A photo of a 101-year-old junior football club and university enrollment records are some of the evidence coming to light that could identify who the mysterious Somerton Man was.
The hauntingly intriguing case of the Somerton Man has puzzled investigators for decades.
The man’s body was found resting against the seawall at Somerton Beach in Adelaide on 1 December 1948.
Inside his pocket were printed the words “Tamam Shud,” which means “finished” in Farsi.
He had an unsmoked cigarette resting on his chest, his hair perfectly placed and his double-breasted jacket pressed and in perfect condition.
All sorts of theories have been advanced over the decades, including that the Somerton man was a spy.
Earlier this year, University of Adelaide professor Derek Abbott claimed to have identified the man as Carl “Charles” Webb after forensic analysis of a plaster “death mask”, which spark a race to find out more about the man’s life.
A photo of Swinburne Technical College’s under-16 football team from 1921 resurfaced in August, when keen observers noticed a ‘C. Webb’ appearing on the team sheet.
Although it was speculated to be the same Charles Webb whose body remained unidentified for more than 70 years after being found on Somerton beach, the names in the photo are in no particular order.
For this reason, while the photo fascinated the group of detectives who have spent years tracking down the identity of the mystery man, it was not possible to completely determine which boy in the photo was C. Webb, or if he was the same Charles. Webb.
Recently discovered records from Swinburne University of Technology, however, have supported the theory.
Prof Abbott posted on Identifying the Somerton Man, a 1,400-member Facebook group dedicated to unraveling the mystery, showing enrollment records from Swinburne Technical College in 1920.
Listed was Charles Webb, date of birth 16 November 1905, which matches the man believed to be the Somerton man, as well as lining up with the football club photo.
This has brought Professor Abbott and his fellow researchers one step closer to piecing together the mystery of the man who was found leaning against the seawall at Somerton Beach in Adelaide on December 1, 1948.
The man, who remained unidentified for decades, attracted worldwide fascination, with some theories suggesting he was a Russian spy.
Police discovered a number of unusual items on his body when it was first recovered.
He was carrying an aluminum comb, a product not available in Australia, which suggested he had been to America recently, while his clothes were also of an American brand.
A small rolled up paper was found in his pocket, which read “Tamam Shud”, Farsi for “it is over” or “over”.
He had an unsmoked cigarette resting on his chest, his hair perfectly placed and his double-breasted jacket pressed and in perfect condition.
The man’s remains were exhumed in 2021, eventually leading to his identification as Webb, but investigations into his suspicious death continue.
Who Was ‘Carl Webb’ – The Somerton Man?
Professor Abbott said Mr Webb was born on November 16, 1905, making him 43 when he died.
He is said to have worked as an electrical engineer, the Advertiser reported.
He married Dorothy Robertson, who became known as Doff Webb. He left her in April 1947.
“He disappeared and she appeared in court, saying he had disappeared and she wanted a divorce,” said Colleen Fitzpatrick of Identifiers International.
In 1951, she had moved to Bute in South Australia and raised the possibility that Mr Webb had come to see her.
Forensic experts used hairs taken from a plaster “death mask” to analyze his DNA.
They used this DNA to build an extended family tree and were finally able to identify the Somerton man as Mr Webb on Saturday.
Mr. Webb has no record of death.
“By filling in this tree, we managed to find a first cousin three times removed on his mother’s side,” Professor Abbott told CNN.
“I felt like I had climbed and was at the top of Everest.”
Ms Fitzpatrick added: “It’s like one of those folklore mysteries that everyone wants to solve and we did.”
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