- He wore a jacket on top of a pullover on a very warm day. This almost certainly indicates he was not a local. It probably also rules out the theory that he was a stockman from Queensland. A Queenslander would not be accustomed to overdressing so warmly.
- His fingerprints did not match any known records. This may be a sign he had no criminal history. Though it could be simply due to lost records over the war period.
- His teeth did not match any known records. It could be simply due to lost records over the war period. It could also mean that his teeth were not correctly recorded and that we should now double check his teeth via disinterment of the body.
- The ginger tinge of his hair plus large limbs could point toward a Scottish ancestry. This means the probability of a Scottish ancestry is a little higher, but by no means certain.
- He obviously had a certain degree of education. He was clean, tidy, had no tattoos, and had the means to survive without signs of manual labour. It appears he understood the meaning of "Tamám Shud", which would appear to put him in a fairly high bracket of cultural education. Also these factors would suggest he would fit into the upper middle classes of the time.
- The fact the his feet had no callouses, is quite significant as it indicates he had the means to buy well fitting shoes. This together with his soft hands, weighs against inferring that his occupation was cargo stenciling. Firstly, he seems to have higher status than that and secondly if he worked everyday with a stenciling knife one would expect nicks and marks on his hands. The presence of what appears to be stenciling equipment was either a 'cover' or perhaps an occasional hobby.
- It seems likely he was able to read English. His spoken English was proficient enough to travel to Adelaide without being overly noticed.
- He had sufficient money to travel, had respectable clothes, new shoes, and a new suitcase.
- His cleanliness and shoes indicate that he was certainly not destitute.
- No one reported him missing. This could either mean he was originally an orphan with no family; or perhaps as it was 1948 it is not inconceivable that he lost all his family in the war.
- Also the absence of a wedding ring, together with the lack of anyone claiming him suggests he was single rather than married.
- Given that he appeared to have a certain amount of discipline, tidiness, kept his shoes spit polished, and was physically fit, points towards the likely possibility of him having served in an army during the war.
- The fact he was uncircumcised probably rules out him being Jewish. Around 1900, general infant circumcision was taken up in America and Australia as it was believed to be healthy. In the UK, it was not generally practiced but was more of a status symbol for the upper classes to be circumcised at birth. Thus, if the Somerton Man was a native English speaker it is more likely he was from the UK than Australia or the USA. However, as circumcision rates in the USA and Australia were under 50% pre-1930s, the possibility that he was American or Australian cannot be totally ruled out.
- The fact he had airmail stickers in his suitcase indicates that he probably had overseas contacts and certainly had the intentionality to communicate with someone overseas.
Circumstances[]
- He died of unnatural causes, most probably due to an undetected poison. On death there were no signs that he had vomited. Though it is possible he might have vomited just before sitting on the beach. But then why was there a pastie in his stomach? We can assume he did not defecate or urinate on death, as these details would have been reported at the autopsy.
- When he died he was wearing: coat, shoes, shirt, pullover, jockey underpants, singlet, pair of trousers made of Crusader Cloth, socks, and a tie.
- He did not seem to have a hat. Yet he wore a suit and traveled. This is a little strange for 1948. Usually a hat was always worn if you were wearing a suit. The possibility that it blew off at the beach, is inconsistent with the fact a half-smoked cigarette was balanced on his shirt collar. Whatever happened to his hat probably occurred at the time he parted with his wallet.
- On the 30th November 1948, the maximum temperature was 72 F (or 22 deg C), and it was a warm evening. This is inconsistent with the need for the man to wear a pullover and coat at the beach. This strongly indicates that he was a stranger to the area.
- The shoes he was wearing looked new and the suitcase looked new.
- The items he was carrying at the time of death were: (1) an Army Club cigarette packet containing Kensitas cigarettes, (2) a box of Bryant and May matches (quarter full), (3) a packet of Juicy Fruit chewing gum (half full), (4) two combs, (5) a piece of paper bearing the words "Tamám Shud", (6) a used bus ticket to Glenelg, and (7) an unused second-class rail ticket to Henley Beach.
- The Kensitas cigarettes were more expensive than Army Club. A custom of the time was to put your cigarettes in a better packet. However, he put his in a cheaper packet. Could the cigarettes be the mode of poisoning?
- He arrived in Adelaide and proceeded to the suburb of the former nurse Jestyn who's number was in the poetry book. He died only half a mile away from her residence. This indicates a certain amount of intentionality that he was there to see her for some reason.
- One blade of barley grass was found inside one of his socks that he was wearing. For a tidy man this does seem a little strange.
- He had had a haircut possibly within 4-2 weeks of death. We know this because when Paul Lawson made a plaster cast of his ears, the hair was neatly trimmed back and it did not get in the way of the mould. If the man had been contemplating suicide for several weeks, one might expect that he would have taken less care of his hair.