Kew John Doe was a man whose body was found in the Boroondara Cemetery in Kew, Victoria.
Case[]
On the morning of 13 February 1917, a worker at Boroondara Cemetery was walking down the main drive when he heard a shot fired. About 5 minutes later, he discovered a body lying partly on top of a grave.
Police were then notified. Despite an initial police investigation, a coroner's inquest held at the Melbourne Morgue on 22 March 1917 could not identify the deceased, although they determined the cause of death as suicide. Follow-up inquiries by police in April 1917 did not provide any further information.
Characteristics[]
- Medium build.
- Pale complexion.
- Dark hair and moustache turning grey.
- The coroner stated that the body was that of a man belonging to the "labouring class".
Clothing and accessories[]
- Dark suit with black cloth buttons.
- White linen shirt with faint stripe.
- White linen collar with a check tie.
- Black cashmere socks.
- Black lace-up boots.
- Grey alpine hat with a grey band. The hat had "the Aurora" printed on the inside.
- Lady's gunmetal watch (no. 827436).
- Spectacles and case.
- Penknife.
- One 9ct gold sleeve link.
- Two studs.
- Cigarette holder.
- Two tram tickets.
- Old silk handkerchief.
Postmortem photo