Three men escape from Alcatraz

Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962, leaving dummy heads in their beds. The FBI concluded they probably drowned, but their fate was never confirmed.

Whether they survived is still unresolved.

Context

Over about three months the men widened ventilation holes in their cell walls with sharpened spoons, working at night and concealing the work from the guards. A fourth inmate, Allen West, was left behind because he could not get through the grill in time.

On 11 June 1962 they climbed the plumbing to the cellhouse roof and descended to the shoreline. They had stitched together a raft and life vests from more than fifty raincoats. Dummy heads made from paper, soap and real hair from the prison barbershop were left in the beds.

Officials concluded they had drowned in the cold, fast currents of San Francisco Bay, and the FBI closed its case in 1979. Authorities noted a lack of reported crimes on the mainland, and a body in prison-type clothing was reported at sea weeks later but not recovered or confirmed.

Doubts persist because no bodies were found. A 2013 letter signed as John Anglin claimed survival, but fingerprint, DNA and handwriting tests were inconclusive, and the Marshals Service regards the lead as closed. The case is therefore marked as disputed.