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The truth, however, is seemingly more mundane. Abbott also tracked down the Barbour waxed cotton of the period and found packaging variations. There is no evidence that police knew in 1949 that she was not married. Early 1950: Prosper Thomson's divorce is finalised. Division, ", See, for example; Gumundsson, H.H. [13], Another witness came forward in 1959 and reported to the police that he and three others had seen a well-dressed man carrying another man on his shoulders along Somerton Park beach the night before the body was found. There was congestion in the second half of the duodenum. Did he die by suicide? The body of a fully-clothed man was discovered by two trainee jockeys near the shore of the Somerton Park Beach, south of Adelaide, on December 1, 1948. Police begin work to exhume the body in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The South Australia Police Major Crime Branch, who still have the case listed as open, will investigate the new information. Still, she denied knowing the man, and authorities didnt press her on the issue. [11] In news media, books and other discussions of the case, Thomson was frequently referred to by various pseudonyms, including the nickname "Jestyn" and names such as "Teresa Johnson ne Powell". Carl moved out in 1947 and no official records revealing his subsequent whereabouts have been found as of 2022.[113][116]. Was there a connection with Jo, the nurse? [50] The team concluded that it was most likely that each letter was the first letter of a word. Beyond the DNA results linking the Somerton Man to Webb, Abbott and Fitzpatrick found ample archival evidence supporting the identification. "Now there's the historical work of actually digging further and finding out about the man's life and his circumstances and what might have exactly led to this particular situation," he said. In 2019, ABC's Radio National released a six-part series titled, This page was last edited on 23 April 2023, at 05:58. Public interest in the case remains significant for several reasons: the death occurred at a time of heightened international tensions following the beginning of the Cold War; the apparent involvement of a secret code; the possible use of an undetectable poison; and the inability of authorities to identify the dead man. In a later interview Lawson describes her behaviour as being very odd that day. "Marriage and a mystery: Somerton Man's romantic twist", "The Somerton man died alone on a beach in 1948. What, if anything, was his connection to Thomson? The handwriting found in the back of a book of the Rubiyt of Omar Khayym, theorised to be a sort of code. The last mention of Webb in the historical record dates to April 1947, when he left his wife. [49] Abbott also subsequently wrote to Rau in support of the Egans, saying that exhumation for DNA testing would be consistent with federal government policy of identifying soldiers in war graves, to bring closure to their families. An Australian researcher claims to have solved a 73-year-old mystery by identifying a man found dead on a beach, CNN said in a report. From there, the trail went cold. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something. One newspaper article refers to the book being found about a week or two before the body was found. [101][102] The family has a painting of the Somerton man hanging in their home, believing him to be family. And so he was buried in Adelaide cemetery in 1949 with a tombstone reading: "Here lies the unknown man who was found at Somerton Beach.". [7] He was clean-shaven[7] and carried no identification, which led police to believe he had committed suicide. [76] The Mangnosons had been missing for four days. In trying to solve the Somerton Man case, Abbott became part of it. Cookie Policy The links to Thomson go back to the scrap of paper with the Persian words for finished found in the mans fob pocket in his trousers. However, the police did state that the body was consistent with that of a man who had been a wood cutter, although the state of the man's hands indicated he had not cut wood for at least eighteen months. South Australian police have not released a statement on the identity of the man or provided an update on their own investigation following the exhumation of the mans body last year. [7] An unlit cigarette was on the right collar of his coat. This is just us drawing the dots. "We have evidence that he had separated from his wife, and that she had moved to South Australia. This would be consistent with the copy of the Rubaiyat, which also focuses on the subject of death. Derek Abbott, a physicist and electronic engineer at the University of Adelaide, and Colleen Fitzpatrick, a forensic genealogist who specializes in using DNA to solve cold cases, identified the Somerton Man using hairs caught in his death mask. They had a son named John, who died in World War II in 1943. Solving Australia's coldest case", "Maternal inheritance of human mitochondrial DNA", "Ubiquitinated Sperm Mitochondria, Selective Proteolysis, and the Regulation of Mitochondrial Inheritance in Mammalian Embryos", "Somerton man mystery 'solved' as DNA points to man's identity, professor claims", "Somerton Man face search suggests correct Charles Webb is in Swinburne football photo", "Somerton Man Charles Webb's true identity revealed in family photographs and divorce papers", "Carl 'Charles' Webb's