“The highly anticipated exhumation of the remains of the mysterious Somerton Man is underway — the first step towards potentially developing a DNA profile and cracking the decades-long cold case.

“Crews have been carefully digging at the man’s resting place in Adelaide’s West Terrace Cemetery — beneath a headstone that refers to him simply as “the unknown man” — from 6:00am this morning.

“The exhumation could be the first step in a potentially lengthy process, but there are unanswered questions about the condition of the man’s body and whether DNA can be retrieved.

“The identity and cause of death of the Somerton Man have remained a mystery ever since his body was spotted by passers-by slumped against the seawall at Somerton Beach on December 1, 1948.”

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