Somerton Man to be exhumed by police in attempt to solve mystery
The remains of the mysterious Somerton Man will be exhumed by police in the hope that DNA samples could solve the case that has baffled detectives, researchers and amateur sleuths for more than seven decades.
After years of public discussion about digging up his remains, SA Police has now had an exhumation order approved by Attorney-General Vickie Chapman, who said the case had generated "intense public interest".
"This man could be someone's father, brother or cousin, and those relatives and friends deserve answers," she said.
"South Australia Police has since come to me with the funding and an application, and I have approved it.
Detective Superintendent Des Bray, from SA Police's Major Crime division, said that improvements in technology would give forensic experts the best chance yet "to possibly identify the man through his DNA".
"I won't speculate on how this man died, but there may also be potential to establish a definitive cause of death," he said.
SA Police will work with Forensic Science SA scientific staff and the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority to carry out the exhumation and reinterment of the man's body.
While a date for the exhumation has not yet been determined, Forensic Science SA director Linzi Wilson-Wilde said it would likely be in the "short term", and that the remains would be transferred to a laboratory for analysis.
"It's going to be extremely challenging in a technical sense — the remains have been buried for over 70 years and, in addition, the body was embalmed which adds further complications," Dr Wilson-Wilde said.