Somerton Man
publication date: Monday, December 24, 2018 (part of Winter 2019)
category: Mysteries
clue: What do a millenium-old book of MIddle Eastern poetry and the genetic implications of the folds of an ear have to do with this murder victim? Not enough to solve the case.
explanation: "Somerton Man" is the name given to a corpse found in Australia in 1948. The case has fascinated the public ever since then, thanks to certain mysterious details, like a scrap of paper in his pocket torn from a rare copy of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. One modern-day expert discovered that the same unusual ear shape caused by the man's genetics is shared by the daughter of a woman connected to the case. more…
intended difficulty: hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Erik Bates, and Stan Iwanchuk