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Dead Man Found on Australian Beach in 1948 Finally Identified
Is the 74-year mystery of the Somerton Man finally solved?
In December 1948, the body of a man was found on Somerton Beach, South Australia. He was well-dressed and in good physical condition. But his identity was a mystery.
Until now.
During the Cold War, people assumed that an unidentified, well-presented and physically fit man must surely be a spy. Australians’ imaginations were set alight and for decades the Somerton Man made riveting dinner party conversation.
It wasn’t until 2022 that the Somerton Man’s identity was finally said to be confirmed, thanks to the power of DNA and ancestry databases.
Has one of Australia’s biggest mysteries finally been solved?
A mysterious discovery
At 6:30 am on 1 December 1948, police were informed about a man’s body found on Somerton Beach in suburban Adelaide, South Australia.
The man lay with his head and shoulders resting against the seawall. He could easily have been taking a seaside nap, possibly after a few drinks, which is what witnesses who’d seen him the previous night assumed.
