Anglin Brothers and Frank Morris’ daring breakout from “escape-proof” Alcatraz remains unsolved
On 12 June 1962, guards at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary made a shocking discovery: inmates John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris were gone. Ingeniously, the trio had left papier-mâché heads on their pillows, crafted to resemble their own, deceiving guards into thinking they were asleep.
The Anglin brothers, bank robbers from Georgia, and Morris, known for past escapes, had reportedly spent six months planning the breakout. The trio gradually loosened cell air vents, which allowed access to an unmonitored corridor used as a “secret workshop.” Here, they assembled makeshift life vests, a raft from raincoats, and tools to assist their escape. On the night of their flight, they collected their equipment, scaled pipes, and exited the building through a vent. Then, maneuvering down the bakery smokestack, they crossed the prison fence and launched their raft from the island’s shore.
To this day, the fate of these three remains unknown, leaving the mystery of the “escape-proof” prison’s most famous breakout unsolved.