Australia Australia - Tamam Shud Case - Male, Dec 1948

[TootsieFootsie]

Somerton Man remains exhumed after dig in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery

The Somerton Man has been exhumed from his resting place in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery, with police optimistic about the prospects of recovering DNA.

The remains of the unidentified man were placed inside a new coffin, which has been taken away for DNA analysis.

Police conducting the exhumation at the grave found an identification tag confirming the remains were those of the Somerton Man, whose body was found on an Adelaide beach 73 years ago.

A small excavator and earthmover were earlier used to remove the hard topsoil, before a marquee tent was set up directly over the gravesite.

Once the dig progressed, a wooden spatula and small brush were then used to carefully remove the bones from the ground.

The exhumation which began around sunrise, about 5:00am, continued for about 12 hours.

Superintendent Bray said that despite the intense public interest, the human side of the case should not be forgotten.

"It's important for everybody to remember that the Somerton Man's not just a curiosity or a mystery to be solved. It's somebody's father or son, perhaps grandfather, uncle or brother. That's why we're doing this and trying to identify him," he said.

"There are people we know who live in Adelaide who believe they may be related and they deserve to have a definitive answer."

 

[Cryptic]

Oh my... the resemblance, the running/athleticism and possibly the teeth.

The man was estimated to be 45 years old at the time of his death in 1948. Lets say he started running or another sport in his early twenties and also been educated at that time. This would give a start date of say 1923 or so.

Athletics in the 1920s were very largely an activity for those with high incomes. Though exceptions exist, most people did not have the leisure time nor the money to participate in athletics in that era. Public gyms were non existent and many public high schools did not have sports programs.

Universities and their associated sports programs were reserved for higher incomes. Then factor in that the common educational level was eighth grade. So a certain number of the athletically inclined never made it to high school.

Like athletics, a higher education was largely reserved for upper incomes in the 1920s. The man had a meaningful portion of the Rubaiyat in his pocket, thus strongly implying advanced education. The man's hands were also not indicative of manual labor ( a possible alternate source of an athletic physique).

In short, the totality of age, athleticism, reading interest / knowledge and "soft hands" suggests that whom ever he was, he was of at least upper middle class background.

 

[dotr]

May 19 2021
''Baffling cold case': Mystery Somerton man exhumed by SA police in bid to determine identity''

 

[flute4peace]

Really?

Yes really. Somerton Man 101.

 

[Angleterre]

Yes really. Somerton Man 101.

Mmmmm I wonder if he was Russian
Always been in the back of my mind for some inexplicable reason and moreso now !

 

[Rush4087]

Really (about the ballet?). No, not really, Totally unproven, in fact.

I would bet money that TSM didn’t perform balet, that he wasn’t into ballet, and that he may have never even been to a ballet in his life (this is jmo, but there are no facts that refute this). It was the Cold War. He had been of an age where he may have served in the war. I don’t think Ballet was big during the war.

It DEFINITELY is not “Somerton Man 101” knowledge that TSM was into ballet. No one, no one, has proven that the Somerton Man’s feet were, “without question, shaped by the harsh disciplines of dancing”.

It is overwhelmingly more likely that he was an elite athlete / trained soldier who had served (or was presently serving) in some discreet branch of the military - or that he’d been serving on a boat or in the special services during the last years of the war and the beginning of the Cold War. He may have worn pointed toe military boots with heels, or possibly work shoes that were too narrow for him. We just don’t know.

“Wiki” says: “according to the pathologist John Burton Cleland, the man was of a “Britisher” appearance and thought to be aged around 40-45…

…he had hands and nails that showed no sign of manual labor, big and little toes that met in a wedge shape, like those of a dancer or someone who wore boots with pointed toes, and high calf muscles consistent with people who regularly wore boots or shoes with heels or performed ballet.”

Of the two choices, I think it much more likely that the Somerton Man was athletic and someone who wore heeled boots with pointed toes or shoes that were too narrow while serving in a special forces branch of the military (conjecture) than he was a ballet dancer. There is ZERO evidence TSM “loved ballet”, and even less than ZERO evidence that he “loved ballet from a very young age.” Really? Where does this info come from?

Just wanted to try to keep us from going down a ballet rabbit hole. All jmo and basic knowledge from “Somerton Man 100”

 

[flute4peace]

Really (about the ballet?). No, not really, Totally unproven, in fact.

I would bet money that TSM didn’t perform balet, that he wasn’t into ballet, and that he may have never even been to a ballet in his life (this is jmo, but there are no facts that refute this). It was the Cold War. He had been of an age where he may have served in the war. I don’t think Ballet was big during the war.

It DEFINITELY is not “Somerton Man 101” knowledge that TSM was into ballet. No one, no one, has proven that the Somerton Man’s feet were, “without question, shaped by the harsh disciplines of dancing”.

It is overwhelmingly more likely that he was an elite athlete / trained soldier who had served (or was presently serving) in some discreet branch of the military - or that he’d been serving on a boat or in the special services during the last years of the war and the beginning of the Cold War. He may have worn pointed toe military boots with heels, or possibly work shoes that were too narrow for him. We just don’t know.

“Wiki” says: “according to the pathologist John Burton Cleland, the man was of a “Britisher” appearance and thought to be aged around 40-45…

…he had hands and nails that showed no sign of manual labor, big and little toes that met in a wedge shape, like those of a dancer or someone who wore boots with pointed toes, and high calf muscles consistent with people who regularly wore boots or shoes with heels or performed ballet.”

