Credit: Australian police, via English WikipediaPublic domainSourceCOLDListenSomerton Park beach, Adelaide, South Australia · 1940s
An unidentified man was found dead on an Adelaide beach in 1948, in a case that remains officially unresolved despite a 2022 genetic-genealogy identification claim.
COLDListenRiver Torrens near Kintore Avenue, Adelaide, South Australia · 1972
George Duncan, a law lecturer at the University of Adelaide, drowned on 10 May 1972 after being thrown into the River Torrens by a group of men believed to be police officers at a known gay beat. Two former vice squad officers were later tried for manslaughter and acquitted; no one has ever been convicted, and the case remains open.
SOLVEDListenCoorong / Margaret Brock Reef area, near Kingston SE, South Australia · 1840
In 1840, up to 26 shipwrecked passengers and crew of the brigantine Maria were killed by Aboriginal people on the Coorong in South Australia; a punitive police expedition later summarily hanged two Aboriginal men without trial, sparking lasting controversy over colonial law and justice.
UNSOLVEDListenTowitta, South Australia · 1902
Thirteen-year-old Bertha Schippan was stabbed and slashed to death at her family's home in Towitta, South Australia, on the night of 1 January 1902. Her sister Mary was tried for the murder but acquitted, and the case remains unsolved.
The files run from 1840 to 1992. The 1970s hold the most, with 4 files. The oldest is Maria massacre, from 1840.
They are spread across 7 cities and towns; the most are in Adelaide (5) and Kingston SE (2). By type, the largest groups are murder and homicide cases (6), disappearance cases (4) and kidnapping and abduction cases (4).
5 files of the 12 have coverage attached: 11 videos, podcasts and documentaries from 7 creators. The most covered is The Somerton Man (Tamám Shud case), with 5 items to watch or hear. Georgia Marie, 60 Minutes Australia and Bailey Sarian have covered the most of them.
Every file is written from cited sources and pinned where it happened, and every person named carries the legal status the record gives them. If you hold information about an unsolved case, contact the investigating agency named in its file rather than posting it publicly. Families and anyone involved can request a correction from any file.
SomertonManSuitcase — Credit: Australian police, via English WikipediaPublic domainSource
Snowtown former bank — Credit: Fairv8CC BY-SA 3.0Source
Glenelg south aust — Credit: Adam.J.W.C.CC BY-SA 2.5Source
Moore Road Park, Reynella (48946445397) — Credit: Luke Anderson from Adelaide, AustraliaCC BY 2.0Source
12. By status: 5 unsolved, 5 cold and 2 solved. The count covers published files only and changes as new files clear review.
Maria massacre, from 1840. Open the file
The Somerton Man (Tamám Shud case), with 5 videos, podcasts and documentaries linked from its file. Open the file
Georgia Marie (2 cases), 60 Minutes Australia (1 case) and Bailey Sarian (1 case), among 7 creators in all.
Adelaide (5) and Kingston SE (2).
It rebuilds hourly from the published files; the newest file change here is dated Jul 16, 2026. A status changes only when the record behind it does.
