1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:03,417 (dramatic music) 2 00:00:03,417 --> 00:00:05,750 - Tonight, one of the most brazen prison breaks 3 00:00:05,750 --> 00:00:07,167 in American history. 4 00:00:07,167 --> 00:00:10,708 - Alcatraz is considered the highest security prison. 5 00:00:10,708 --> 00:00:14,875 It's on a rock in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. 6 00:00:14,875 --> 00:00:16,208 - The cold water, the currents, 7 00:00:16,208 --> 00:00:18,750 all that make it inescapable in the eyes 8 00:00:18,750 --> 00:00:20,250 of the federal government. 9 00:00:20,250 --> 00:00:23,167 - A perfectly masterminded plot with only a handful 10 00:00:23,167 --> 00:00:24,625 of clues left behind. 11 00:00:24,625 --> 00:00:27,542 - These three inmates were able to outsmart the guards 12 00:00:27,542 --> 00:00:30,208 and the FBI with some paper mache heads, 13 00:00:30,208 --> 00:00:32,542 a spoon, and some raincoats. 14 00:00:32,542 --> 00:00:34,708 - And evidence suggests that they made it 15 00:00:34,708 --> 00:00:36,542 off the rock and got away. 16 00:00:36,542 --> 00:00:38,583 - Now, we explore the top theories 17 00:00:38,583 --> 00:00:42,833 surrounding the notorious escape from Alcatraz. 18 00:00:42,833 --> 00:00:45,167 - I don't think any case I've ever worked on has been 19 00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:48,417 scientifically tested as much as this escape case. 20 00:00:48,417 --> 00:00:51,167 - It's one of the biggest manhunts ever launched 21 00:00:51,167 --> 00:00:52,708 and it's still going on today. 22 00:00:52,708 --> 00:00:56,833 - What happened to these infamous Alcatraz escapees? 23 00:00:56,833 --> 00:00:58,833 Is it really possible they survived 24 00:00:58,833 --> 00:01:01,208 and if so, where did they go? 25 00:01:01,208 --> 00:01:03,542 (dramatic music) 26 00:01:16,792 --> 00:01:20,375 - [Laurence] It's the morning of June 12th, 1962, 27 00:01:20,375 --> 00:01:24,083 on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. 28 00:01:24,083 --> 00:01:27,167 - So we've got three prisoners, Frank Morris, 29 00:01:27,167 --> 00:01:28,708 John Anglin, 30 00:01:28,708 --> 00:01:30,292 and his brother, Clarence. 31 00:01:30,292 --> 00:01:33,708 7:00 AM roll call one day, they don't respond, 32 00:01:33,708 --> 00:01:36,167 so a guard goes to check on all three of them. 33 00:01:36,167 --> 00:01:37,875 He sees all three of them lying in their beds. 34 00:01:37,875 --> 00:01:39,708 So he walks over to Frank's cell 35 00:01:39,708 --> 00:01:41,958 and he taps him on the head with his nightstick 36 00:01:41,958 --> 00:01:45,583 and Frank's head falls off. 37 00:01:47,083 --> 00:01:49,292 - This guard had the shock of his life. 38 00:01:49,292 --> 00:01:53,333 He probably thought he had just decapitated the man. 39 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:56,375 - [Laurence] All three prisoners have vanished from their cells 40 00:01:56,375 --> 00:01:59,542 with three lifelike paper mache heads left behind. 41 00:01:59,542 --> 00:02:02,208 - Immediately, this creates chaos. 42 00:02:02,208 --> 00:02:04,208 These prisoners are gone. 43 00:02:04,208 --> 00:02:06,875 How could these prisoners have escaped this 44 00:02:06,875 --> 00:02:08,625 super security prison? 45 00:02:08,625 --> 00:02:11,875 - [Laurence] Alarms sound as pandemonium takes hold. 46 00:02:12,958 --> 00:02:15,458 - The inmates are celebrating, they're cheering and hollering. 47 00:02:15,458 --> 00:02:17,292 Meanwhile, the guards are just trying 48 00:02:17,292 --> 00:02:19,417 to figure out what's going on and they immediately 49 00:02:19,417 --> 00:02:20,875 start checking everyone's cell. 50 00:02:20,875 --> 00:02:23,417 They discover that another prisoner, Allen West, 51 00:02:24,292 --> 00:02:26,000 also is in possession 52 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,833 of a fake head made out of paper mache. 53 00:02:28,833 --> 00:02:30,667 - [Laurence] West admits he was part of an escape, 54 00:02:30,667 --> 00:02:33,625 but failed to get out of his cell in time. 55 00:02:33,625 --> 00:02:36,000 In exchange for leniency, he agrees 56 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,708 to tell investigators exactly 57 00:02:37,708 --> 00:02:40,875 how his fellow inmates did the impossible. 58 00:02:41,875 --> 00:02:43,750 - It's amazing that these three men were even able 59 00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:46,875 to get out of the prison complex itself. 60 00:02:46,875 --> 00:02:48,375 Alcatraz had the reputation 61 00:02:48,375 --> 00:02:50,667 of being the most secure prison in the country. 62 00:02:51,708 --> 00:02:55,333 - There had been 36 recorded escape attempts from Alcatraz. 63 00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:57,000 None of them succeeded. 64 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,542 Prisoners were either shot on site caught or drowned. 65 00:03:03,083 --> 00:03:05,958 - [Laurence] Alcatraz opened in August, 1934, 66 00:03:05,958 --> 00:03:07,208 and quickly became known 67 00:03:07,208 --> 00:03:09,917 as the most fortified prison in America. 68 00:03:09,917 --> 00:03:11,708 - Alcatraz is celebrated 69 00:03:11,708 --> 00:03:14,708 as the crown jewel of the prison system at this time. 70 00:03:14,708 --> 00:03:16,958 All of the bars on the windows are said 71 00:03:16,958 --> 00:03:18,458 to be tool safe. 72 00:03:18,458 --> 00:03:20,417 - There are remote control gas canisters 73 00:03:20,417 --> 00:03:22,333 that can be deployed in the event of an escape 74 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:23,708 or in the event of a riot. 75 00:03:23,708 --> 00:03:25,417 There are guard overlooks at each end 76 00:03:25,417 --> 00:03:27,708 so that guards can fire into the cell blocks if needed. 77 00:03:27,708 --> 00:03:29,208 Even if you do get outta Alcatraz, 78 00:03:29,208 --> 00:03:30,542 you still have to contend with 79 00:03:30,542 --> 00:03:33,042 six watch towers as well as a 20 foot fence 80 00:03:33,042 --> 00:03:34,542 with barbed wire. 81 00:03:34,542 --> 00:03:36,667 And if by some miracle you make it over that as well, 82 00:03:36,667 --> 00:03:38,208 you still are dealing with the dark 83 00:03:38,208 --> 00:03:40,958 and turbulent waters of the San Francisco Bay. 84 00:03:40,958 --> 00:03:43,000 (dramatic music) 85 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,292 - I like to think of the water surrounding Alcatraz 86 00:03:45,292 --> 00:03:46,500 as a kind of moat. 87 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:48,208 We've got this impenetrable fortress, 88 00:03:48,208 --> 00:03:49,792 the castle on the island. 89 00:03:49,792 --> 00:03:52,542 - Guys like Al Capone, guys like Whitey Bulger, 90 00:03:52,542 --> 00:03:54,375 they get sent to Alcatraz. 91 00:03:54,375 --> 00:03:56,333 You've gotta be somebody special to make it 92 00:03:56,333 --> 00:03:58,375 inside the walls of this prison. 93 00:03:58,375 --> 00:04:02,417 - Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers came to Alcatraz 94 00:04:02,417 --> 00:04:05,375 with a long history of escapes. 95 00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:08,625 - Frank Morris is a career criminal, a very good one too. 96 00:04:08,625 --> 00:04:11,583 He'd been in and out of the system since the age of 13, 97 00:04:11,583 --> 00:04:13,792 mostly for robbery charges. 