Alcatraz was once known as the most extreme prison on the face of the planet. Escaping from it was near impossible. At least 36 inmates had attempted to escape in the past but none had ever survived. That all changed one day in June 1962…
The Great Escape
Three prisoners decided to test their fate and dive into the San Francisco Bay to try and escape the infamous Alcatraz. No one knew what came of them until a mysterious letter appeared in 2018…
Escape-Proof
The maximum-security prison was made to be impossible to escape. Tons of prisoners have tried before and immediately regretted it… These guys didn’t care about those who failed before them and decided to try it themselves. This ended up being one of the most famous unsolved cases in American history.
Did They Survive?
The waters surrounding Alcatraz are extremely cold. When the prisoners were realized as missing, officials just assumed that they perished. But now, there are hints that they actually survived…
Frank Lee Morris
Frank Lee Morris was orphaned at the young age of 11-years-old. Everyone who knew him called him a mastermind and a troublemaker. He was just 13 when he was convicted of his first crime. He was the ringleader of the Alcatraz Escape.
Not His First Sentence
Morris served a good amount of time in prison before heading to Alcatraz. He was serving 10 years for a bank robbery when he escaped and committed another robbery. That’s when they sent him to Alcatraz.
The Anglin Brothers
Morris knew he needed a good crew. He recruited two brothers, John and Clarence Anglin, and another guy named Allan West. The brothers were born in Georgia and raised in Florida. They were just two of 13 siblings working tirelessly on their parents’ farm.
The Brother’s Bond
The two were always very close. They started robbing banks together once they reached adulthood. They were caught and arrested in 1956, but that wasn’t the end of it.
The Group is Formed
They were sent to Atlanta Penitentiary, where they tried to escape multiple times. Then, they were bussed over to Alcatraz. Soon after, they met the rest of the crew and quickly began to devise a plan on how to escape…
Those Prior
The plan they hatched was simple, but that’s surely what the other inmates who attempted an escape thought as well… Out of all of the 33 inmates who tried to break out, 23 were caught by guards, six were shot dead, two drowned, and another two were simply listed as “missing or drowned.”
All Together Now
The four men had cells near each other while they were locked up. That gave them plenty of time to come up with a master plan.
Collecting Resources
Alcatraz mainly consisted of violent criminals. These four, in particular, were one of the very few non-violent criminals, so it was easy for them to fall under the radar. The guards paid less attention to them since they were busy breaking up literal fights.
Making Arrangements
It didn’t take long for them
Assigning Roles
The Anglin brothers were in charge of making the dummy heads. They used soap wax, toilet paper, and real human hair stolen from the Alcatraz barber shop. Morris was in charge of modifying an instrument to inflate the raft and life vests.
Digging Out
They were each supposed to dig out of their cells and unscrew the bolts on the vents. They made picks and wrenches out of spoons from the caf and wood from the workshop. They would work every single day from 5:30 PM to 9 PM chipping away at the hole.
Falling Apart
It was easy for them to get through the walls as the prison was old and crumbling. The leaky pipes in the walls made it easy to dig through.
The Noise
In the 1960s, inmates were allowed to have a ‘music hour’ which created a lot of noise in the prison. They used the cover of that sound to carve the holes, which is how the guards didn’t catch onto them.
To the Roof
Once they could get through the holes, they would be able to climb up through the utility corridor to the roof. Many of the shafts were cemented shut, but they were able to find one and wrench it open.
Getting It Done
By May of 1962, both of the Anglin brothers and Morris had their holes dug. They were able to make the raft and life vests, which were also ready.
The Final Hole
The last piece of the plan was Allan West’s escape hole. That was finished
Getting into Action
On June 11th, they got the plan rolling. The lights went out and they quickly got their decoys into action.
Not Going as Planned
The brothers and Morris got out of their cells with no problem. Allen West did not have to so easy. West was struggling to get through despite Frank trying to help. They had to come to a difficult conclusion…
One Left Behind
It wasn’t an easy decision, but they knew that they had to leave him behind. West agreed that it was best and let them go. Now, it was just the three of them left to climb up the 30 feet of plumbing.
