the sharing of relevant information regarding a person’s suitability to work with people living with disabilities and the need for a minimum of two support workers for each client.
Ms Smith’s carer, Rosemary Maione, was being paid to provide Ms Smith with six hours of care per day, seven days a week, for a total of six years, despite not obtaining a disability services employment clearance.
Ms Maione’s employer, Integrity Care, is currently being investigated by The NDIS Quality Safeguards Commission.