98 00:04:13,792 --> 00:04:16,333 He was such an accomplished escape artist 99 00:04:16,333 --> 00:04:18,667 that some people referred to him as the Houdini 100 00:04:18,667 --> 00:04:21,458 of the prison system because he had successfully escaped 101 00:04:21,458 --> 00:04:25,208 from so many facilities before being sent to Alcatraz. 102 00:04:25,208 --> 00:04:26,458 - John and Clarence Anglin, 103 00:04:26,458 --> 00:04:29,083 they were from the Florida, Georgia area. 104 00:04:29,083 --> 00:04:30,667 They were career criminals. 105 00:04:30,667 --> 00:04:33,667 They had robbed a bank in Ohio with a toy gun. 106 00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:35,125 - But they get sent to Alcatraz 107 00:04:35,125 --> 00:04:37,708 because they were trying to escape Leavenworth Prison. 108 00:04:39,042 --> 00:04:42,500 - [Laurence] But according to the testimony Allen West gives, 109 00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:45,875 West is the mastermind behind this plot. 110 00:04:45,875 --> 00:04:48,083 - Allen West is housed in the same cell block 111 00:04:48,083 --> 00:04:51,625 and starts plotting out the escape several months prior. 112 00:04:51,625 --> 00:04:54,458 - [Laurence] Allen West's prison job is to repaint the top 113 00:04:54,458 --> 00:04:58,583 of the cell blocks, but he soon sees an opportunity. 114 00:04:58,583 --> 00:05:02,292 Behind each of the cells is a narrow utility 115 00:05:02,292 --> 00:05:05,542 and maintenance corridor that runs three stories up 116 00:05:05,542 --> 00:05:07,333 to the top of the cell block. 117 00:05:07,333 --> 00:05:09,375 - Now, before you get to the roof of the building, 118 00:05:09,375 --> 00:05:12,458 there's about a seven foot gap above the cells, 119 00:05:12,458 --> 00:05:14,292 and in this gap, West sees a vent 120 00:05:14,292 --> 00:05:16,042 that seems to lead up to the roof. 121 00:05:16,042 --> 00:05:18,750 He thinks that if he can somehow remove this vent, 122 00:05:18,750 --> 00:05:20,792 he can crawl through it up to the roof 123 00:05:20,792 --> 00:05:22,875 and then slide down this stove pipe 124 00:05:22,875 --> 00:05:24,708 from the prison bakery on the northwest side 125 00:05:24,708 --> 00:05:25,750 of the building. 126 00:05:25,750 --> 00:05:27,333 But in order to pull this escape plan off, 127 00:05:27,333 --> 00:05:28,875 West is gonna need some help. 128 00:05:28,875 --> 00:05:32,458 And to do this, he recruits the guys from his cell block, 129 00:05:32,458 --> 00:05:37,333 guys that had already escaped from other facilities. 130 00:05:37,333 --> 00:05:39,667 - [Laurence] But as West tells investigators, 131 00:05:39,667 --> 00:05:42,417 they first needed a way out of their cells 132 00:05:42,417 --> 00:05:44,833 and into the maintenance corridor behind. 133 00:05:44,833 --> 00:05:48,417 - Looking inside of a cell on Alcatraz, 134 00:05:48,417 --> 00:05:50,708 there's only a few features, 135 00:05:50,708 --> 00:05:54,292 and one of them right below the sink is an air vent. 136 00:05:54,292 --> 00:05:56,833 - Because of the deterioration of the facility 137 00:05:56,833 --> 00:05:59,625 and salt water wreaks havoc on concrete, 138 00:05:59,625 --> 00:06:02,375 they were able to fashion spoons 139 00:06:02,375 --> 00:06:05,542 and be able to just basically scrape away 140 00:06:05,542 --> 00:06:07,542 the concrete around this vent. 141 00:06:07,542 --> 00:06:10,500 - [Laurence] They work at night, standing guard for each other 142 00:06:10,500 --> 00:06:13,083 and devise a way to cover up their handiwork 143 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:18,792 - Because these men would be widening their vents, 144 00:06:18,792 --> 00:06:21,625 they couldn't just leave holes in the back of their cells. 145 00:06:21,625 --> 00:06:25,250 - West secures green paint from his prison job 146 00:06:25,250 --> 00:06:29,583 and he shows the other prisoners that there's a way to kind 147 00:06:29,583 --> 00:06:32,208 of repaint around the vent as they remove it. 148 00:06:32,208 --> 00:06:36,167 It requires a lot of patience because the guards go around 149 00:06:36,167 --> 00:06:37,875 and do hourly checks. 150 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:40,208 - Later on, what they do is they start to create 151 00:06:40,208 --> 00:06:41,708 paper mache vents 152 00:06:41,708 --> 00:06:43,750 as sort of a cover for the holes that they're creating. 153 00:06:43,750 --> 00:06:47,000 - If you looked at it from the cell, you're only 154 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,542 a good nine feet away. 155 00:06:48,542 --> 00:06:50,208 You just look at it, it looks like the regular vent 156 00:06:50,208 --> 00:06:52,708 that was there in the first place. 157 00:06:52,708 --> 00:06:54,708 - Morris and the Anglins finally make their way 158 00:06:54,708 --> 00:06:56,208 through the hole for the first time 159 00:06:56,208 --> 00:06:57,792 and they make their way to the top 160 00:06:57,792 --> 00:07:00,375 of the cell block through that maintenance hallway 161 00:07:00,375 --> 00:07:02,625 by climbing up pipes to take a look at the vent 162 00:07:02,625 --> 00:07:04,458 that West has picked out for the escape. 163 00:07:04,458 --> 00:07:05,750 But when they get to that vent, 164 00:07:05,750 --> 00:07:07,583 they realize that they have a problem. 165 00:07:08,708 --> 00:07:11,167 The vent is bolted into place. 166 00:07:12,333 --> 00:07:13,708 - [Laurence] The escapees will need time 167 00:07:13,708 --> 00:07:16,750 out of their cells over weeks and even months 168 00:07:16,750 --> 00:07:19,875 to file down the bolt securing the roof vent. 169 00:07:19,875 --> 00:07:22,792 But they face regular nightly checks by the guards. 170 00:07:22,792 --> 00:07:26,625 So to convince the guards they're still in their cells. 171 00:07:26,625 --> 00:07:30,917 the escapees design fake heads for their prison beds. 172 00:07:30,917 --> 00:07:33,708 - The dummy heads have been fashioned out of anything 173 00:07:33,708 --> 00:07:36,875 that these three men could have gotten their hands on. 174 00:07:36,875 --> 00:07:39,583 They're paper mache, but they're also soap. 175 00:07:39,583 --> 00:07:41,792 They're also cement. 176 00:07:41,792 --> 00:07:45,000 - For the finishing touch on those paper mache heads. 177 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,292 Clarence Anglin takes real live human hair clippings 178 00:07:48,292 --> 00:07:52,167 from the barbershop and pastes them to the top of the heads. 179 00:07:52,167 --> 00:07:54,208 (dramatic music) 180 00:07:54,208 --> 00:07:55,958 - [Laurence] The fake heads give the escapees 181 00:07:55,958 --> 00:07:59,292 the time they need out of their cells to file down the bolt 182 00:07:59,292 --> 00:08:01,875 and gain access to the roof. 183 00:08:01,875 --> 00:08:04,583 But getting outta the building is only half the plan. 184 00:08:04,583 --> 00:08:08,208 They also have to figure out a way to the shore. 185 00:08:08,208 --> 00:08:09,875 - Look at Alcatraz Island 186 00:08:09,875 --> 00:08:11,833 where it sits in San Francisco Bay. 187 00:08:11,833 --> 00:08:14,750 It's only about a mile from San Francisco proper. 