TAMAM SHUD: THE MAN WHO DIED WITH “IT IS FINISHED” IN HIS POCKET SOMERTON MAN

An unidentified death on an Australian beach that remains unexplained decades later

Discovery at Somerton Beach

On the evening of December 1, 1948, a well dressed man was found seated against a seawall on Somerton Beach. His legs were crossed and his head rested gently against the stone. There were no visible injuries and no immediate signs of distress.

Several people passed by and assumed he was asleep.

By the early morning hours of December 2, the man was confirmed deceased. Police were called, and the area was secured. At first glance, nothing about the scene suggested violence, yet the absence of identification immediately raised concern.

A postmortem photograph of the unidentified man later known as the Somerton Man, taken during the original 1948 investigation.

Somerton Beach in Adelaide, South Australia, where the unidentified man was found seated against a seawall in December 1948.

The Condition of the Body

The man was estimated to be between 40 and 45 years old. He was physically fit, clean shaven, and appeared well groomed. He was wearing a jacket, tie, pressed trousers, and polished shoes despite the warm summer weather.

All clothing labels had been carefully removed.

An autopsy was conducted shortly after his death. The examination found no clear cause. Some organs showed signs of congestion, but there were no obvious injuries or diseases that could explain his sudden death. Toxicology testing at the time was limited, and no poison was conclusively identified.

The coroner ultimately recorded the cause of death as unknown.

The Unidentified Suitcase: Somerton Man

Weeks later, police located a brown suitcase left at the Adelaide railway station. The contents included clothing consistent with the man’s size and style, shaving items, and personal effects.

Several items appeared altered or deliberately marked, including clothing with missing labels and a stenciled name that did not correspond to any verified person connected to the case.

Despite investigation, authorities were never able to conclusively link the suitcase to a confirmed identity.

Police examining the contents of a suitcase believed to be connected to the Somerton Man case, discovered at the Adelaide railway station.

The Hidden Message: Taman Shud

Months after the man’s death, a small rolled piece of paper was discovered concealed inside a secret pocket sewn into his trousers. Printed on the paper were the words “Tamám Shud.”

The phrase is Persian and translates to “It is finished” or “The end.”

Investigators later traced the paper to a torn page from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a well known book of poetry. A copy of the book was eventually found inside a nearby car. The final page had been torn out, and the tear was consistent with the scrap found on the man.

The small scrap of paper reading “Tamám Shud” that was found concealed in the Somerton Man’s clothing.

The Cipher

Inside the recovered book were several lines of handwritten letters. These markings have often been described as a cipher or coded message.

Over the decades, cryptographers, linguists, and intelligence agencies have examined the letters. No verified decoding has ever been confirmed. Some experts believe the markings may not be a cipher at all, but rather a form of personal shorthand or meaningless notation.

No official explanation has been accepted.

Handwritten letter sequences discovered inside a copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam linked to the Tamám Shud investigation.

The Woman Known as “Jestyn”

Police traced the book to a woman living in Adelaide who had previously given a copy of the Rubaiyat to a man during World War II. She denied knowing the deceased and stated she had never seen him before.

When shown a plaster bust created from the man’s face, witnesses reported that she appeared visibly unsettled. However, no physical or documentary evidence ever linked her to him.

Her statements were never disproven, and no charges or formal accusations were made.

Theories and Interpretation

Over the years, theories have included suicide, accidental poisoning, and espionage.

No official records confirm that the man was a spy, and no intelligence agency has ever acknowledged involvement. Likewise, no specific poison has been identified that definitively explains his death.

All such interpretations remain speculative.

Modern DNA Developments

Advances in forensic genealogy led to renewed investigation in the twenty first century. In 2022, researchers announced that DNA analysis strongly suggested the Somerton Man was likely an individual named Carl Webb.

The identification has been widely reported and supported by genetic evidence, though formal legal processes and documentation continue to be reviewed by authorities. Even with a probable name, the circumstances of his death remain unknown.

An Unfinished Ending

More than seventy years later, the Tamám Shud case remains unresolved.

Why were his clothing labels removed. Why hide a message meaning “It is finished.” And what truly happened in his final hours on the beach.

Despite modern science narrowing the mystery of who he may have been, the reason for his death has never been established.

Like the message found in his pocket, the case suggests a conclusion without explanation.

The memorial stone marking the burial of the unidentified man found on Somerton Beach on December 1, 1948.