Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

The Somerton Man: The Tamam Shud Case

The Tamám Shud case, also knownas the Mystery of the Somerton Man, is an unsolved case of anunidentified man found dead in 1948 on the Somerton Park beach, justsouth of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The case is namedafter the Persian phrase tamám shud, meaning "ended"or "finished", which was printed on a scrap of paperfound months later in the fob pocket of the man's trousers. The scraphad been torn from the final page of a copy of Rubaiyat of OmarKhayyám, authored by 12th century poet Omar Khayyám. Tamám wasmisspelt as Tamán in many early reports, and this error has oftenbeen repeated, leading to confusion about the name in the media.

Following a public appeal by police,the book from which the page had been torn was located. On the insideback cover, detectives were able to read–through indentations leftfrom previous handwriting - a local telephone number, anotherunidentified number, and text that resembled an encrypted message.The text has not been deciphered or interpreted in a way thatsatisfies authorities on the case.

The case has been considered, since theearly stages of the police investigation, "one of Australia'smost profound mysteries". There has been intensespeculation ever since regarding the identity of the victim, thecause of his death, and the events leading up to it. Public interestin the case remains significant for several reasons: the deathoccurred at a time of heightened international tensions following thebeginning of the Cold War; the apparent involvement of a secret code;the possible use of an undetectable poison; and the inability ofauthorities to identify the dead man.

In addition to intense public interestin Australia during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Tamám Shudcase also attracted international attention. South Australian Policeconsulted their counterparts overseas and distributed informationabout the dead man internationally, in an effort to identify him. International circulation of a photograph of the man and details ofhis fingerprints yielded no positive identification. For example, inthe United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was unable tomatch the dead man's fingerprint with prints taken from files ofdomestic criminals. Scotland Yard was also asked to assist with thecase, but could not offer any insights.

In recent years, new evidence hasemerged, including an old identification card possibly identifyingthe Somerton Man as one H. C. Reynolds, and an ongoing DNA analysisof hair roots found on the plaster bust.

Discovery of body

On 1 December 1948 at 6:30 am, thepolice were contacted after the body of a man was discovered onSomerton Park beach near Glenelg, about 11 km (6.8 mi) southwest ofAdelaide, South Australia. The man was found lying in the sand acrossfrom the Crippled Children's Home, which was on the corner of TheEsplanade and Bickford Terrace. He was lying back with his headresting against the seawall, with his legs extended and his feetcrossed. It was believed the man had died while sleeping. An unlitcigarette was on the right collar of his coat. A search of hispockets revealed: an unused second-class rail ticket from Adelaide toHenley Beach; a bus ticket from the city that may not have been used;a US-manufactured, narrow aluminium comb; a half-empty packet ofJuicy Fruit chewing gum; an Army Club cigarette packet, whichcontained seven cigarettes of a different brand, Kensitas, and; aquarter-full box of Bryant & May matches.

Witnesses who came forward said that onthe evening of 30 November, they had seen an individual resemblingthe dead man lying on his back in the same spot and position near theCrippled Children's Home where the corpse was later found. A couplewho saw him at around 7 pm noted that they saw him extend his rightarm to its fullest extent and then drop it limply. Another couple whosaw him from 7:30 pm to 8 pm, during which time the street lights hadcome on, recounted that they did not see him move during the half anhour in which he was in view, although they did have the impressionthat his position had changed. Although they commented betweenthemselves that it was odd he was not reacting to the mosquitoes,they had thought it more likely that he was drunk or asleep, and thusdid not investigate further. One of the witnesses told the police sheobserved a man looking down at the sleeping man from the top of thesteps that led to the beach. Witnesses said the body was in the sameposition when the police viewed it.