Mystery Of Man Found Dead With Coded Note In His Pocket May Have Finally Been Solved 70 Years Later

On the morning of 1 December 1948, a dead body was discovered lying in the sand on Somerton Park beach, an unlit cigarette tucked into the collar of his coat.

Dressed in a suit and tie, the man looked to be in his 40s or 50s but had no wallet or identification to point towards who he could be.

In his pockets were cigarettes, chewing gum, a comb, a bus ticket and an unused train ticket, all normal things for a man to be carrying.

What was more mysterious was a scrap of paper with the words Tamám Shud, Farsi words meaning 'it's finished' along with a coded note that nobody has ever been able to decipher.

These strange coded notes, along with the labels being cut off his clothes, fuelled speculation that the mystery man was some sort of spy.

Now, however, University of Adelaide professor Derek Abbott believes his team have cracked the case.

Working with cold case forensics expert Colleen Fitzpatrick, Abbott was able to narrow down the list of possible suspects from 4,000 to just one.

Professor Abbott believes the mystery man was Carl Webb, a 43-year-old Australian engineer.

The investigation had the help of Webb's living relatives in confirming suspicions on the man's identity, and Abbott believes he also knows why Webb was found where he was all those years ago.

He explained that evidence suggested Webb had separated from his wife Dorothy Robertson, indicating that he might have been in Adelaide to track her down.

In a statement, South Australia police said they were not able to confirm whether the mystery man's identity had finally been discovered but suggested they were hopeful.

A spokesperson said: "South Australia Police are still actively investigating the 'Somerton Man' coronial matter.

"We are heartened of the recent development in that case, and are cautiously optimistic that this may provide a breakthrough.

"We look forward to the outcome of further DNA work to confirm the identification which will ultimately be determined by the Coroner."

While this decades old case isn't quite closed yet, this DNA discovery could be the crucial piece of evidence which gives a name to a man whose identity has been a mystery for over 70 years.

As for that coded note he had with him, there is still nobody who has been able to decisively work out what it's supposed to mean.

Perhaps that will be the next great mystery to be solved around the body that has for so long been known as 'Somerton Man'.