Somerton Man: Adelaide Mystery – Carl Webb DNA Link

Somerton Man: Mysterious death on Adelaide beach (1948)

Early on the morning of December 1, 1948, the unidentified body of a well-dressed man was found on Somerton Park beach in Adelaide, Australia. The man's unknown identity and mysterious cause of death have since developed into one of the country's most enigmatic and historical mysteries. The case is driven by a series of cryptic clues, including a torn piece of paper with the Persian words "Tamam Shud" found in a hidden pocket. This discovery, along with other bizarre details surrounding the so-called Somerton Man, has kept this mystery alive for over 70 years and continues to fascinate both official investigators and the public.

Body details: 'Tamam Shud,' T. Keane, missing tags

When police arrived at the beach at 6:30 AM, the man was leaning against a seawall, his feet crossed, and a half-smoked cigarette resting on his jacket collar. There were no immediate signs of violence, and witnesses had observed a similar man at the location the previous evening, appearing to be asleep or intoxicated. His clothes were neat – a suit of American cut – but all labels had been carefully removed. The only exception was a tie label with the name "T. Keane," a clue that later proved to be a dead end. In his pockets, they found an unused bus ticket, an aluminum comb, an empty cigarette packet, and the aforementioned torn piece of paper with the words "Tamam Shud," meaning "it is finished" or "it is ended" in Persian.

Death by poison: 'Tamam Shud' and Rubaiyat link

The subsequent forensic examination strongly pointed to poisoning as the cause of death. The unknown man, estimated to be 40-45 years old and 180 cm tall, had a congested stomach with blood, an enlarged spleen, and liver damage – classic signs of a fast-acting poison. However, the mystery deepened when the pathologist, despite thorough analyses, could not identify a specific poison. Although the man had eaten a meat pasty 3-4 hours before his death, no poison was found in his stomach contents, leading to theories of injection or inhalation. His well-developed calf muscles and unusual foot shape, reminiscent of a dancer's, added more unanswered questions about his background. The "Tamam Shud" clue led the investigation further when it was identified as the final page, torn from a rare edition of the poetry collection Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

The Rubaiyat: Code, Thomson's number, and suitcase

In January 1949, following a public appeal, an anonymous man handed in a copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, found in his unlocked car near Somerton beach, from which the last page was missing. On the back cover of the book, police discovered faint pencil notes: a local telephone number and a series of letters arranged in several lines that resembled a code – possibly an encrypted message. The telephone number belonged to nurse Jessica Ellen Thomson (also known as Jestyn), who lived in the nearby suburb of Glenelg. When police showed her a plaster cast of the dead man's face, she reportedly reacted with shock but denied any knowledge of him. However, suspicion of a connection persisted, not least because her son Robin shared a rare ear anomaly with the deceased. Meanwhile, a brown suitcase, presumed to belong to the man, turned up at Adelaide Station. Here too, clothing labels had been removed, but the name "T. Keane" appeared again. An orange thread from the suitcase matched mending thread in the dead man's jacket pocket, but the suitcase revealed nothing about his identity.

Espionage or tragedy? Theories of Somerton Man

The many unanswered questions in the Somerton Man case have spawned numerous theories. A prevailing hypothesis is that the man was involved in espionage, especially given the onset of the Cold War. The removed clothing labels, the unidentified poison, the possible encrypted code, and the discovery site near a military test range (Woomera) all fuel this espionage theory. Another theory focuses on a personal tragedy, perhaps a suicide driven by unrequited love, potentially connected to Jessica Thomson. The themes in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam about the transience of life, and the words "Tamam Shud" themselves, could in this context be interpreted as a farewell to life or a finished relationship.

DNA points to Carl Webb (2022), mystery continues

Recent forensic advances have potentially shed new light on the case. In 2022, Professor Derek Abbott and genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick announced that, through advanced DNA evidence extracted from hair on the man's death mask, they had identified him as Carl 'Charles' Webb, an electrician born in Melbourne in 1905. Their work was based on extensive genealogical research and DNA matches. However, Australian authorities, who exhumed the body in 2021 specifically for official DNA analysis, have not yet formally confirmed Webb's identity. Until then, the Somerton Man case remains one of Australia's most enduring unsolved mysteries – an enigmatic figure whose historical case continues to challenge and fascinate, more than seven decades after his death on the Australian coast.

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