prisoner-of-war brother bears resemblance to Somerton Man", "Somerton Man mystery 'solved' as Adelaide uni researcher names body on beach", "Somerton Man cold case: SA Attorney-General Vickie Chapman grants conditional approval to exhume body", "Der Somerton Man: Eine dokumentarische Fiktion in drei Dimensionen,", Archival newspaper articles on the Taman Shud Case, Reddit AMA interview with Taman Shud researcher Derek Abbott, SA Police Historical Society Oct 2007 Newsletter on the case, SA Police Historical Society October 2010 article on Jimmy Durham who worked in the case, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Somerton_Man&oldid=1151307234, Undeciphered historical codes and ciphers, Articles containing Persian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from December 2015, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles with self-published sources from November 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2022, Articles needing cleanup from December 2022, Articles with sections that need to be turned into prose from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [49], Roma Egan, the widow of Jessica Thomson's son Robin, and Robin and Roma's daughter Rachel Egan, also appeared on 60 Minutes. The case is part of Operation Persevere, which seeks to put a name to all unidentified remains in South Australia. Between 8:30a.m. to 10:50am: There is no satisfactory explanation for what The Somerton Man does during these hours. The Advertiser first mentioned the case in a small article on page three of its morning edition of 2 December 1948. The spleen was strikingly large about 3 times normal size there was destruction of the centre of the liver lobules revealed under the microscope. [18] The body was then embalmed on 10 December 1948 after the police were unable to get a positive identification. When police arrived, they found the man lying in the sand with his head resting on the sea wall, with his legs out in front of him, and his ankles crossed. Boxall was born in London on 16 April 1906, enlisted in the Australian Army on 12 January 1942 and was not discharged until 12 April 1948. A researcher in the case of the Somerton Man says he has solved the decades-old mystery, identifying the figure as a Melbourne-born electrical engineer. Officer in Charge, No. There was congestion of the pharynx, and the gullet was covered with whitening of superficial layers of the mucosa with a patch of ulceration in the middle of it. "Somerton Beach Mystery Man", Transcript, Broadcast 15 May 2009. [14], According to the pathologist, John Burton Cleland, the man was of "Britisher" appearance and thought to be aged about 4045; he was in "top physical condition". [42] The police agreed a decision that hampered later investigations. The doctor who carried out the autopsy at the time of the discovery believed the man had died from heart failure due to poisoning, and the coroner didnt rule out murder. Read about our approach to external linking. In reply, Boxall says "no", and when asked if Harkness could have known, Boxall replies: "Not unless somebody else told her." "There's lots of. With the original copy lost in the 1950s, researchers have been looking for a FitzGerald edition. They observed that the format of the code also appeared to follow the quatrain format of Rubaiyat, leading them to theorise that the code was a one-time pad encryption algorithm. Feltus believed Thomson knew the Somerton man's identity. Abbott speculates that Carl had may have gone to Adelaide intending to find her. C.I.B. Theories abounded, including that the person - dubbed Somerton Man - was a spy. More photos, details and tidbits about. ), Carl 'Charles' Webb's prisoner-of-war brother bears resemblance to Somerton Man https://t.co/c7KcGhtiuI. The poem's subject led police to theorise that the man had committed suicide by poison, although no other evidence corroborated the theory. [21], An autopsy was conducted, and the pathologist estimated the time of death at around 2 am on 1 December.[15]. Of the discovery, he said: "It kind of feels like climbing Mount Everest, and having that mixture of elation that you're at the top, but also tiredness and exhaustion.". A potential granddaughter's DNA is planned to be compared to the unknown man's to see if it is a match. [32] He added that this evidence fitted in with the theory that the body may have been brought to Somerton Park beach after the man's death, accounting for the lack of evidence of vomiting and convulsions, which are the two main physiological reactions to poison. [79], J. M. Gower, secretary of the Largs North Progress Association, received anonymous phone calls threatening that Mrs. Mangnoson would meet with an accident if he interfered while A. H. Curtis, the acting mayor of Port Adelaide, received three anonymous phone calls threatening "an accident" if he "stuck his nose into the Mangnoson affair". But a number of curious items found on the body encouraged ongoing speculation. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday. Hicks noted the only "fact" not found in relation to the body was evidence of vomiting. [90], In October 2019, however, Attorney-General Vickie Chapman granted approval for his body to be exhumed to extract DNA for analysis. A jilted lover poisoned by his paramour. Per a 1949 inquest report, a doctor who examined the Somerton Man's remains placed his time of death around 2 a.m. In all this soup and ocean of DNA cousins, we were able to connect one of them to Carls father and one of them to Carls mother, Fitzpatrick tells the Times. 