IT is an enduring mystery that has drawn international interest for more than 70 years. Now Australian investigators hope they will finally identify the “Somerton Man”. 

 

The Somerton Man?

On December 1, 1948, the remains of a man were discovered on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, South Australia, after passers-by noticed a figure slumped against a seawall. Dressed in a suit and tie, the body had not washed ashore as his clothes were dry.

 

What did initial investigations find?

Thought to be about 40, the man had nothing on his person to aid identification, carrying only a few personal items - two combs, a used bus ticket to the area, an unused second class rail ticket, a pack of chewing gum, cigarettes and a box of matches. A post-mortem said “there was no indication of violence”, with the coroner adding: “I am compelled to the finding that death resulted from poison.”

 

And so the mystery took hold?

The coroner believed the body had been taken to the beach after death and amid intense public interest, rumours swirled the man was everything from a jilted lover to a Cold War Spy as aspects of the case sparked further intrigue. These included the discovery of a suitcase checked into a railway station cloakroom containing clothing with labels removed, all bar three items that had the name "Keane" or “Kean”. The suitcaste also contained clothes with the labels removed, a table knife, a pair of scissors, a stencilling brush, red slippers and a screwdriver.

 

Meanwhile?

A re-examination months later found a scrap of paper torn from a book in a concealed trouser pocket which read “Tamam Shud”, which translates from Persian as “It is finished.” 

 

It was far from finished, however?

A public appeal located the book the scrap was torn from and police then noticed two final clues inside: a sequence of letters, thought to be a code - that has never been cracked - and two telephone numbers. They included one for a woman who lived near the beach who said she once owned a copy of the book. Police showed her a plaster cast bust of the dead man's head to aid identification and although she denied knowing him, a detective described her as “evasive”.

 

What’s happening now?

As the years passed and police failed to identify the man, Australian authorities branded the case an "unparalleled mystery”. Now, though, his body has been exhumed and taken into the care of forensic scientists who are embarking on an effort to recover his DNA, amid hope that new techniques could finally offer a breakthrough in the case.

 

It’s part of a wider effort?

The case is part of ”Operation Persevere” which aims to put a name to all unidentified human remains in South Australia, running in tandem with “Operation Persist” where cold case homicides are actively investigated. South Australia’s attorney general, Vickie Chapman - who approved the exhumation in the “public interest” - said: “For more than 70 years people have speculated who this man was and how he died. It's an enduring mystery but I believe that, finally, we may uncover some answers.”