188 00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:17,750 That mile of water is pretty treacherous, 189 00:08:17,750 --> 00:08:20,708 so I know they do a triathlon there every year. 190 00:08:20,708 --> 00:08:22,625 Even the triathletes that do it 191 00:08:22,625 --> 00:08:25,667 find it a pretty treacherous swim. 192 00:08:25,667 --> 00:08:28,750 - So these aspiring escapists come up with a plan. 193 00:08:28,750 --> 00:08:31,875 They need a raft or some kind of floatation device. 194 00:08:31,875 --> 00:08:35,542 - [Laurence] The escapees come up with an ingenious plan 195 00:08:35,542 --> 00:08:39,375 to turn prison rain jackets into an inflatable raft 196 00:08:39,375 --> 00:08:41,708 and several life preservers. 197 00:08:41,708 --> 00:08:43,750 - Looking at a "Popular Mechanics" magazine, 198 00:08:43,750 --> 00:08:45,958 they were able to not only figure out how to make 'em, 199 00:08:45,958 --> 00:08:48,542 but also come up with waterproof glue 200 00:08:48,542 --> 00:08:51,083 that would keep it together in the water. 201 00:08:51,083 --> 00:08:53,708 - They also fashioned paddles out of wood scraps 202 00:08:53,708 --> 00:08:56,208 and plywood that they find around the prison. 203 00:08:56,208 --> 00:08:59,833 They steal a concertina and use it as a kind of bellows 204 00:08:59,833 --> 00:09:02,000 to inflate this makeshift raft. 205 00:09:04,167 --> 00:09:07,958 - Even if the prisoners were successful with the raft, 206 00:09:07,958 --> 00:09:10,000 this is by no means a proper boat. 207 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,417 This is basically a floating mattress. 208 00:09:12,417 --> 00:09:15,708 - [Laurence] Finally, on June 11th, 1962, 209 00:09:15,708 --> 00:09:18,750 West says the plans are complete. 210 00:09:18,750 --> 00:09:20,417 When the cell block lights are turned off 211 00:09:20,417 --> 00:09:22,875 at 9:00 PM, the men make their move, 212 00:09:22,875 --> 00:09:26,000 but almost immediately, there's a problem. 213 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,708 - Allen West has done too good a job at fashioning his fake 214 00:09:30,708 --> 00:09:33,708 vent cover and he's affixed it so tightly 215 00:09:33,708 --> 00:09:35,042 that he can't remove it. 216 00:09:35,042 --> 00:09:38,042 So the other three meet at the top of this wall 217 00:09:38,042 --> 00:09:40,500 and West isn't there, so they leave him behind. 218 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:44,000 - [Laurence] Investigators piece together what happens next. 219 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,667 - You could actually see their footprints on the roof 220 00:09:46,667 --> 00:09:49,958 the next morning and they got over to the kitchen area 221 00:09:49,958 --> 00:09:53,000 and there was a stovepipe that came up that went 222 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,750 above the top of the roof of the facility 223 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:57,333 and they shimmied down. 224 00:09:57,333 --> 00:09:59,917 That stovepipe got onto the ground. 225 00:09:59,917 --> 00:10:01,833 - They scramble away from the building toward this massive 226 00:10:01,833 --> 00:10:03,250 chain link fence, and when they get there, 227 00:10:03,250 --> 00:10:05,708 they throw this huge blanket over the barbed wire 228 00:10:05,708 --> 00:10:07,833 so that they can climb over it without incident. 229 00:10:07,833 --> 00:10:09,875 - [Laurence] Sometime around 10:00 PM, 230 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:13,417 Frank Morris, John Anglin, and his brother Clarence 231 00:10:13,417 --> 00:10:15,708 launch their makeshift raft 232 00:10:15,708 --> 00:10:19,625 into the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay, 233 00:10:19,625 --> 00:10:21,208 never to be seen again. 234 00:10:23,875 --> 00:10:26,708 - The next morning, once it's discovered 235 00:10:26,708 --> 00:10:28,292 these prisoners are missing, 236 00:10:28,292 --> 00:10:30,708 the big question among the prisoners, the guards, 237 00:10:30,708 --> 00:10:33,125 and eventually the public, is did they make it? 238 00:10:34,542 --> 00:10:37,208 So the FBI is called in to launch a search. 239 00:10:37,208 --> 00:10:39,333 (dramatic music) 240 00:10:41,250 --> 00:10:43,375 - There are incredible perils that face you if you try 241 00:10:43,375 --> 00:10:46,792 to dip even one toe in the waters of the San Francisco Bay. 242 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:48,708 - It's 40 to 60 degrees. 243 00:10:48,708 --> 00:10:51,083 The human body is not accustomed to that. 244 00:10:51,083 --> 00:10:53,750 - Hypothermia can set in well within one hour, 245 00:10:53,750 --> 00:10:57,083 sometimes within minutes, and the fog can be so dense 246 00:10:57,083 --> 00:11:00,042 that you cannot see more than a few dozen feet 247 00:11:00,042 --> 00:11:01,375 in front of you. 248 00:11:01,375 --> 00:11:06,542 Being on a raft, mostly subject to the moving currents, 249 00:11:06,542 --> 00:11:09,083 it would've been completely disorienting. 250 00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:11,042 - Also, the current is very strong. 251 00:11:11,042 --> 00:11:13,542 It's almost twice as strong as any human, 252 00:11:13,542 --> 00:11:15,708 even an accomplished swimmer, can paddle. 253 00:11:15,708 --> 00:11:18,208 There is a massive manhunt that is launched. 254 00:11:18,208 --> 00:11:22,042 Air, land, sea, the FBI, local authorities. 255 00:11:22,042 --> 00:11:25,792 Their faces are in every newspaper in America. 256 00:11:26,875 --> 00:11:29,667 Their hometowns are watched very closely. 257 00:11:30,875 --> 00:11:34,000 The manhunt quickly deduces that there's no question 258 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,417 that these men made it out of their cells 259 00:11:36,417 --> 00:11:38,875 and outta the prison complex and into the water. 260 00:11:38,875 --> 00:11:41,208 But after that, there's a lot of mystery. 261 00:11:41,208 --> 00:11:42,708 (boat horn blares) 262 00:11:42,708 --> 00:11:44,708 - [Laurence] Five weeks after the escape, 263 00:11:44,708 --> 00:11:47,583 a sailor aboard a Norwegian freighter 264 00:11:47,583 --> 00:11:49,875 makes a grim discovery. 265 00:11:49,875 --> 00:11:53,250 - One of the deckhands saw a body in the water. 266 00:11:53,250 --> 00:11:56,250 It seemed to fit the description of the clothes 267 00:11:56,250 --> 00:11:59,208 that would be worn by an Alcatraz inmate. 268 00:11:59,208 --> 00:12:01,250 - [Laurence] The alleged corpse is never recovered, 269 00:12:01,250 --> 00:12:04,292 but authorities are certain it could not be 270 00:12:04,292 --> 00:12:06,000 one of the escaped convicts. 271 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,833 - Five weeks is just too long. 272 00:12:08,833 --> 00:12:11,042 It is a point at which the body has gone 273 00:12:11,042 --> 00:12:12,875 into such an advanced stage of decay 274 00:12:12,875 --> 00:12:16,375 that it's almost unrecognizable as a human body. 275 00:12:16,375 --> 00:12:17,750 - San Francisco Bay is home 276 00:12:17,750 --> 00:12:20,208 to about a dozen different shark species. 277 00:12:20,208 --> 00:12:22,750 One of these species is the infamous great white. 