Somerton Man: One of Australia's most baffling cold cases could be a step closer to being solved
RN BY JESSICA BINETH FOR THIS IS ABOUT
UPDATED ABOUT 7 HOURS AGO (as at 19:13 AEDT 14 December 2017)
It is one of Australia's greatest mysteries. On December 1, 1948, an unknown man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide.
Nobody knew who he was or how he died. But as the days went on, the case proved to be anything but straightforward.
Seventy years later, it remains unsolved.
It's a mystery that has captivated sleuths for decades.
But none more so than Derek Abbott, an engineering professor from the University of Adelaide, with an interest in mathematics, cryptography and forensic engineering, who is still trying to solve the case today.
In a twist akin to something you'd find in a detective novel, Derek is married to a woman he believes holds the answer to the man's identity and a recent breakthrough involving DNA means he might finally be able to prove it.
"Here is a man who has passed away and we don't know what his name is. And giving someone their name back is perhaps the most important thing we can do," Derek said.
Breakthrough in 70-year-old case
To prove his wife is, in fact, the Somerton Man's granddaughter, Derek needs a sample of the dead man's DNA. Twice he's petitioned the South Australian government to have the body exhumed, and twice his request has been denied.
But he recently had a huge breakthrough with the case.
"I have found three excellent hairs on the [plaster] bust that have their roots at the right development stage for extracting DNA and I have given these to Jeremy Austin at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide," Derek said.
But the results could take up to a year to process.
So, in the meantime, he is preparing his third petition to exhume the Somerton Man's body.
Read more at:
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-...se-could-be-one-step-closer-to-solved/9245512
Listen to the program at:
http://mobile.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/thisisabout/somerton-man/9256918