Bizarre Australian Mystery Linked to Virginia, Thomas Jefferson

A decades-old Australian mystery has been tied to founding father and Virginia native Thomas Jefferson — and it's one bizarre story.

In December 1948, an unidentified body was found on the beach of Somerton in Australia, earning him the nickname "Somerton Man." Investigators looked far and wide for any clue as to who he was, but they came up empty. But a scientist by the name of Colleen Fitzpatrick is expected to present DNA results in the coming days that would tie the man to the East Coast of the United States — and suggest that he may be a relative of Jefferson, according to a BuzzFeed report.

The Somerton Man was found on a beach dressed nicely and lying with his feet crossed and no signs of struggle. Some people even thought he was drunk. Cryptically, investigators found a piece of paper in the man's watch pocket that read Tamam Shud, which means "finished" in Persian. Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum was found in his pockets, suggesting he was American, but the FBI wasn't able to match his fingerprints to anyone.

For decades, the case baffled everyone, from ordinary citizens to investigators. Some suggested he was a spy. Regardless, he was eventually relegated to the curiosities of history ... until now.

Through some investigative work, Derek Abbott, a scientist who led the student team that studied the mystery, was able to use some clues on the Somerton Man's body to track down some of the relatives. In Fitzpatrick's report that will be presented this week, the DNA analysis of those relatives shows that their paternal lines can be traced back to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, and mainly to Virginia. The DNA evidence also shows traces of Native American ancestry and, incredibly, chromosomes linked to relatives of Thomas Jefferson, according to the report.

You can read about the full investigation here.

Image via Australian police