Tamám Shud (Somerton Man)
An unidentified man was found dead on an Australian beach. All labels were cut from his clothes. In his pocket: a scrap torn from a rare book reading 'Tamám Shud' (it is finished). A code was found. His identity remained unknown for 75 years.
The Somerton Man case was finally solved in 2022.
The Body
On December 1, 1948, at Somerton Beach, Adelaide, a well-dressed man was found with no identification, labels removed from his clothes, and cause of death unknown.
The Clue
A scrap of paper with the words “Tamám Shud” was hidden in his pocket. It was torn from a book, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and means “It is finished” in Persian.
The Book
The book was found later, thrown in a car near the beach, with the matching torn page, a coded message inside, and a phone number.
The Code
The code was never deciphered. It consisted of five lines of letters with multiple attempts made to crack it. It’s possibly a cipher, or meaningless—a mystery within a mystery.
The Identity
For 75 years the identity was unknown until DNA was finally used. The 2022 identification revealed him to be Carl Webb, a Melbourne engineer, and this was confirmed by family.
The Questions
Many questions still remain unanswered: Why did he die? Why was there a code in the book? Who was he meeting? Was he a spy, or was it heartbreak? Some mysteries remain.