Off the Roof
They all made it to the roof of the jail pretty easily. They swiftly ran across 100 feet of rooftop before climbing down 50 feet of piping.
Inflating the Rafts
They landed
The Last Sighting
West was the last person to have ever seen Frank Lee Morris and John and Clarence Anglin again. They set off in their raft at 11:30 at night and were discovered missing in the morning. The inmates of Alcatraz were wakened by the blaring sirens.
Missing
West eventually worked on digging his hole enough to get through. By the time he got to the roof, he was already too far behind the other guys…
Allan’s Choice
Allan reluctantly chose to head back to his cell. He ended up cooperating with the authorities and told them everything that he knew. Apparently, they were going to Angel Island once they could steal a car. Was that the truth?
Filling in the Blanks
There
The Icy Waters
After long searches, no bodies were found in the bay. They did find their personal belongings, but that was it. The water was between 50 and 54 degrees when they escaped. Experts
A Guessing Game
After 17 years of investigating, the FBI closed their case down on December 31st, 1979. They believe that the inmates most likely drowned in the pay. The US Marshals investigation remains open. “There’s an active warrant, and the Marshals Service doesn’t give up looking for people,” the Deputy US Marshal told NPR back in 2009.
A Possible Sighting
One month after the escape, a Norwegian freighter reported seeing a body 17
Analyzing the Currents
In 2014, researchers who were still on the case used computer models to try and calculate the currents in the bay att he time of the inmates’ escape. They believe that if the three left around midnight, the currents were working in their favor…
The Christmas Card
In 2015, the History Channel presented even more evidence that the men could have survived. The Anglin family received signed Christmas cards from the brothers. It was confirmed to be their handwriting. The delivery date could not be determined. The family also said they had a photo of the brothers in 1975. Forensic experts weren’t positive, but they said that it was more
To the Grave
On his deathbed, brother Robert Anglin has claimed to have contact with John and Clarence from 1964 through 1987. Other members of the family believe that they were in Brazil.
The Letter
In 2013, the San Francisco PD received a letter from someone claiming to be John Anglin. The FBI announced the new evidence in 2018 and reopened the case.
Making Contact
The letter read “My name is John Anglin. I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I’m 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes, we all made it that night but barely!” The letter continued, saying that  “Frank passed away in October 2008. His grave is in Argentina under another name. My brother died in 2011.”
Where Was John?
“This is the real and honest truth. I could tell you that for seven years of living in Minot, North Dakota and a year in Fargo”, North Dakota until 2003. Parts of the letter were illegible but a report by the BBC interpreted the writing to say that he had lived in Seattle “for most of my years after the Escape.” The next piece of information in the letter proved to be a real bombshell…
Living in California
The letter supposedly by John Anglin ended by simply saying “Living in Southern California now.” It’s crazy, but he could have been living under their noses this entire time…
The Terms
The letter read: “If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. This is no joke…” The FBI immediately went to investigate.
The Discovery
Apparently, after investigating, the results of the legitimacy of the letter were inconclusive. That was not a good sign, as that means everything was in limbo.
Until Age 99
The U.S. Marshals Service has said that “it is possible” that the three men survived after they escaped. Even though there is no credible evidence, anything is possible.
Words from the Last Guard
The last guard to leave Alcatraz before it closed down gave an interview about the escapees. “I believe they drowned, I really do,” Jim Albright said. He believes that the letter written by John was someone trying to get free treatment for his cancer and not the actual escapee.
The Escapees Today
To this day, no one has any clue of what really happened. The above photo is what they would look like if they were alive today. John Anglin would be 86, Clarence Anglin would be 87 and Frank Morris would be 90 years old.
U.S. Marshals Never Give Up
The men would still be held accountable for their crimes, the U.S. Marshals have said. “There is absolutely no reason to believe that any of them would have changed their lifestyle and became completely law-abiding citizens after this escape.”