14 January 1949: Adelaide railway station finds the brown suitcase belonging to the man. [49] She suggested that her mother and the Somerton man may both have been spies, noting that Jessica Thomson taught English to migrants, was interested in communism, and could speak Russian, although she would not disclose to Kate where she had learned it or why. This may provide clues to the country where it was purchased. Mystery of Somerton man's identity solved after 73 years, researchers in Australia say This week Prof Derek Abbott of the University of Adelaide claimed to have identified Somerton man as. When presented with the Somerton Mans death mask, Thomson appeared completely taken aback, to the point of giving the appearance she was about to faint, according to Detective Sergeant Lionel Leane. Searches conducted by the US National Archives, the UK National Archives and the Australian War Memorial Research Centre have failed to find any records relating to H. C. Reynolds. Egan was Robins granddaughter. Police questioned a woman seen leaving the cemetery but she claimed she knew nothing of the man. [9], Witnesses who came forward said that on the evening of 30 November, they had seen an individual resembling the dead man lying on his back in the same spot where the corpse was later found. [45] A 2014 analysis by computational linguist John Rehling strongly supports the theory that the letters consist of the initials of some English text, but finds no match for these in a large survey of literature, and concludes that the letters were likely written as a form of shorthand, not as a code, and that the original text can likely never be determined.[46]. [32] Mangnoson stated that "the car stopped and a man with a khaki handkerchief over his face told her to 'keep away from the police or else'". This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. You really kind of narrow it down so much it could be any one of Carls siblingsbut Carl is the one with no documented death.. (Supplied) The suitcase When passers-by discovered the man's body on December 1, 1948, he was dressed in a brown suit and had a half-smoked cigarette on his lapel. Keane. A tailor brought in to assess the clothing concluded it was made in the United States, lending weight to the theory that the Somerton Man wasnt from the area. The hauntingly intriguing case of the Somerton Man has baffled researchers for decades. Johns possessions included items which imply he resided in the US at some point, such as US coins and a map of Chicago. If the book was found one or two weeks before, it suggests that the man had visited previously or had been in Adelaide for a longer period. Mangnoson was born in Adelaide on 4 May 1914 and served as a Private in the Australian Army from 11 June 1941 until his discharge on 7 February 1945. [32], In 1949, the body of the unknown man was buried in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery, where the Salvation Army conducted the service. The discovery was made by Mr J. Lyons, of Whyte Rd, Somerton. This article contains content provided by Twitter. The man was well-built, about 40 to 50 years old, 5. Tucked inside the watch pocket in his pants was a slip of paper with Persian words printed on it which meant "finished.". The man was well-built, about 40 to 50 years old, 5. [31] Cleland, as the investigating pathologist, re-examined the body and made a number of discoveries. Researchers now say the man is Carl Charles Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne. MLIAOI Officials declined to comment on the new findings, instead telling CNN they would respond when results from the testing are received., Solved! The couple moved into a flat in Bromby Street, South Yarra. An inquest into the man's death, conducted by coroner Thomas Erskine Cleland, commenced a few days following the discovery of the body but was adjourned until 17 June 1949. Now Australian scientists are close to solving the mystery By Hilary Whiteman, CNN Updated 10:42 PM EDT, Mon May 31, 2021 Link Copied! The Somerton Man had his prints taken a couple of days after he was found and a few weeks later they were forwarded to all the English speaking countries: Scotland Yard, The RCMP (Canada), the FBI, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, then the mammoth task of sending copies to every police station in Australia. [32] Mangnoson believed that this situation could be related to her husband's attempt to identify the Somerton Man, believing him to be Carl Thompsen, who had worked with him in Renmark in 1939. Its much more than identifying the Somerton man as Carl Webb, its also solving the mystery of how and why he died that may take years.. Or maybe a final goodbye to a lover.. A half-smoked cigarette was resting on his collar, and there was a line from a Persian poem in his pocket - but investigators had no idea who he was. