The Unparalleled, 70-Year-Old Mystery of the Somerton Man
The Persian words “Tamam Shud” were torn off a book and stuck in his pockets.
On December 1, 1948, two teenage boys find a man’s body slumped against a seawall on Somerton beach in Adelaide, South Australia. Dressed in a suit and tie, the man’s few belongings make it impossible for police to identify him. The Persian words Tamam Shud (“it’s finished” or “the end”) were found inside his pockets connecting him to a woman who lived near the beach. A rejected lover or a Cold War spy, the theories surrounding his identity have not stopped swirling since the day he was found.
More than 70 years later, the Tamam Shud case is still unsolved. Now, Australian investigators have exhumed the body in hopes of using new technology to solve the case. This is what we know so far.
The Investigation
The Crime Scene
The body of a man was found around 6 AM on December 1, 1948, slumped up against a seawall with his legs crossed, looking like he had too much to drink and had fallen asleep.
