Somerton Man

[Paralithic]

Will the Somerton Man finally be identified?

The body of a man found on a South Australian beach more than 70 years ago will be exhumed in the hopes of solving one of the country's most intriguing mysteries.

The identity and cause of death of the so-called Somerton man remain unknown.

Over the years many theories have swirled as to his identity, from cold war spy to rejected lover.

Now, Australian police say advances in DNA technology make exhumation worthwhile.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-57166662

Did I read recently on Reddit that there is a possible daughter? Something to do with his ears.
Disclaimer-I read so many of these unresolved mysteries that I could be muddled up with another case.

Yes, there is something to do with the shape of the ears being linked genetically - there is this report that Somerton Man may have had a son with Jessica Thomson, and that he went on to have a daughter.

mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-15/a-marriage-and-a-mystery-somerton-man-romantic-twist/11377458?nw=0&pfmredir=sm

This is so exciting! I loved this mystery.

I also believe that Somerton Man may be the father of Jessica Thomson's son, and so his daughter (or is it granddaughter?) will be related.

There is a good Casefile podcast on this story.

Great, I love a good podcast!

Just finished listening to Death in Ice Valley, which I very much enjoyed.

Ooh it’s always fascinated me this case.

Yes, watching with interest for updates. The poor soul may not have been buried in a coffin though, so could be even more complicated.

He was buried in a coffin; some kind of heavy duty one, because they knew he might be exhumed in the future for identification.

I would love an answer to this mystery! Everybody who knew him is probably dead now, so I hope any revelations won't cause harm.

Would also love an answer about the Isdal Woman, but that seems less likely.

Following as this case always fascinated me!

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl yes, just been reading more on this again and see that he was embalmed in case of needing to carry out tests in the future. I've just read that he was buried in a coffin. Thought it was odd to read they weren't sure, in linked BBC article.

The Isdal woman is fascinating. Possibly because witnesses are still alive.

Hmm, even if they establish that he is the great grandfather of that woman, it still doesn't reveal his true identity. It'll be interesting to see what information they manage to come up with.

*the Isdal Woman!!

BettyUnderswoob I think the hope is that they'll find other familial DNA that will lead to his identity, rather than just finding out if he was the father of one or more of Jestyn's children. Like if they find matches with his great neices/nephews they could work out who his parents were. Here's hoping anyway!

Has anybody seen the facial reconstructions that were doing recently? www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/new-animation-shows-face-of-mystery-somerton-man/12717590 In the autopsy photo he looks Russian/Eastern European to me, but face-on I can imagine him with a more Western European accent.

Funny you should say that, Demon I always thought how much he looked like my Ukrainian ex!

Also wasn't there a chance he might have been an American soldier (or spy!) also?

I think spy is possible, especially given the removal of clothes labels. Interesting - that is something the Somerton Man and Isdal Woman have in common, the removal of labels from clothes.

I love the Somerton Man and Isdal Woman mysteries. So intriguing...

I'm sure there's one particular element that suggests he might have been in America. Something to do with the way his trousers were made? There are so many details and theories, it's hard to remember.

Placemarking - the 'Tamam Shud' mystery has fascinated me for years. Thanks for sharing that link. There used to be a brilliant piece on the BBC website about the 'Neil Dovestone' case which has been solved now of course but still worth a look. That was so strange..

Yes, definitely some items of clothing were thought to be of US origin.

Also, researchers have reconstructed the DNA profile of Jess Thomson’s son Robin which suggested that he had ancestral ties to the US along his paternal line.

It depends on whether his closest relatives have ever submitted DNA for genealogy purposes though. It's usual to be related to thousands of randoms, but that doesn't tell anyone anything. I guess they're hoping that the lady will be his granddaughter.

Yes I recall the stitching of his jacket was of a type unknown in Australia but common in the US.

That may have just been to deflect/mislead, though. I do hope they get to the bottom of this... someone somewhere must have missed him!