Someone out there knows who Adelaide’s ‘Somerton Man’ is

22 August 2011

The “Mystery of the Somerton Man”, or “The Taman Shud Case”, where the body of an unidentified male was found on Somerton beach, near Adelaide, capital of South Australia, in December 1948, remains one of Australia’s most perplexing unsolved “missing persons” cases.

Was the dead man, who became known as “Somerton Man”, the victim of an elaborate murder plot, or did he take his own life? Why is it that no one was able to positively identify him, despite extensive publicity given to the case at the time? What is to be made of his apparent association with an Adelaide nurse, and rumours of links to espionage groups?

The police had brought in another expert, John Cleland, emeritus professor of pathology at the University of Adelaide, to re-examine the corpse and the dead man’s possessions. In April, four months after the discovery of the body, Cleland’s search produced a final piece of evidence — one that would prove to be the most baffling of all. Cleland discovered a small pocket sewn into the waistband of the dead man\’s trousers. Previous examiners had missed it, and several accounts of the case have referred to it as a “secret pocket,” but it seems to have been intended to hold a fob watch. Inside, tightly rolled, was a minute scrap of paper, which, opened up, proved to contain two words, typeset in an elaborate printed script. The phrase read “Tamám Shud.”

Efforts to solve the mystery remain on-going, which includes determining the man’s identity, and what exactly occasioned his death, are being lead by a University of Adelaide team. More information about the case can be found on Wikipedia.

UPDATE: researchers believe they have identified the dead man.

Originally published Monday 22 August 2011.