On June 11, 1962, the guards of the Alcatraz prison were surprised to find three inmates not in their respective cells, i.e., John Anglin, his brother Clarence, and Frank Morris. They tricked the guards by keeping dolls made out of plaster, flesh-colored paint, and real human hair, particularly in Morris’s bed.
However, the inmate escape case was officially closed by the FBI on December 31, 1979, until it was handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service to continue investigating if the three were still alive. Then, how is the continuation of this case of escape, and what actually happened to them?
Are the Three Escaped Alcatraz Inmates Still Alive or Dead?
After the three inmates escaped and throughout the investigation, the FBI never even found evidence that they were alive or not. Until now, the fate of the three inmates has remained a mystery, even though there have been numerous theories and circulating pictures, and it is expected that they are still alive—but nothing has been proven at all.
Of course, there has been much speculation as to whether they made it across the Gulf, to Angel Island, and across the Raccoon Strait to Marin County as they planned, or whether they were overtaken by the waves and cold temperatures that surrounded the island.
Even though an extensive investigation was conducted, there was no trace of the escapees that was found. It is believed that they either drowned in the treacherous waters surrounding the island or died from hypothermia when they attempted to land.
For sure, after they emerged from their cells and disappeared into the night, they were never seen again. Of course, no one knew what happened to them until a piece of raft and an oar washed ashore near the island, which they allegedly used as a means of escape. The point is that many assume that they died.
Why Was the Investigation Leaning More That They Are Dead?
Many parties have speculated and were trying hard to prove that the three inmates might survive, and they cleverly hid themselves or even changed their identities after the escape. However, the official FBI’s investigation uncovered different things that allegedly did not survive due to the following:
1. If They Crossed the Bay
Some young people with honed skills and very fit bodies may have managed to swim more than a mile from Alcatraz to Angel Island. It should also be noticed that the bay’s water has a strong current and is very cold. Well, the chances of successfully swimming to the other side of the island are very unlikely, considering the distance.
2. If They Went by Land
Some information was obtained from other inmates indicating that they would steal clothes and cars on the ground to go by land. Upon investigation, however, no evidence of the theft was ever found in the vicinity. Supposedly, in this very famous case, there were many parties who were harmed by the theft and reported it.
3. If Their Families Helped Them
The investigations continued to involve their families since there was much speculation that they were safe and hidden by their families. However, the investigators were unable to prove it because even their families did not have the financial means to provide support for their escape.
4. If They Are Hidden
After 17 years of investigating and continuing to search for these three escaped inmates and cooperating with various parties, there’s no credible evidence indicating they are still alive, either in the US or abroad.
Due to these well-founded speculations, the Alcatraz inmate escape case was officially stopped.
What Was the Chronology of Their Escape from Alcatraz Prison?
Detailed information regarding the chronology of the escape of the three inmates from Alcatraz prison was obtained from another inmate, Allen West, who was one of the inmates in the escape plan who did not make it out of his cell on time.
According to information from Allen West, they had been planning their escape since December 1961, and in the end they managed to escape in June 1962, thanks to the intelligence of Frank Morris, the leader of the escape plan, in organizing the plan and strategy.
For more information, Frank Morris was one of the inmates who arrived at Alcatraz in January 1960 before the two, after being sentenced for robbery, bank robbery, and other crimes, as well as repeated attempts to escape from various prisons.
Later that year, inmate John Anglin was transferred to Alcatraz prison, followed by Clarence Anglin, his brother, in early 1961. Afterwards, they knew each other from their previous stints in prison. They were put in adjacent cells, so they planned their escape very easily.
Their escape plan started when one of them found some old saw blades around the prison. They then loosened the ventilation at the back of their cell using improvised equipment, including a homemade drill made from a broken vacuum cleaner motor.
They drilled closely spaced holes around the covering so that entire sections of the wall could be removed. So as not to be checked by the prison guards, they tried to hide the holes with whatever they could, like suitcases, pieces of cardboard, etc.
They really knew that there was an unguarded public corridor behind their cell. Through that corridor, they slipped, skirted it, and climbed onto the roof of their cell block inside the building, where they set up a secret workshop. There, they turned, guarding the prison guards for the night.
Reportedly, they used various stolen and donated materials to support their plan, like more than 50 raincoats they stole or collected, which they changed into makeshift life jackets and 6×14-foot inflatable rafts. They sewed the things carefully, which were vulcanized by the prison’s hot steam pipes. In addition, they also created wooden oars and turned musical instruments into means of inflating rafts.
They managed to find their way out of the building through its 30-foot ceilings, climbed up using a network of pipes, and forced open a vent at the top of a shaft to store the equipment they made by making fake bolts out of soap to lock it in.
Until finally, on the night of June 11, they were ready to flee. They entered the corridor and collected the tools they had made. Then, climb out through the ventilation and climb onto the roof of the prison. Then, they rocked back and forth in a pile of bread smoke at the back of the cell house, climbed over the fence, slipped to the island’s northeastern shore, and launched their raft.
Unfortunately, Allen West didn’t manage to remove his ventilator grille completely, and he was left behind. Finally, he was made a strong witness by the FBI to provide information regarding the escape plan for those three inmates from Alcatraz prison.
What Kind of Inmates Were Incarcerated at Alcatraz Prison?
Alcatraz Prison is indeed famous as the most sinister prison in the world because it is located on a deserted island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz, also known as The Rock, is also a legendary prison because it has accommodated prisoners since the Civil War.
With super tight security and guards, efforts to escape prisoners are just a dream. According to reports from various media outlets, it was found that in its 30-year history, only one group managed to get out of Alcatraz prison, and of the 36 people who tried to escape, 23 were arrested, six were shot dead, and the others drowned.
Inmates who were incarcerated in Alcatraz prison included people with a history of serious and unforgivable crimes, such as criminals who have a history of absconding, and also dangerous public enemies such as George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Al Capone.
Surrounded by the cold and rough waters of the Pacific, Alcatraz finally became a forbidding place in the 1930s. The prison building was redesigned with tougher iron bars and a series of strategically positioned guard towers, as well as stricter rules, including multiple daily checks of prisoners. Sure, escaping from Alcatraz prison seems nearly impossible.
Ultimately, however, Alcatraz prison was officially closed from 1934 to 1963, with data showing that 36 inmates attempted 14 separate escapes, and nearly all were caught or did not survive the attempt.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
