The Somerton Man has been exhumed from his resting place in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery, with police optimistic about the prospects of recovering DNA.
Key points:
- The complete remains of the Somerton Man have been recovered
- Police said the remains were in "reasonable" condition
- It will now be up to Forensic Science SA to see whether they can recover a DNA profile
The remains of the unidentified man were placed inside a new coffin, which has been taken away for DNA analysis.
Police conducting the exhumation at the grave found an identification tag confirming the remains were those of the Somerton Man, whose body was found on an Adelaide beach 73 years ago.
A small excavator and earthmover were earlier used to remove the hard topsoil, before a marquee tent was set up directly over the gravesite.
Once the dig progressed, a wooden spatula and small brush were then used to carefully remove the bones from the ground.
ABC News: Steve Opie
)The exhumation, which began around sunrise, continued for about 12 hours.
"Everything has gone smoothly and we're happy that we've recovered the complete remains of the Somerton Man," Detective Superintendent Des Bray said.
"He's now been formally delivered in our care to take to the Forensic Science centre.
"Over the coming days we'll consult with colleagues at Forensic Science SA and make a determination as to how we proceed from a forensic perspective.
"What work [we do] will be dependent on the amount of DNA and the quality of that sample, and we can't predict what that will be yet."
Superintendent Bray said that despite the intense public interest, the human side of the case should not be forgotten.
"It's important for everybody to remember that the Somerton Man's not just a curiosity or a mystery to be solved. It's somebody's father or son, perhaps grandfather, uncle or brother. That's why we're doing this and trying to identify him," he said.
"There are people we know who live in Adelaide who believe they may be related and they deserve to have a definitive answer."
ABC News: Sarah Mullins
)The Somerton Man's body was found on Adelaide's Somerton beach on December 1, 1948, but his identity and the cause of his death had never been determined.
The case has gained prominence in the past seven decades because of speculation he was a spy or a forlorn lover, and because of the number of unusual clues linked to it.
"There was all this earlier talk about whether he was a Russian spy, whether he was involved in the black market, whether he was a sailor – there's just been lots of theories over time, that he was a military person," Superintendent Bray said.
"The truth of it is, nobody knows … [but] somewhere, there is somebody who's missing this person."
Forensic Science SA's assistant director of operations, Anne Coxon, said DNA specialists, an anthropologist and a pathologist would be involved in the forensic examination.
ABC News: Michael Clements
)She said a range of different DNA techniques would be used, but cautioned that "we may or may not be successful".
"The fact that the remains have also been embalmed [72 years ago] adds another complication, and that's because the embalming fluid can break down the DNA," Dr Coxon said.
"Even if we do find DNA present, we may not actually find a match. It will depend on who's on the databases that we're looking at and what information can be extracted from the comparison that's made."
ABC News
)The order to exhume the Somerton Month was granted by Attorney-General Vickie Chapman, who expressed hope that there would be a conclusion "after 70 years".
"It's been of academic interest, it's been studied, it's been investigated," she said.
"It's important to the public."
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2021-05-19 08:07:18Z
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