278 00:12:23,417 --> 00:12:24,667 Given how many different kinds 279 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:27,417 of animals are in San Francisco Bay 280 00:12:27,417 --> 00:12:30,708 and in the surrounding ocean, it's very unlikely 281 00:12:30,708 --> 00:12:33,333 that anybody in the water would have remained 282 00:12:33,333 --> 00:12:35,917 intact for five weeks. 283 00:12:35,917 --> 00:12:39,042 Most likely, all of the tissue would've been picked clean. 284 00:12:39,042 --> 00:12:41,125 - [Laurence] But despite the FBI's analysis, 285 00:12:41,125 --> 00:12:44,958 some believe the convicts somehow made it to land. 286 00:12:44,958 --> 00:12:46,750 - They had a really great plan in place 287 00:12:46,750 --> 00:12:48,083 and there is some evidence that suggests 288 00:12:48,083 --> 00:12:50,208 that they might have made it after all. 289 00:12:56,542 --> 00:12:58,875 - [Laurence] June 1962. 290 00:12:58,875 --> 00:13:01,250 Although the three convicts successfully escaped 291 00:13:01,250 --> 00:13:04,833 Alcatraz prison, their trail seems to go cold 292 00:13:04,833 --> 00:13:08,000 in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. 293 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,042 Most people following the case presume 294 00:13:10,042 --> 00:13:12,875 the men never made it to freedom. 295 00:13:14,250 --> 00:13:17,042 - The FBI concludes that these three men have drowned. 296 00:13:17,042 --> 00:13:21,542 Others are quick to say, maybe something else happened. 297 00:13:21,542 --> 00:13:23,875 (tense music) 298 00:13:26,042 --> 00:13:27,917 - You can certainly see how embarrassing this would be 299 00:13:27,917 --> 00:13:29,792 for the prison and for the FBI, 300 00:13:29,792 --> 00:13:32,125 this maximum security prison 301 00:13:32,125 --> 00:13:35,042 and yet these three inmates were able to outsmart the guards 302 00:13:35,042 --> 00:13:37,542 and the FBI with some paper mache heads, 303 00:13:37,542 --> 00:13:40,125 a spoon, and some raincoats. 304 00:13:40,125 --> 00:13:43,375 - While no bodies are found, there is evidence 305 00:13:43,375 --> 00:13:44,833 that pops up in the first few days 306 00:13:44,833 --> 00:13:47,042 that raises a lot of questions. 307 00:13:47,042 --> 00:13:49,250 - [Laurence] Investigator's best source 308 00:13:49,250 --> 00:13:53,167 is still sitting in a cell on Alcatraz Island. 309 00:13:53,167 --> 00:13:55,417 - Allen West is already identified as 310 00:13:55,417 --> 00:13:58,417 the fourth escapee, or the would-be escapee. 311 00:13:58,417 --> 00:14:00,125 He has the paper mache head 312 00:14:00,125 --> 00:14:02,375 and the false front on his vent to prove it. 313 00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:05,125 - [Laurence] After describing his clever plan for getting out 314 00:14:05,125 --> 00:14:08,042 of the cell block, West divulges 315 00:14:08,042 --> 00:14:10,208 the convicts' planned escape route. 316 00:14:10,208 --> 00:14:14,042 Instead of traveling one mile south to San Francisco, 317 00:14:14,042 --> 00:14:18,250 they'll head two miles north to Angel Island. 318 00:14:18,250 --> 00:14:20,625 - It may seem a little strange why the inmates 319 00:14:20,625 --> 00:14:24,542 would've wanted to go two miles north to another island, 320 00:14:24,542 --> 00:14:25,708 but it kind of makes sense 321 00:14:25,708 --> 00:14:27,417 because they could have been recognized 322 00:14:27,417 --> 00:14:30,208 or spotted in their prison garb if they were 323 00:14:30,208 --> 00:14:31,833 in a heavily populated area. 324 00:14:31,833 --> 00:14:34,042 - [Laurence] At the time, Angel Island is home 325 00:14:34,042 --> 00:14:36,667 to a missile base that's being decommissioned 326 00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:38,542 and therefore could hold advantages 327 00:14:38,542 --> 00:14:40,000 for the three wanted men. 328 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,042 - It's being taken offline and there are 329 00:14:43,042 --> 00:14:45,375 very few people there at any given time. 330 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:48,083 There also might be actual boats there that the men can use 331 00:14:48,083 --> 00:14:49,458 to make it to the mainland. 332 00:14:49,458 --> 00:14:52,250 The mainland in this instance isn't San Francisco, 333 00:14:52,250 --> 00:14:55,208 but Marin County, which is only a quarter of a mile north. 334 00:14:55,208 --> 00:14:58,042 - Once they landed in Marin, Allen West says 335 00:14:58,042 --> 00:14:59,958 the plan was to steal a car. 336 00:15:00,917 --> 00:15:02,750 - Allen West gave many interviews, 337 00:15:02,750 --> 00:15:04,667 some of them good, some of them bad. 338 00:15:04,667 --> 00:15:06,958 Did West tell the truth? 339 00:15:06,958 --> 00:15:09,625 You really had to take him, anything he said 340 00:15:09,625 --> 00:15:11,167 with a grain of salt. 341 00:15:11,167 --> 00:15:13,375 - The FBI has all of this information the morning 342 00:15:13,375 --> 00:15:16,875 after the escape, and sure enough, there is some evidence 343 00:15:16,875 --> 00:15:19,958 that suggests that West's theory is correct. 344 00:15:19,958 --> 00:15:22,292 (dramatic music) 345 00:15:25,625 --> 00:15:28,125 - [Laurence] While searching the waters around Angel Island 346 00:15:28,125 --> 00:15:30,125 a few days after the escape, 347 00:15:30,125 --> 00:15:33,833 investigators discover a crucial clue that could line up 348 00:15:33,833 --> 00:15:36,000 with the testimony of Allen West. 349 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,583 - There was a sealed packet made out 350 00:15:38,583 --> 00:15:40,208 of the rubber raincoats, 351 00:15:40,208 --> 00:15:42,625 so obviously none of the water would get in. 352 00:15:42,625 --> 00:15:45,125 They were able to confirm that they belonged to the Anglins 353 00:15:45,125 --> 00:15:46,875 because they had many Anglin family members, 354 00:15:46,875 --> 00:15:49,333 some pictures of the family members. 355 00:15:49,333 --> 00:15:52,250 - [Laurence] Investigators also find another clue 356 00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:56,208 off of Angel Island, a makeshift wooden paddle, 357 00:15:56,208 --> 00:15:59,333 just like the one Allen West described. 358 00:16:00,458 --> 00:16:03,042 - All the stuff they found in San Francisco Bay led them 359 00:16:03,042 --> 00:16:05,708 to believe that they drowned in San Francisco Bay. 360 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,042 - The FBI states that there are no bodies, 361 00:16:10,042 --> 00:16:11,667 there's no life raft on Angel Island, 362 00:16:11,667 --> 00:16:14,500 and the trip would've been too difficult to make at night. 363 00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:16,875 So they stand by their original conclusion 364 00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:18,208 that these men had drowned. 365 00:16:18,208 --> 00:16:21,250 - [Laurence] December 31st, 1979. 366 00:16:21,250 --> 00:16:23,958 More than 17 years after the escape, 367 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,542 the FBI officially closes the case. 368 00:16:27,542 --> 00:16:29,917 The file is handed over to the US Marshals 369 00:16:29,917 --> 00:16:33,125 in the event any new leads come up. 370 00:16:33,125 --> 00:16:36,458 The case remains dormant until 2003. 