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why I'm sad that the case of the Somerton Man may finally be solved

by Jaimie

By JaimiePublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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The case of the Somerton Man has inspired a generation of internet sleuths and crime enthusiasts. Filled with mystery and intrigue and even some suggestion of links to secret-agent espionage, the case of the Somerton Man is entirely fascinating. But now, following the exhumation of the Somerton Man's body and advances in DNA testing, there is a fair chance that this case could be solved. We might finally find out who the Somerton Man is, how he died, and maybe even why he died.

Also known at the 'Tamam Shud Case', the case of the Somerton Man began in 1948 when a man's body was found lying on the Somerton Park beach, in Adelaide, South Australia. Despite circulating his image and having people come to identify his body, the Somerton Man has never been unanimously positively identified. All of the tags were removed from his clothes and he had no belongings on him. The investigation also couldn't determine a cause of death.

The Somerton Man was found with a scrap of paper ripped from a book reading "Tamam Shud". This is a Persian phrase that means "it's over" or "it's finished". The book it was ripped from was eventually found and inside was an encrypted message that even to this day has not been deciphered.

Given the nature of the encrypted message and the proximity of the case to the recent World War II, it was thought that the man potentially belonged to a government agency, foreign or domestic, as a spy or a subject of interest. However, none have claimed him, whether in Australia or elsewhere.

There have been a number of proposed identifications over the years, however, none of these have stuck. There have been several people who positively identified the man as someone they knew. One of the proposed identifications was a wood-cutter known as Robert Walsh. However, some of these statements were retracted, and other individuals identified the body as belonging to someone else entirely.

One of the more compelling identifications of the body came from a comparison of an ID photo originally issued in 1918 and found in 2011. The photo was of one H. C. Reynolds. Although there were some similarities in facial structure and ear shape which attributed to a "positive" identification by some researchers, this is disputed by other researchers who suggest that H. C. Reynolds may actually be a man who died in 1958 and therefore could not have been the Somerton Man.

The above are just a few of the circumstances surrounding the case. The case has existed for several decades, and yet there seems to be more questions than answers. Who was he really? How did he die? What is the encrypted message and why is it encrypted? Why does no one seem to recognise him? Why 'Tamam Shud'?

The Somerton Man was buried in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery over 70 years ago and, following international interest in the case, the Somerton Man has now been exhumed in the hope that improved DNA testing will finally answer some of our questions regarding this perplexing case. Even though there are a number of positive implications for the findings, including potentially bringing closure to long-lost family members, bringing closure to the general public, and utilising new-found identification techniques I can't help but be a little sad about the end to the mystery, and here are some reasons why.

It's the Perfect Cold Case

If you had to come up with the idea for a cold case, this case would be the perfect thing to write. It has a secret code, an unidentified man, twists and turns. It has everything. The case of the Somerton Man has been cold for decades. There has been very little headway in that time and there are very few clues in the case at all. It is literally the epitome of mystery and intrigue. There are a generation of internet sleuths out there still trying to solve that encrypted message, to figure out where he came from. The story is legend. If he is suddenly revealed as anything, if any answers are revealed, that mystery will disintegrate.

He's on His Own

This one ties into the last one; bear with me. One of the biggest things that I note about this case is that he seems very alone. There's no consensus on who he is whatsoever, whether between the people who came to try to identify him or between more recent researchers currently. Not a single government agency has claimed him as their own. He was left alone on the beach. He is on his own. The thing that has brought him this much attention is his mystery.

There are a few theories about how he came to be on the beach that day. There is a theory that he was assassinated, a theory that he died of natural causes, and a theory that he caused his own death intentionally. If any of them, he still died on his own and it's awful that no one came forward to claim him, or that those who did come forward could not agree about it. But he has claimed public attention and that's something I think he should maintain.

In addition, if the last theory presented above is correct, then one could further extrapolate that he maybe wanted to create a lasting mystery about his identity and his death. Why take that away from him?

The Anticipation

My concern is that the anticipation for answers will be greater than what the answers actually are. Maybe we do translate that encrypted message and it's just a grocery list and the Somerton Man was just really enthusiastic about codes. Maybe he isn't a spy. There are so many details in this case that have been built up in the public's mind, and in mine, that I'm concerned that the truth just won't live up to it. I'm concerned that the truth won't be nearly as bizarre.

More Questions Than Answers

The Somerton Man was exhumed just recently in May 2021 and it was reported that the remains are in good condition. The police are optimistic about the outcomes of DNA testing and their current investigation. However, there are some concerns that maybe the DNA testing and subsequent DNA tracing and genetic mapping may result in more questions than answers. Maybe it could lead to a breakthrough in the case, or maybe it just won't.

Furthermore, being that the case is almost 80 years old, we might find out who he is but we might not find out how he got to be on that beach that day. It could be that some questions get answered. But the people that knew him may be dead by now. The records of him and his life may be lost to time. We could have a name, but we might not have anything else. My concern over this point is that it is enough closure for everyone to lose interest in the case and not search harder for more details, but not enough closure to do the Somerton Man and his mystery true justice.

For these reasons, I'm a little sad about the case potentially receiving a resolution. But that will not stop me from finding out every last detail about the case. I want to know as much as the next person - as long as the next person wants to know everything. I hope that the Somerton Man Case does get some closure. I just hope that it retains some of its public intrigue, too.

investigation
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About the Creator

Jaimie

Amateur writer

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