Unsolved Taman Shud Case - The Somerton Man

[QUOTE

So The Name Webb, is that surname Irish.?
Bolshevik by the sounds of it.
[/QUOTE]

It's derived from Middle English meaning a weaver of cloth. It's English/Scottish although the Scots element has me a bit baffled but that's what the research says.
 

johnymac1

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SM, carl webb, electrical engineer
In the electrical field, there were plenty of things that could of caused harm to the Electrical worker/ Electrical Engineer

He may have been an electrical engineer on a service call to a customer in Adelaide.

Electric shock.
When a small current is passed through the chest, it can result in ventricular fibrillation. If this is not treated immediately by defibrillation, it can be lethal as the heart muscle cells start moving independently. A shock more than 200 mA is so strong that it can literally stop the heart muscles from moving.
There are sometimes delayed effects to a electric shock, he may have felt ill, if he received one.

If you receive a shock today they will urge you to go to the Emergency Department, and be monitored for a erratic heart beat over a few hours. ECG

there is large list of substances used in electrical installations, potential dangerous if there is long term exposure-
Transformer oil, mercury, lead, acid, capacitor electrolytic, etc.

SM autopsy suggested there were issues with the liver and kidney. but they suggested his heart stopped.
with electric shocks, there is normally entry and exit marks, there is a slim chance he died due to effects of electric shock!
 
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johnymac1

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Ive always wondered what his tools were for

In his case, were found the following items-

1 pair scissors in scabbard and bound with sticking plaster.

1 knife in in scabbard and bound with sticking plaster.

1 stencil brush containing an unidentified black powder within bristles.

1 small screwdriver.

1 pair broken scissors.

Given, we have now determined his trade. He could have been engaged in repairing something.
I was searching possible machines of the era. Electro mechanical devices.

A few devices come to mind, like a Morse code receiver, or some kind of telex machine. Printing industry?
 

FTY1

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SM, carl webb, electrical engineer
In the electrical field, there were plenty of things that could of caused harm to the Electrical worker/ Electrical Engineer

He may have been an electrical engineer on a service call to a customer in Adelaide.

Electric shock.
When a small current is passed through the chest, it can result in ventricular fibrillation. If this is not treated immediately by defibrillation, it can be lethal as the heart muscle cells start moving independently. A shock more than 200 mA is so strong that it can literally stop the heart muscles from moving.
There are sometimes delayed effects to a electric shock, he may have felt ill, if he received one.

If you receive a shock today they will urge you to go to the Emergency Department, and be monitored for a erratic heart beat over a few hours. ECG

there is large list of substances used in electrical installations, potential dangerous if there is long term exposure-
Transformer oil, mercury, lead, acid, capacitor electrolytic, etc.

SM autopsy suggested there were issues with the liver and kidney. but they suggested his heart stopped.
with electric shocks, there is normally entry and exit marks, there is a slim chance he died due to effects of electric shock!
That is the most logical explanation I have heard. Easier to come to that conclusion once you have an occupation assuming this is the correct guy. Often lightning strike victims die of heart attacks too. Once the heart is weakened there can be followup heart attacks.
 

Redacted

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Statement regarding Somerton Man

27 Jul 2022 3:44pm


Statement from a Police Spokesperson: "South Australia Police are still actively investigating the ‘Somerton Man’ coronial matter. We are heartened of the recent development in that case, and are cautiously optimistic that this may provide a breakthrough.
We look forward to the outcome of further DNA work to confirm the identification which will ultimately be determined by the Coroner."
ENDS



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Redacted

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Regarding the Webb surname.

His father Richard Webb was born in Hamburg Germany according to his father's naturalisation records. Arrived in Australia as a single 20 year old. Took out naturalisation in 1914

His father entered Australia as a passenger on a ship from Portsmouth in England though.
"Australia, Victoria, Inward Passenger Lists, 1839-1923", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGYD-2WMJ : 15 October 2019), Richard Webb, 1884.

No records found in Germany under Webb.
I suspect the the name Webb has been anglicised from a similar sounding German surname like Wiebcke or shortening of Webber etc.
However sailing from Portsmouth could also suggest that he lied upon his Naturalisation application, as he was actually 18, not 20 when he arrived.

As we haven't found Carl's patriarchal line yet, it's going to make it a little more difficult to officially confirm that Carl is the Somerton Man

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johnymac1

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That is the most logical explanation I have heard. Easier to come to that conclusion once you have an occupation assuming this is the correct guy. Often lightning strike victims die of heart attacks too. Once the heart is weakened there can be followup heart attacks.
poisoning would probably result in convulsing. you would see some disturbance in the sand,
Yeah I've always wondered about his tools, you would expect to see spanners or pliers
 

johnymac1

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Vic BDM has Carl Webb registered birth in 1906

Married Dorothy Jean Robertson in 1941

No death notice

Interestingly a Dorothy Jean Webb married a Walter Clifford Brown in 1942 - which sends us to WW2 records - no entry for Carl or Charles - wrong Dorothy Jean

Dorothy Jean Brown passes in 1986 in Victoria with the maiden name Webb
I wonder if they have searched for death notices Australia wide?
 

CD Xbow

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SM, carl webb, electrical engineer
In the electrical field, there were plenty of things that could of caused harm to the Electrical worker/ Electrical Engineer

He may have been an electrical engineer on a service call to a customer in Adelaide.