371 00:16:36,458 --> 00:16:40,250 - US Marshal Michael Dyke decides to just poke around 372 00:16:40,250 --> 00:16:42,625 and see if this famous story, if he might be able 373 00:16:42,625 --> 00:16:44,417 to add something to it. 374 00:16:44,417 --> 00:16:46,375 - [Laurence] It isn't long before Dyke 375 00:16:46,375 --> 00:16:49,375 finds compelling evidence in the government documents. 376 00:16:49,375 --> 00:16:52,042 - Michael Dyke goes back into the Marin County police 377 00:16:52,042 --> 00:16:55,083 records and he finds that there is a stolen car report 378 00:16:55,083 --> 00:16:57,458 that there was a 1955 blue Chevy, 379 00:16:57,458 --> 00:17:00,667 which was reported stolen on the night of the men's escape. 380 00:17:00,667 --> 00:17:03,875 - The eyewitness that saw it first said there were three men 381 00:17:03,875 --> 00:17:05,875 inside of the vehicle. 382 00:17:05,875 --> 00:17:08,542 At the time, that didn't mean anything 383 00:17:08,542 --> 00:17:11,458 because the escape wasn't yet public knowledge. 384 00:17:11,458 --> 00:17:14,833 - [Laurence] Then, Dyke finds another police report 385 00:17:14,833 --> 00:17:16,542 from Stockton, California, 386 00:17:16,542 --> 00:17:19,875 almost 100 miles east of Marin County. 387 00:17:19,875 --> 00:17:22,375 (tense music) 388 00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:25,542 - Within just a few hours of the reported auto theft, 389 00:17:25,542 --> 00:17:28,500 a man in Stockton says that he's forced off the road 390 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:33,375 by a blue Chevy being driven by three men. 391 00:17:33,375 --> 00:17:35,833 - Later on, when that blue car is seen again, 392 00:17:35,833 --> 00:17:39,083 closer to Stockton with three people inside of it, 393 00:17:39,083 --> 00:17:41,167 that raises some eyebrows. 394 00:17:41,167 --> 00:17:43,708 - It also does provide fodder for the idea 395 00:17:43,708 --> 00:17:46,875 that maybe the FBI closed the case a little bit too quickly. 396 00:17:46,875 --> 00:17:50,042 What's sure is that it does stoke even more alternative 397 00:17:50,042 --> 00:17:52,667 theories about what might have happened. 398 00:17:52,667 --> 00:17:54,708 - [Laurence] If this evidence is to be trusted, 399 00:17:54,708 --> 00:17:57,542 the men may have very well survived the frigid waters 400 00:17:57,542 --> 00:18:00,500 and fled to Angel Island according to plan. 401 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:02,000 - Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 402 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,542 really could have gotten away with it. 403 00:18:07,833 --> 00:18:10,250 (tense music) 404 00:18:10,250 --> 00:18:12,542 - [Laurence] There's never been any hard proof behind 405 00:18:12,542 --> 00:18:16,333 the FBI's long-held belief that the Alcatraz escapees 406 00:18:16,333 --> 00:18:19,083 died in the San Francisco Bay. 407 00:18:19,083 --> 00:18:20,625 What evidence does exist 408 00:18:20,625 --> 00:18:24,750 points to several other possible outcomes. 409 00:18:24,750 --> 00:18:26,542 - There are mysteries that are still surrounding 410 00:18:26,542 --> 00:18:28,250 Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 411 00:18:28,250 --> 00:18:30,458 after they reached the water. 412 00:18:30,458 --> 00:18:33,250 - One of the statements Allen West gave to the FBI was 413 00:18:33,250 --> 00:18:36,042 that the escapees were gonna head to Angel Island 414 00:18:36,042 --> 00:18:37,458 and sure enough, 415 00:18:37,458 --> 00:18:40,542 they turned up some evidence on Angel Island. 416 00:18:40,542 --> 00:18:42,417 - [Laurence] But even this theory has been 417 00:18:42,417 --> 00:18:44,833 called into question in recent years, 418 00:18:44,833 --> 00:18:48,667 thanks to a sophisticated new model of San Francisco Bay. 419 00:18:49,875 --> 00:18:51,875 (dramatic music) 420 00:18:51,875 --> 00:18:55,292 - It's certainly possible that Allen West was correct 421 00:18:55,292 --> 00:18:57,958 that the original plan was for the inmates to go 422 00:18:57,958 --> 00:19:00,542 to Angel Island just north of Alcatraz. 423 00:19:00,542 --> 00:19:02,708 But the truth is that given the currents, 424 00:19:02,708 --> 00:19:05,042 what they were doing in the Bay that night, 425 00:19:05,042 --> 00:19:07,333 the inmates might not have had a choice. 426 00:19:09,625 --> 00:19:12,708 The Army Corps of Engineers has developed a large scale 427 00:19:12,708 --> 00:19:15,167 hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay 428 00:19:15,167 --> 00:19:18,125 to study the tides and the currents of this system. 429 00:19:18,125 --> 00:19:20,042 A team of Dutch scientists was then allowed 430 00:19:20,042 --> 00:19:23,125 to use this model to predict 431 00:19:23,125 --> 00:19:25,208 where the inmates might have been taken 432 00:19:25,208 --> 00:19:28,375 if they were successful in getting off the island. 433 00:19:28,375 --> 00:19:30,542 - [Laurence] The model reveals that any attempt 434 00:19:30,542 --> 00:19:33,208 to reach Angel Island directly from Alcatraz 435 00:19:33,208 --> 00:19:36,375 means paddling against the current. 436 00:19:37,417 --> 00:19:39,208 - It would've been almost impossible for them 437 00:19:39,208 --> 00:19:41,875 to fight their way against that current. 438 00:19:41,875 --> 00:19:45,167 It would've been like trying to swim in a treadmill. 439 00:19:45,167 --> 00:19:46,917 - And with the speed of the current, 440 00:19:46,917 --> 00:19:48,208 it would be very difficult for you 441 00:19:48,208 --> 00:19:50,208 to fight your way back to the shore. 442 00:19:50,208 --> 00:19:52,000 - [Laurence] The scientists' model shows that 443 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,250 as the tide is going out that night, 444 00:19:54,250 --> 00:19:57,792 the current travels west, toward the one mile wide, 445 00:19:57,792 --> 00:20:02,125 Golden Gate Strait that leads out to the Pacific. 446 00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:04,667 - And the closer they got to the Golden Gate, 447 00:20:04,667 --> 00:20:06,458 the faster the currents would've gotten 448 00:20:06,458 --> 00:20:09,208 because all of that water is being funneled out 449 00:20:09,208 --> 00:20:10,792 through that very narrow opening. 450 00:20:12,083 --> 00:20:13,750 - It happens pretty fast too, 451 00:20:13,750 --> 00:20:15,542 and there are plenty of examples of small vessels 452 00:20:15,542 --> 00:20:17,625 that either lose power or become disabled 453 00:20:17,625 --> 00:20:19,792 and end up getting swept out to sea. 454 00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:22,917 - [Laurence] As the tide turns between 11:00 and 12:00 AM, 455 00:20:22,917 --> 00:20:27,292 the current slows and a window of opportunity opens up. 456 00:20:27,292 --> 00:20:30,042 - There is this small moment called slack tide 457 00:20:30,042 --> 00:20:32,250 where there is an uncommon calm 458 00:20:32,250 --> 00:20:34,625 and there's almost no current at all. 459 00:20:34,625 --> 00:20:36,333 - [Laurence] The scientists simulate 460 00:20:36,333 --> 00:20:38,333 what would happen if the inmates entered 461 00:20:38,333 --> 00:20:41,125 the water during this window. 