Police still don't know what happened to man found dead 'in perfect condition' with hidden code on him
It's been 77 years since a man in 'perfect condition' was found dead with a strange code hidden on his person.
But despite all the time that has passed, police still haven't managed to piece the case - which has been dubbed 'one of Australia's most profound mysteries' - together.
Investigators are still stumped by the notorious 'Somerton Man' saga nearly eight decades on, despite advancements in forensic science and technology.
All the way back in December 1948, cops were called to Somerton Beach in the city of Adelaide, following reports that a man's body had been discovered there.
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The unknown victim was found lying in the sand with his head resting against the seawall, his legs extended and his feet crossed - so a host of passersby had assumed he was either sleeping or passed out drunk.
This wasn't the only unusual observation which police officers made at the scene, either.
The Somerton Man was well-dressed, sporting a suit and tie - although all of the labels on his clothing had been cut off.
He appeared to be in his 40s or 50s and his pockets contained some interesting items.
Despite not having a wallet, cash or ID, the mystery man did have bus and train tickets, chewing gum, a pack of cigarettes, two combs and some matches.
Detectives were left even more confused when a month later, a suitcase linked to the unidentified bloke was found at Adelaide Railroad Station.
The labels on the luggage and all of the garments inside had also been removed, just like on his clothing.
But the most bizarre clue which officials found on the Somerton Man was the torn scrap of paper hidden on him, which read: "Taman Shud."
The Persian phrase means 'it is finished' or 'it is over' - and it is used in a collection of poems titled The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Police took no time in launching a nationwide search for the book which the torn piece of paper once originated from and eventually found it in a car.
The plot then thickened once more as inside the book was a phone number and a strange code - and despite tirelessly trying to crack it, police just couldn't decipher its hidden message.
All of these elements left some believing that the unknown man had committed suicide, while others speculated he was a spy and some suggested he must have been poisoned.
Interestingly, pathologist John Burto Cleland said the body of the bloke, who he described as being of 'Britisher' appearance, was in 'top physical condition'.
The Somerton Man was reportedly about 5'11, had grey eyes, mousy ginger hair, while being anywhere 'between 40 and 50 years old' and weighed within the range of 75-80 kilograms (165-175 pounds).
After police continued to hit a dead end, the Somerton Man was laid to rest at a cemetery in Adelaide in 1949 - although that wasn't the end of the mystery.
His tombstone reads: "Here lies the unknown man who was found at Somerton Beach."
In 2022, Professor Derek Abbott claimed he had an extraordinary breakthrough with DNA analysis and said he had been able to 'build out a family tree containing over 4,000 people’ through GEDmatch, a genealogical research site.
He said he had cracked the case with the help of US investigator Colleen Fitzpatrick, as they both concluded that the Somerton Man was actually Carl ‘Charles’ Webb.
Webb had 'no death record', was the youngest of six siblings and married to a woman named Dorothy Robertson, who was known as Doff Webb.
"We have evidence that he had separated from his wife, and that she had moved to South Australia," Abbott previously told ABC News. "So possibly, he had come to track her down."
Despite the supposed break in the case, South Australia Police didn't corroborate Abbott's findings - meaning the mystery of the Somerton Man still lives on.
Topics: Weird, Crime, True Crime, Australia
Olivia Burke