Of the two choices, I think it much more likely that the Somerton Man was athletic and someone who wore heeled boots with pointed toes or shoes that were too narrow while serving in a special forces branch of the military (conjecture) than he was a ballet dancer. There is ZERO evidence TSM “loved ballet”, and even less than ZERO evidence that he “loved ballet from a very young age.” Really? Where does this info come from?

Just wanted to try to keep us from going down a ballet rabbit hole. All jmo and basic knowledge from “Somerton Man 100”

Fair enough. My comment was referring to the fact that ballet was even part of discussion on the case, not trying to say he was for sure a dancer. I didn’t make that clear.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Somerton man: What happens now the Somerton man's body has been exhumed?

4 min Today Show video Professor Derek Abbott from University of Adelaide discusses the next steps in the Somerton man's case.

 

[dotr]

May 22, 2021
'Good condition' of Somerton man remains give investigators fresh hope
"The bones were in fact in good condition when they were recovered, and we do actually already have hair samples of the man from a museum, and at Adelaide University.
"We have extracted DNA from them. We've got all the DNA from his mother's side, for example, but it's not enough. It's not the type of DNA we need for an investigation. But it shows that there is DNA to be had there."
Proff Abbott said extracting DNA from the man's bones is a "different ball game from normal DNA extraction".
"Normally, in a crime scene, when you want to watch DNA between a suspected criminal and some DNA at the crime scene, you use something like 23 markers," he said.
"In this case, we use something like 800,000 markers it's completely different. It's not a crime-scene type deal.
"What one does, is one compares it with DNA on what's called genealogical websites not crime databases."

Somerton Man: The Facts (9News)

 

[Kemug]

I do wonder if there is anyone alive who does know the truth.

Probably not, it's been too long.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I was thinking more along the line that there could very well be someone who was later told what happened but because of whatever reason have kept it to themselves. They don't need to have even been alive at the time.

Probably not, it's been too long.

 

[Kemug]

Well, maybe. We can hope.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The Somerton man died alone on a beach in 1948. Now Australian scientists are close to solving the mystery

The children know the man whose portrait hangs above their playroom door as Mister S or Mister Somerton.

His real name remains a mystery more than 70 years after he was found dead in a smart brown suit on an Australian beach, a half-smoked cigarette resting on his collar.

The kids assume he's a distant relative, but he could just be a stranger whose story has fascinated their father for more than a decade.

University of Adelaide professor Derek Abbott first heard about the Somerton man in 1995, and has spent several years campaigning for his body to be exhumed so scientists can analyze his DNA to determine his identity.

 

[tarabull]

Australia's Somerton man died alone on a beach in 1948. Now scientists are close to solving the mystery - CNN

 

[Doeologist]

"Mmmmm I wonder if he was Russian
Always been in the back of my mind for some inexplicable reason and moreso now !"

He had First Nations DNA. It's not impossible to also be Russian but, without some proven cross fertilization, I'd rule out Russian suspects as I'd rule out the Scandinavian ones too.

Regarind the ballet, Rachel Egan's DNA test, if reliable, proves TSM is a close cousin match of Julian Randolph Pleasants and his mother, Mary Josephine Mathias, is listed as an amateur ballet dancer.

The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, January 27, 1900, Image 3 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress (loc.gov)

 

[Mbt]

What evidence is there that he had First Nations DNA?

 

[Doeologist]

“We see traces of Native American ancestry and chromosomes linked to relatives of Thomas Jefferson,” Fitzpatrick said. The Native American genes tied to the Somerton Man also come from tribes living along the East Coast, she said. “That puts Mr. X’s ancestry, with some authority, in America.”

DNA Just Tied A Mystery Death In Australia To Thomas Jefferson (buzzfeednews.com)

 

[snowgoose]

That article is from before he was exhumed for DNA analysis, they're saying that Robin Thomson's DNA shows that his father had Native American ancestry. It's theorised that his father was the Somerton Man, but not confirmed.

 

[Bethan]

“We see traces of Native American ancestry and chromosomes linked to relatives of Thomas Jefferson,” Fitzpatrick said. The Native American genes tied to the Somerton Man also come from tribes living along the East Coast, she said. “That puts Mr. X’s ancestry, with some authority, in America.”

DNA Just Tied A Mystery Death In Australia To Thomas Jefferson (buzzfeednews.com)

The headline of this 2016 Buzzfeed News article is a bit misleading.

The Somerton Man had not been exhumed at this point.

The DNA being discussed in the above article is the paternal line of Rachel Egan, who is now married to the University of Adelaide professor Derrick Abbott ( who has been seeking the identity of the unidentified man for many years.)

Rachel Egan is the daughter of Robert Thompson ( now deceased) who is thought to be the son of the Somerton Man due to having the same 2 very distinctive facial features ( of ears & teeth)

Comparison of an incomplete DNA sequence extracted from strands of hair ( which was presumed to be from the Somerton Man as retrieved from the plaster bust) have not matched the DNA of Rachel Egan.

As yet I don’t think DNA has been extracted from the exhumed body, which had been embalmed, though correct me if I’ve missed this information.

Let’s hope this process is successful & eventually the mystery is solved!

 

[Bethan]

That article is from before he was exhumed for DNA analysis, they're saying that Robin Thomson's DNA shows that his father had Native American ancestry. It's theorised that his father was the Somerton Man, but not confirmed.

Sorry snowgoose, I missed your post, in which you have made the same point, but put more succinctly!

( I am getting a lot of glitches on the site this morning)