462 00:20:41,125 --> 00:20:42,792 - So as part of this simulation, 463 00:20:42,792 --> 00:20:45,250 these scientists run a bunch of different scenarios 464 00:20:45,250 --> 00:20:46,708 to see what would've happened. 465 00:20:46,708 --> 00:20:49,167 In the first one with basically no paddling, 466 00:20:49,167 --> 00:20:51,500 the raft just carries them out to sea. 467 00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:54,708 - The second simulation was with the raft, 468 00:20:54,708 --> 00:20:57,833 with the inmates paddling, and what was found 469 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:00,833 is that even though the raft is being swept 470 00:21:00,833 --> 00:21:03,708 toward the Golden Gate, with enough effort, 471 00:21:03,708 --> 00:21:07,208 the inmates could have deflected the raft away 472 00:21:07,208 --> 00:21:10,042 from the mouth of San Francisco Bay 473 00:21:10,042 --> 00:21:11,458 and continued their journey. 474 00:21:12,458 --> 00:21:14,375 - [Laurence] Just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge 475 00:21:14,375 --> 00:21:19,458 sits Fort Cronkite, a military post during World War II. 476 00:21:19,458 --> 00:21:23,375 By 1962, many of its buildings were being torn down 477 00:21:23,375 --> 00:21:24,833 by the army. 478 00:21:24,833 --> 00:21:28,375 It's here that the FBI finds another important piece 479 00:21:28,375 --> 00:21:30,500 of evidence from the escape. 480 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:33,458 - So one of the life vests turns up on Fort Cronkite. 481 00:21:33,458 --> 00:21:35,625 They were able to test it and they figured out, hey, 482 00:21:35,625 --> 00:21:37,292 this thing is functioning very well. 483 00:21:37,292 --> 00:21:39,583 (dramatic music) 484 00:21:41,417 --> 00:21:42,667 - Allen West makes the claim 485 00:21:42,667 --> 00:21:44,208 that they're heading toward Angel Island 486 00:21:44,208 --> 00:21:46,875 and we find objects at Angel Island. 487 00:21:46,875 --> 00:21:49,000 At the same time, we also have the life vest 488 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,417 that was found at Fort Cronkite. 489 00:21:50,417 --> 00:21:53,500 So now, we can connect objects to two separate locations. 490 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:54,875 - [Laurence] The model shows that 491 00:21:54,875 --> 00:21:57,875 after the window of opportunity at slack tide, 492 00:21:57,875 --> 00:22:01,417 the tide turns and the current reverses. 493 00:22:01,417 --> 00:22:03,542 It's feasible the escapees' items 494 00:22:03,542 --> 00:22:06,833 could have been carried back into the bay hours later. 495 00:22:06,833 --> 00:22:09,875 - That could explain why a packet of items that belonged to 496 00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:12,167 one of the Anglin brothers, as well as one of their paddles, 497 00:22:12,167 --> 00:22:13,333 ended up at Angel Island. 498 00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:15,708 Even if they didn't intend to go there. 499 00:22:15,708 --> 00:22:17,583 We know that if Morris and the Anglins left 500 00:22:17,583 --> 00:22:19,542 when the tides went out, the current would've swept 501 00:22:19,542 --> 00:22:21,375 them under the Golden Gate Bridge. 502 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:25,167 What would be harder to explain is why this life vest 503 00:22:25,167 --> 00:22:27,125 would end up at Fort Cronkite 504 00:22:27,125 --> 00:22:28,458 when the current wasn't taking it 505 00:22:28,458 --> 00:22:30,375 in that particular direction. 506 00:22:30,375 --> 00:22:31,917 - [Laurence] Fort Cronkite sits just 507 00:22:31,917 --> 00:22:34,667 inside Marin County, not far from the location 508 00:22:34,667 --> 00:22:37,000 where the blue Chevrolet was reported stolen, 509 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,958 according to the reports US Marshal Michael Dyke uncovered. 510 00:22:40,958 --> 00:22:44,042 - It's possible that Allen West's story was true 511 00:22:44,042 --> 00:22:45,583 as he understood it, 512 00:22:45,583 --> 00:22:48,042 but after they'd left him behind, the current takes them 513 00:22:48,042 --> 00:22:50,667 to a totally different spot than any of them had planned 514 00:22:50,667 --> 00:22:53,542 and of course, than Allen West would've known about. 515 00:22:53,542 --> 00:22:57,250 - In any of these plans, you have to think on the fly. 516 00:22:57,250 --> 00:22:59,458 If they couldn't get to their objective A, 517 00:22:59,458 --> 00:23:00,917 they gotta have plan B. 518 00:23:00,917 --> 00:23:03,458 Plan B could have been just going with a current. 519 00:23:03,458 --> 00:23:06,333 (waves crashing) (tense music) 520 00:23:08,833 --> 00:23:11,458 - It's also possible, of course, that even 521 00:23:11,458 --> 00:23:13,042 with all these effects that were found, 522 00:23:13,042 --> 00:23:16,500 the life jacket at Fort Cronkite, the photos 523 00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:18,833 and the list of family contacts floating 524 00:23:18,833 --> 00:23:21,500 around near Angel Island, all of those items could 525 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:21,708 of course have been found, 526 00:23:22,375 --> 00:23:22,958 of course have been found, 527 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:25,042 but the men still could have drowned. 528 00:23:25,042 --> 00:23:26,583 (seagulls calling) 529 00:23:30,458 --> 00:23:32,083 (tense music) 530 00:23:32,083 --> 00:23:34,708 - In 1979, the FBI concludes 531 00:23:34,708 --> 00:23:39,042 that the three Alcatraz escapees never made it to shore 532 00:23:39,042 --> 00:23:41,667 and died in the frigid, shark infested waters 533 00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:43,542 of the San Francisco Bay. 534 00:23:43,542 --> 00:23:46,458 But maybe that's exactly what the men wanted everyone 535 00:23:46,458 --> 00:23:50,542 to believe, when in fact they devised a much more 536 00:23:50,542 --> 00:23:53,333 sophisticated getaway with the help 537 00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:55,375 of some very important friends. 538 00:23:59,042 --> 00:24:01,167 - When you look at who came through Alcatraz, 539 00:24:01,167 --> 00:24:03,833 some of the biggest gangsters we've had in this country, 540 00:24:03,833 --> 00:24:06,833 Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly. 541 00:24:06,833 --> 00:24:10,375 - It is true that when these men were at Alcatraz 542 00:24:10,375 --> 00:24:11,625 that they rubbed shoulders 543 00:24:11,625 --> 00:24:15,125 with famous mobsters, including Whitey Bulger. 544 00:24:15,125 --> 00:24:17,917 One story is that Whitey Bulger was helping these men 545 00:24:17,917 --> 00:24:20,958 in their escape by a certain workaround 546 00:24:20,958 --> 00:24:22,625 of these hot showers. 547 00:24:22,625 --> 00:24:25,208 - It's said that one other security measure at Alcatraz 548 00:24:25,208 --> 00:24:28,875 was to maintain the showers at a very hot temperature. 549 00:24:30,125 --> 00:24:32,917 This was so the prisoners could not acclimate their bodies 550 00:24:32,917 --> 00:24:35,542 to cold water and then have a greater chance 551 00:24:35,542 --> 00:24:38,042 of being successful in swimming away. 552 00:24:38,042 --> 00:24:41,708 - [Laurence] Allegedly, Bulger helps the men find a workaround. 