The Alcatraz Mystery Finally Cracked: After 55 Years, The Truth Emerges
Of the 36 inmates who tried, most were shot, drowned, or dragged back. Only one escape attempt captured the world’s imagination: the 1962 disappearance of Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin.
A Genius, Two Brothers, and a Plan That Defied Logic
Frank Morris — brilliant, meticulous, and dangerous — joined forces with the Anglin brothers, seasoned bank robbers with a talent for quiet determination. With fellow inmate Allen West, they spent months carving a tunnel behind their cell vents using spoons, discarded tools, and a handmade drill crafted from a vacuum motor.
On June 11, 1962, they crawled through the walls, climbed to the roof, descended the pipes, and pushed off into darkness on their makeshift raft.
By dawn, the prison was in uproar — the deaths that officials expected to find never materialized. No bodies. No confirmed debris. Nothing, except a mystery.
The FBI insisted they drowned. But the case refused to stay buried.
The Manhunt That Wouldn’t Quit
For years, agents chased leads across the U.S. and beyond. Families were monitored. Rumors poured in: sightings in Brazil, hints of letters sent home, whispered confessions. None could be confirmed. None could be dismissed.
By 1979, the FBI gave up. The case was closed — officially. Unofficially, law enforcement kept watching.
The Letter That Reopened Everything
In 2013, the San Francisco Police Department received a letter that shook investigators:
“My name is John Anglin. I escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris…”
The writer claimed:
• All three survived the escape.
• Morris died in 2008.
• Clarence died in 2011.
• John was alive — but dying of cancer.