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. "So, it's a triangulation from two different, totally distant parts of the tree, so that's very convincing.". [42] (Subsequent research suggests that her future husband, Prosper Thomson, was in the process of obtaining a divorce from his first wife in 1949, and that he did not marry Jessica until mid-1950. Some observers cited the code found on his copy of The Rubiyt, as well as the apparent attempts to mask his identity, as evidence that he was a Russian spy. Thomson's real name was considered important because it may be the decryption key for the purported code. Following a public appeal by police, the book from which the page had been torn was located. Although they commented between themselves that it was odd that he was not reacting to the mosquitoes, they had thought it more likely that he was drunk or asleep, and thus did not investigate further. Read about our approach to external linking. And. [24] He immediately checked his suitcase at the station cloak room before leaving the station and catching a city bus to Glenelg. Taman Shud Case, also called the Mystery of the Somerton Man, is an unsolved criminal case about a man who never had his name and origin discovered, found dead on December 1, 1948, on the beach at Somerton, city of Adelaide, Australia. [89], Kate Thomson, the daughter of Jessica and Prosper Thomson, said that her mother was the woman interviewed by the police and that her mother had told her she had lied to them Jessica did know the identity of the Somerton man and his identity was also "known to a level higher than the police force". Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? All Episodes Topics Blog Shop About Contact SUBMIT A LISTENER SEGUE . No new findings are recorded and the inquest is ended with an. [31] The lack of success in determining the identity and cause of death of the man had led authorities to call it an "unparalleled mystery" and believe that the cause of death might never be known. [53], Thomson also said that while she was working at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney during World War II,[42] she had owned a copy of Rubaiyat. During their drinking session, the mystery man supposedly produced a military pension card bearing the name "Solomonson". The researchers hope to address these mysteries and more through archival and genetic research. However, the code's short length meant the investigators would require the exact edition of the book used. They suggested that the Somerton man was Robin's father and, therefore, Rachel's grandfather. Plenty of questions surrounding the case remain: Why did Webb come to Somerton Beach? [64] A third person, James Mack, also viewed the body, initially could not identify it, but an hour later he contacted police to claim it was Walsh. [114], Forensic Science South Australia, who were still investigating, declined to comment on Abbott's findings. Though the state coroner has yet to confirm the pairs findings, Abbott tells the Guardians Natasha May that as a scientist, he is confident in the accuracy of the analysis. At least two sites relatively close to Adelaide were of interest to spies: the Radium Hill uranium mine and the Woomera Test Range, an Anglo-Australian military research facility. It was a concealed code and the cipher used was a Hill cipher. As Hilary Whiteman reports for CNN, a new DNA analysis suggests the Somerton Man is Carl Charles Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne who vanished from the public record in April 1947. Police conducted an Australia-wide search to find a copy of the book that had a similarly blank verso. Here's what they think of a Voice to Parliament, Prime minister says urgent care clinics will start relieving pressure on NT's busy emergency wards in coming months, Trump requests mistrial in rape civil case, NRL concedes error on crucial golden point call. In October 1951, three years after the Somerton Mans death, Dorothy placed a notice in the Age newspaper stating that she had begun divorce proceedings against Webb on the grounds of desertion. [48] Thomson's daughter Kate, in a television interview in 2014 with Channel Nine's 60 Minutes, also said that she believed her mother knew the dead man. Despite repeated requests for an exhumation, the . The two daily Adelaide newspapers, The Advertiser and The News, covered the death in separate ways. Additionally a similar-looking man had been recently seen lurking around the house. A search concluded that no T. Keane was missing in any English-speaking country. [25][26] Police believed that whoever removed the clothing tags either overlooked these three items or purposely left the "Keane" tags on the clothes, knowing Keane was not the dead man's name. The police had asked the public if anyone had a copy of the book with the last page missing, and a man came forward with the last page torn out. The 5-foot-11, 40- to 50-year-old man carried no money or identification. To view this content choose accept and continue. [116], Derek Abbott and Colleen Fitzpatrick believe that Carl had serious mental health issues and "spiralled down" after losing four close relatives in seven years. [91][92], An exhumation was carried out on 19 May 2021. The Somerton Man has been exhumed what happens now? [32] Soon after being interviewed by police over her harassment, Mangnoson collapsed and required medical treatment. [47] When she was interviewed by police, Thomson said that she did not know the dead man or why he would have her phone number and choose to visit her suburb on the night of his death. Australian charged 32 years after gay hate killing. The man's death also coincided with a reorganisation of Australian security agencies, which would culminate the following year with the founding of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).