Case File #018: The Somerton Man – Tamam Shud, No Identity
Status: Unsolved – Identity Confirmed in 2022, Cause Remains a Mystery
Date Filed: December 1, 1948
Last Reviewed: May 31, 2025
Location: Somerton Beach, Adelaide, Australia
Subject: Unknown Male (Later Identified as Carl “Charles” Webb)
Filed Under: Unexplained Death – Cold Case – Cryptic Evidence
Access Level: Partially Declassified – Government Files Withheld
Introduction: A Corpse, A Poem, and No Name
At dawn on December 1, 1948, a man was found dead on Somerton Beach, south of Adelaide, Australia. He was well-dressed in a suit and polished shoes, lying against a seawall as if sleeping. He had no ID, no wallet, and every clothing label had been cut out.
In his pocket was a tiny rolled-up scrap of paper—hidden deep in a fob pocket most people wouldn’t even check.
It read:
“Tamám Shud”
Farsi for “It is ended.”
This wasn't a suicide note. It was the final line of a Persian poetry book, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam—a 12th-century poet known for themes of mortality and the futility of life.
The man was never reported missing.
No one knew who he was.
And no one has ever agreed on how he died.
Discovery and First Observations
The body was discovered by two witnesses around 6:30 AM, partially propped up against a seawall. The man was estimated to be in his 40s or 50s, clean-shaven, athletic, and dressed as if for an evening outing.
Unusual details included:
- No hat, though hats were standard for that attire
- No wallet or ID
- All tags on clothes cut off
- A half-smoked cigarette balanced behind his ear
- His shoes were immaculately clean, unusual for someone walking on a beach
Police were called. An autopsy was ordered.
The Autopsy: A Body in Perfect Health
The coroner’s report found:
- No bruises, abrasions, or trauma
- A congested brain and internal organs
- An enlarged spleen, suggesting infection or poisoning
- The heart was healthy
- No evidence of toxins—but at the time, digitalis and other poisons were undetectable
Official cause of death?
“Unknown.” Possibly poisoning.
Toxicologists admitted they were “baffled.”
The Scrap of Paper
Weeks after the autopsy, authorities found a hidden inner pocket in the man’s pants. Inside was a tiny, rolled-up piece of paper, printed in an ornate font:
“Tamam Shud”
The phrase matched the final line of the Rubaiyat, a popular book of translated Persian poetry.
A public appeal was issued. Eventually, a man came forward with a copy of the Rubaiyat found in the back seat of his car—thrown through the open window, he claimed.
It fit the torn edge exactly.
The Code and the Book
Inside the book were two things:
- A phone number
A handwritten cipher-like sequence of letters:
MLIAOI
WTBIMPANETP
MLIABOAIAQC
ITTMTSAMSTGAB
To this day, the code remains unbroken.
Cryptanalysts believe it was not random—but whether it was a private cipher, spy code, or poetic shorthand is unknown.
The Woman: “Jestyn”
The phone number led to a woman named Jessica Thomson, known as “Jestyn.” She lived just blocks from where the body was found.
Jessica admitted to knowing The Rubaiyat and said she once gave a copy to a man named Alf Boxall—a wartime intelligence officer.
Police thought the dead man was Boxall—until they found Alf alive and well, with his copy of the Rubaiyat… intact.
When shown a plaster death mask of the Somerton Man, Jessica reportedly nearly fainted.
She denied knowing him.
Her family later revealed she spoke fluent Russian and may have had ties to intelligence services.
Spy Theory: Cold War Shadows
The case emerged at the dawn of the Cold War. Australia had become a key US ally in regional intelligence operations. The mysterious circumstances, the hidden code, and the poisoned man led many to believe:
- The Somerton Man was a Soviet spy, possibly killed over a compromised operation
- Jessica “Jestyn” was a local asset or agent
- The Rubaiyat was used as a cipher book, as was common in espionage
No files have ever been released linking the case to known espionage activity.
But the rumors never died.
Identification: 70 Years Later
In 2022, Professor Derek Abbott and genetic genealogists used hair from the death mask to extract viable DNA.
They identified the man as:
Carl "Charles" Webb, born in 1905 in Melbourne. A former electrical engineer and instrument maker.
He was never reported missing.
Why he traveled to Adelaide remains a mystery.
No confirmed cause of death has ever been established.
Remaining Mysteries
- Why were his clothes label-free?
- Why didn’t anyone report him missing?
- Why the Rubaiyat? Why that exact page?
- What does the code mean?
- What was Jessica Thomson hiding?
Carl Webb’s identification brought a name.
But not closure.
Conclusion: Ended, But Not Understood
The Somerton Man died alone.
He left no words—only a poetic whisper:
"Tamam Shud" — It is ended.
Yet we still don’t know how he died, what he was doing there, or why so many threads point to something deeper.
Perhaps it was suicide.
Perhaps it was murder.
Perhaps it was a secret that died with him.
Either way…
He didn’t just vanish. He became a riddle.
References
All sources used in this case are listed in the References Archive. Each link corresponds to verified data, public records, or expert documentation.