Electric shock.
When a small current is passed through the chest, it can result in ventricular fibrillation. If this is not treated immediately by defibrillation, it can be lethal as the heart muscle cells start moving independently. A shock more than 200 mA is so strong that it can literally stop the heart muscles from moving.
There are sometimes delayed effects to a electric shock, he may have felt ill, if he received one.

If you receive a shock today they will urge you to go to the Emergency Department, and be monitored for a erratic heart beat over a few hours. ECG

there is large list of substances used in electrical installations, potential dangerous if there is long term exposure-
Transformer oil, mercury, lead, acid, capacitor electrolytic, etc.

SM autopsy suggested there were issues with the liver and kidney. but they suggested his heart stopped.
with electric shocks, there is normally entry and exit marks, there is a slim chance he died due to effects of electric shock!
Good thought but zero chance. Late death from electric shocks doesn't really happen here, 240V either kills you or you survive and you remain OK, different in the US, they see a much greater range of injury, potentially leading to late deaths. Also I don't think there were any entry or exit burns noted in the autopsy.
 

EyeMedia

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The Carl 'Charles' Webb mystery is far from over, even if we now have a 'Positive ID' on his name.

His cause of death is still unknown - natural causes, suicide, poisoning/murder, etc...

Carl was one of six children, and he was the only one with no death certificate.

If he was in Adelaide temporarily on a work assignment, why didn't his company report him missing, and why didn't his family and friends also report him missing? Nobody seemed to notice his disappearance. He must've known at least a few people who would be alarmed or alerted by his absence.

Did he own or rent a house that he never returned to or stopped paying for? Did he have any unpaid debts (to banks, etc) that they would pursue him for?

The reference to 'Tamam Shud' suggests that either Carl or his murderer intended things to come to an end. It was planned.
 
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FTY1

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The Carl 'Charles' Webb mystery is far from over, even if we now have a 'Positive ID' on his name.

His cause of death is still unknown - natural causes, suicide, poisoning/murder, etc...

Carl was one of six children, and he was the only one with no death certificate.

If he was in Adelaide temporarily on a work assignment, why didn't his company report him missing, and why didn't his family and friends also report him missing? Nobody seemed to notice his disappearance. He must've known at least a few people who would be alarmed or alerted by his absence.

Did he own or rent a house that he never returned to or stopped paying for? Did he have any unpaid debts (to banks, etc) that they would pursue him for?

The reference to 'Tamam Shud' suggests that either Carl or his murderer intended things to come to an end. It was planned.
Maybe he said I am leaving to find my wife to reconcile and no one opened the media files. Perhaps he was only called for emergencies so people only ever dealt with him once or twice for his employment.

Maybe he wasn't close to his family.
 

EyeMedia

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The bolded is an assumption, from which you work back to make facts fit, not how investigations work.
No investigation seemed to "work", certainly not by the police.

The shortcomings of police investigative work was highlighted in Adelaide due to limited success, if any success at all, in the Adelaide Oval, Beaumont kids and Family Murders cases. Sure, times have changed and advances have been made in all areas of investigation and technology. But Adelaide suffered a series of notable cases, crimes, murders, disappearances and deaths that police failed to crack. Calls for the public to come forward and assist failed consistently. Without that, the very thing that makes police work far easier for police, the cops were baffled.
 
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Maybe he said I am leaving to find my wife to reconcile and no one opened the media files. Perhaps he was only called for emergencies so people only ever dealt with him once or twice for his employment.

Maybe he wasn't close to his family.
First thought I had after reading the below article was why did nobody report him missing or recognise him when his photo was published. A fairly large family just wrote him off or forgot him?
 

Redacted

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A bloke named Charles Webb plays Superintendent Hare in this low budget amateurish "movie" filmed in 1947 called The Glenrowan Affair. It was released in 1951. It was considered to be one of the worst films ever made in Australia.
Could someone watch it to see if the bloke playing Superintendent Hare is Carl Webb?

12e6320cf96a75f6c57df99bcb43da12.jpg


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FTY1

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A bloke named Charles Webb plays Superintendent Hare in this low budget amateurish "movie" filmed in 1947 called The Glenrowan Affair. It was released in 1951. It was considered to be one of the worst films ever made in Australia.
Could someone watch it to see if the bloke playing Superintendent Hare is Carl Webb?

12e6320cf96a75f6c57df99bcb43da12.jpg


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I get George Webb as Superintendent Hare not Charles or Carl? That is on IMDB and another site.
 

Redacted

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I get George Webb as Superintendent Hare not Charles or Carl? That is on IMDB and another site.
Wouldn't surprise me if half the sites get the names wrong. So not sure if he's our man anyway, even if he's Charles. Maybe a half decent screen shot to see if whoever it is looks similar to the corpse photos might help.

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FTY1

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Possible picture of the Somerton Man in a group of football players. If anyone cares or can guess which one he is. If of course it is the same C Webb.
 

Possible picture of the Somerton Man in a group of football players. If anyone cares or can guess which one he is. If of course it is the same C Webb.

I might have picked on the wobbly arrow in the front row but if the order of names goes from the front row left to right, the middle row left to right and the back row left to right, C. Webb is centre of the middle row, which is similar in look to the image of the real Carl Webb's brother.

CWebb.png
 

FTY1

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I might have picked on the wobbly arrow in the front row but if the order of names goes from the front row left to right, the middle row left to right and the back row left to right, C. Webb is centre of the middle row, which is similar in look to the image of the real Carl Webb's brother.

View attachment 1478988
I suspect that even though it is 1921 someone will have details of the photo from a parent or grandparent. It is amazing how these things go. In a couple of days there may be confirmation or not.
 
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