Scientists solve the mystery of 'The Gentleman' that's baffled police for almost 30 years
Lisa McLoughlin
Featured Image Credit: Murdoch University
Scientists in Australia have unravelled the decades-old mystery of an unknown man's body found floating in the North Sea, dubbed 'The Gentleman' by investigators.
The case has been baffling police since 1994 after his body was found off the coast of Heligoland, a German archipelago. The body showed signs of trauma and was weighed down by cast iron cobbler's feet.
The mystery man was subsequently known as 'Gentleman' due to the middle-class clothing he was found in, which included a wool tie, British-made loafers, French-made trousers and a long-sleeve blue dress shirt.
At the time of finding his body, German authorities determined he was between 45 and 50-years-old, and stood at 6ft 5in.
Advert
Now, 28 years later, criminologists and forensic scientists in Perth have made a breakthrough after they ran new tests, which revealed he had spent most of his life in Australia, using the principle of 'you are what you eat'.
Scientists from Murdoch University performed an isotope ratio analysis on his bones which showed he had lived most of his life Down Under.
Differences in climate, soil and human activity can change the isotopic compositions of food, water and human tissue, depending where in the world you are.
Recently, researchers from overseas universities were able to get a DNA profile of the unknown man, and scientists hope it could match with DNA being collected as part of Australia’s Missing Person's Week.
One of the directors of Murdoch University's Cold Case Review team, Brendan Chapman, shared his excitement and astonishment over the discovery, explaining how police had not previously explored Australia as a potential lead.
As reported by MailOnline, Chapman said: "What are the chances that from this small collection of universities working on this case, one would be from the country where the man originated?
"Without that they didn't know where to direct their inquiries and in fact they were probably looking mostly around Europe because that's obviously where he went missing.
"What that can now allow the German investigators to do is to focus their further efforts on Australia and they're able to now use their international networks to work with Australian law enforcement."
In recent years, investigators have been slowly revealing aspects of The Gentleman's case to the public.
Notably, authorities only disclosed in April the iron tools the man was weighed down with, and said he suffered violent blows to his head and upper body.
It is believed that his distinctive M&S-made tie with grey, brown, orange and green diagonal stripes may suggest he belonged to a specific club, organisation or public school.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]