553 00:24:41,708 --> 00:24:44,917 - Supposedly, Whitey Bulger advises these inmates 554 00:24:44,917 --> 00:24:48,208 to take buckets of hot water from the showers 555 00:24:48,208 --> 00:24:49,917 and allow it to cool down 556 00:24:49,917 --> 00:24:52,958 and then use that to acclimate their bodies. 557 00:24:52,958 --> 00:24:55,708 But even so, to really acclimate your body, you would have 558 00:24:55,708 --> 00:24:58,708 to be submerged in the water for a period of time, 559 00:24:58,708 --> 00:25:00,042 not just pouring a bucket 560 00:25:00,042 --> 00:25:02,750 of cold water on your body momentarily. 561 00:25:02,750 --> 00:25:06,292 The coldest the water could get would be air temperature, 562 00:25:06,292 --> 00:25:08,375 room temperature, which is likely not 563 00:25:08,375 --> 00:25:10,750 as cold as what the Bay actually is. 564 00:25:14,833 --> 00:25:17,250 - [Laurence] Another influential crime boss, 565 00:25:17,250 --> 00:25:20,875 Harlem's Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, is rumored to have 566 00:25:20,875 --> 00:25:25,292 provided the men a much easier way to get to the mainland. 567 00:25:25,292 --> 00:25:27,625 (dramatic music) 568 00:25:29,542 --> 00:25:32,000 - So in 1993, another confession 569 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,750 and possibly explanation comes to light. 570 00:25:36,042 --> 00:25:38,750 On his deathbed, a man named John Leroy Kelly 571 00:25:38,750 --> 00:25:42,500 says that he was an associate of another mobster 572 00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:44,875 Harlem's Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. 573 00:25:44,875 --> 00:25:48,125 Kelly said that he had been hired in the 1960s 574 00:25:48,125 --> 00:25:49,750 to abet in this escape. 575 00:25:49,750 --> 00:25:51,875 - Bumpy Johnson kind of ran 576 00:25:51,875 --> 00:25:54,792 the African American mob in Harlem at the time. 577 00:25:55,833 --> 00:25:59,250 He was in a block that was one block over 578 00:25:59,250 --> 00:26:00,875 and they were segregated. 579 00:26:00,875 --> 00:26:04,458 And there are stories out there that Bumpy was very familiar 580 00:26:04,458 --> 00:26:06,458 with the escape process. 581 00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:08,708 - Kelly said that Johnson told him 582 00:26:08,708 --> 00:26:10,750 that he had helped in the escape. 583 00:26:10,750 --> 00:26:14,167 He says that Johnson had hired somebody to wait in the Bay 584 00:26:14,167 --> 00:26:17,333 for them in a small boat that was unlit, 585 00:26:17,333 --> 00:26:20,250 but painted a very bright color of white so that it was 586 00:26:20,250 --> 00:26:23,833 as visible as possible, even in the fog and the darkness. 587 00:26:23,833 --> 00:26:26,792 - [Laurence] A San Francisco police officer named 588 00:26:26,792 --> 00:26:30,292 Robert Checchi corroborates at least part of the story. 589 00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:32,542 - What Officer Checchi had seen when he went out 590 00:26:32,542 --> 00:26:34,333 for a smoke break in the Presidio area, 591 00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:37,625 he's standing right there at the San Francisco Bay, 592 00:26:37,625 --> 00:26:39,333 right at the edge there in the city, 593 00:26:39,333 --> 00:26:43,208 and he sees what he thinks is a pristine, newer boat, 594 00:26:43,208 --> 00:26:44,708 come into San Francisco Bay. 595 00:26:44,708 --> 00:26:46,917 Running lights, everything's going. 596 00:26:46,917 --> 00:26:49,792 He sees it shut the running lights off, shut the engine off 597 00:26:49,792 --> 00:26:51,875 for a period of time, 15, 20 minutes, 598 00:26:51,875 --> 00:26:53,250 something in that area. 599 00:26:53,250 --> 00:26:55,250 Then the lights go back on, the engine starts up, 600 00:26:56,542 --> 00:26:59,292 and the boat goes back outta San Francisco Bay. 601 00:26:59,292 --> 00:27:02,333 - [Laurence] Checchi senses something's not quite right, 602 00:27:02,333 --> 00:27:04,375 but ignores his intuition. 603 00:27:04,375 --> 00:27:06,708 It's not until the next morning 604 00:27:06,708 --> 00:27:08,708 that he'll realize his mistake. 605 00:27:09,708 --> 00:27:11,750 - The next morning when it hits the fan that, 606 00:27:11,750 --> 00:27:14,167 hey, we got three escapees outta Alcatraz, 607 00:27:14,167 --> 00:27:17,250 he goes to his supervisor, they get in touch with the FBI. 608 00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:19,708 Officer Checchi tells him exactly what he saw. 609 00:27:19,708 --> 00:27:22,292 - The FBI claims to follow up on this tip 610 00:27:22,292 --> 00:27:24,708 and to go right out to that exact spot. 611 00:27:24,708 --> 00:27:26,708 But of course, even if the boat had been there, 612 00:27:26,708 --> 00:27:28,708 it's no longer there. 613 00:27:28,708 --> 00:27:30,792 They don't follow up any further. 614 00:27:30,792 --> 00:27:32,542 - [Laurence] Nor can anyone corroborate 615 00:27:32,542 --> 00:27:36,250 the last, ironic chapter of Kelly's deathbed confession. 616 00:27:36,250 --> 00:27:40,125 - In a strange and cruel twist of fate for the inmates, 617 00:27:40,125 --> 00:27:42,917 Kelly suggests that the fugitive's mob connections 618 00:27:42,917 --> 00:27:44,625 were what led to their deaths. 619 00:27:44,625 --> 00:27:46,958 (dramatic music) 620 00:27:46,958 --> 00:27:48,917 - These two guys, John Leroy Kelly 621 00:27:48,917 --> 00:27:50,917 and this other associate, they picked up 622 00:27:50,917 --> 00:27:54,083 these three escapees, took 'em back to Seattle, 623 00:27:54,083 --> 00:27:58,167 got in a pickup truck and drove to Yakima, Washington, 624 00:27:58,167 --> 00:28:00,875 which is just a couple hours' ride, 625 00:28:00,875 --> 00:28:02,500 to a location where they met 626 00:28:02,500 --> 00:28:05,333 with an old bank robber associate of Frank Morris 627 00:28:05,333 --> 00:28:08,625 and were each given 50,000 bucks in cash 628 00:28:08,625 --> 00:28:11,542 to go to Canada and disappear. 629 00:28:11,542 --> 00:28:14,500 - [Laurence] The plan, as far as Morris and the Anglins know, 630 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:18,208 is for Kelly to help them cross the border into Canada. 631 00:28:18,208 --> 00:28:23,208 But as the saying goes, there's no honor among thieves. 632 00:28:24,208 --> 00:28:26,208 - These two guys, John Leroy Kelly 633 00:28:26,208 --> 00:28:28,542 and this other associate are driving 634 00:28:28,542 --> 00:28:32,750 through the Snoqualmie Pass area in Washington state. 635 00:28:32,750 --> 00:28:37,208 They pull over, they reach under the seats 636 00:28:37,208 --> 00:28:40,375 into a toolkit, pull out two .38s, go in the back, 637 00:28:40,375 --> 00:28:43,333 shoot all the guys, shoot the three escapees, 638 00:28:43,333 --> 00:28:47,583 steal the money, and then bury 'em in a hole 639 00:28:47,583 --> 00:28:49,125 that they had already dug there. 640 00:28:50,875 --> 00:28:53,458 - Kelly provides a very detailed description 641 00:28:53,458 --> 00:28:57,292 of where the bodies can be found in the Seattle, Washington area. 642 00:28:57,292 --> 00:28:59,958 - [Laurence] US Marshals comb the area. 643 00:28:59,958 --> 00:29:02,917 - If you kind of follow his description, 644 00:29:02,917 --> 00:29:05,042 it loosely brings you to that area 645 00:29:05,042 --> 00:29:07,708 that I've been at three or four times already 646 00:29:07,708 --> 00:29:10,167 and found the trees they were talking about. 