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The Somerton Man: DNA, Hidden Clues and a 70-Year Mystery Solved
The Somerton Man mystery baffled investigators for more than 70 years. Now Professor Derek Abbott reveals how DNA and genetic genealogy finally identified the unknown man found dead on Somerton Beach as Charles Webb.
On 1 December 1948, a smartly dressed man was discovered dead on a beach near Adelaide, Australia. He carried no identification, and every label had been removed from his clothing. Hidden inside a tiny pocket was a scrap of paper bearing the Persian words “Tamám Shud”—meaning “finished” or “the end.”
The discovery created one of Australia’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
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