647 00:29:10,167 --> 00:29:12,958 - [Laurence] But no bodies are ever found. 648 00:29:12,958 --> 00:29:15,292 - They go back to Kelly, but he's already died. 649 00:29:15,292 --> 00:29:17,875 But the fact that authorities listened to him 650 00:29:17,875 --> 00:29:21,042 and followed up on his tips does suggest 651 00:29:21,042 --> 00:29:22,708 that authorities are still open to the idea 652 00:29:22,708 --> 00:29:23,458 that authorities are still open to the idea 653 00:29:23,708 --> 00:29:25,208 that maybe these guys did make it, 654 00:29:25,208 --> 00:29:29,042 and maybe at least in 1993, they're still alive. 655 00:29:32,917 --> 00:29:34,208 - [Laurence] There is little doubt 656 00:29:34,208 --> 00:29:37,833 the 1962 escape from Alcatraz was well thought out 657 00:29:37,833 --> 00:29:40,333 and executed to near perfection. 658 00:29:40,333 --> 00:29:43,875 And if these three men did successfully cross the water, 659 00:29:43,875 --> 00:29:48,167 they'd have to disappear for the rest of their lives, 660 00:29:48,167 --> 00:29:51,167 and that might be the most difficult part of all. 661 00:29:53,292 --> 00:29:55,958 - I always call Frank Morris the kind 662 00:29:55,958 --> 00:29:58,125 of neglected Alcatraz escapee 663 00:29:58,125 --> 00:30:01,208 because he really didn't have any close family 664 00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:02,583 that knew him. 665 00:30:02,583 --> 00:30:05,250 - So it kind of makes sense that he may have been just able 666 00:30:05,250 --> 00:30:07,417 to slip away and never be heard from again. 667 00:30:09,042 --> 00:30:11,792 - [Laurence] That may not be so easy for the Anglin brothers. 668 00:30:12,875 --> 00:30:15,042 - John and Clarence Anglin, however, 669 00:30:15,042 --> 00:30:17,875 are born into a big, loving family. 670 00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:20,292 Lots of siblings, lots of extended family. 671 00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:23,958 - They used to get in trouble a lot and on occasion, 672 00:30:23,958 --> 00:30:26,458 they'd robb convenience stores or grocery stores. 673 00:30:26,458 --> 00:30:29,750 - They end up in jail in 1958 on a bank robbery charge, 674 00:30:29,750 --> 00:30:31,750 but they don't wanna be there 675 00:30:31,750 --> 00:30:35,375 and then they're smart guys, so they devise a way to escape. 676 00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:38,708 - Whenever they got arrested, they'd always tried 677 00:30:38,708 --> 00:30:40,417 to figure out how to escape. 678 00:30:40,417 --> 00:30:44,375 - [Laurence] But in 1961, after one escape attempt too many, 679 00:30:44,375 --> 00:30:48,875 the Anglins earned themselves a ticket to the rock. 680 00:30:48,875 --> 00:30:51,000 - Even as John and Clarence are bouncing their way 681 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,042 through the prison system and eventually ending up 682 00:30:53,042 --> 00:30:55,500 at Alcatraz, they never forget where they came from. 683 00:30:58,917 --> 00:31:01,333 - When you look at every single escape case, 684 00:31:01,333 --> 00:31:05,125 not just this one, investigators go to family first. 685 00:31:05,125 --> 00:31:09,208 Escapees, it's very hard for them not to get in contact 686 00:31:09,208 --> 00:31:11,000 with their previous family. 687 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,375 - [Laurence] And that's exactly what happened, 688 00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:17,167 according to a childhood friend of the Anglin brothers. 689 00:31:18,167 --> 00:31:21,792 - According to Fred Brizzi, he grew up with the Anglins 690 00:31:21,792 --> 00:31:23,917 as a kid, and they used to play together 691 00:31:23,917 --> 00:31:25,542 and they would tow themselves 692 00:31:25,542 --> 00:31:29,375 behind boats on the river down in Georgia and Florida. 693 00:31:29,375 --> 00:31:34,375 He was a pilot and he used to run loads of marijuana 694 00:31:34,375 --> 00:31:37,417 outta South America, central America, Mexico, up to the US. 695 00:31:38,500 --> 00:31:40,167 - To a lot of his friends, 696 00:31:40,167 --> 00:31:42,542 Brizzi always talks about flying to different parts 697 00:31:42,542 --> 00:31:44,417 of the globe, but one of his favorite places 698 00:31:44,417 --> 00:31:47,917 that he enjoys visiting the most is the country of Brazil, 699 00:31:48,875 --> 00:31:52,167 where his buddies, John and Clarence Anglin are hiding out. 700 00:31:53,458 --> 00:31:56,208 - [Laurence] Supposedly, the brother's first indirect contact 701 00:31:56,208 --> 00:31:59,708 with the rest of the family comes in 1992, 30 years 702 00:31:59,708 --> 00:32:04,833 after the escape, with Brizzi acting as the go-between. 703 00:32:04,833 --> 00:32:07,208 - Brizzi contacts the Anglins' mother 704 00:32:07,208 --> 00:32:09,375 and says that her sons came to him 705 00:32:09,375 --> 00:32:11,458 and that he was the one who told them, 706 00:32:11,458 --> 00:32:13,917 go to Brazil, you can make a life there, 707 00:32:13,917 --> 00:32:16,875 and that he can confirm that they indeed 708 00:32:16,875 --> 00:32:19,000 did make it out of Alcatraz alive. 709 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,292 (dramatic music) 710 00:32:24,292 --> 00:32:28,125 - Imagine the emotions of the mother knowing 711 00:32:28,125 --> 00:32:31,875 that her two boys, who are part of one 712 00:32:31,875 --> 00:32:33,417 of the most infamous prison scapes in all 713 00:32:33,417 --> 00:32:37,208 of American history, are in Brazil, 714 00:32:37,208 --> 00:32:40,333 while the FBI is telling her that they're both actually dead. 715 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,750 - As proof for Mrs. Anglin to say 716 00:32:44,750 --> 00:32:46,375 that he's not just making this up, 717 00:32:46,375 --> 00:32:50,083 he brings along a photograph of her sons. 718 00:32:50,083 --> 00:32:51,667 It's not the best quality photo. 719 00:32:51,667 --> 00:32:54,125 It's grainy, and the men have facial hair, 720 00:32:54,125 --> 00:32:55,583 and they look a little unfamiliar. 721 00:32:55,583 --> 00:32:58,375 But for a woman who is desperate to see proof 722 00:32:58,375 --> 00:33:00,500 of life of her children, it's pretty good. 723 00:33:01,625 --> 00:33:03,792 - [Laurence] Brizzi supposedly tells Mrs. Anglin 724 00:33:03,792 --> 00:33:07,208 that John and Clarence are now running a farm in Brazil. 725 00:33:09,583 --> 00:33:12,875 In the last few years, family members have even gone down 726 00:33:12,875 --> 00:33:15,292 to Rio to follow the trail 727 00:33:15,292 --> 00:33:18,167 and locate the long lost brothers. 728 00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:20,417 - Even though the picture's several decades old, 729 00:33:20,417 --> 00:33:23,417 you could still match kind of the geographical area 730 00:33:23,417 --> 00:33:25,500 and they pretty much found the area 731 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:28,417 that they believed the photos was were taken in, 732 00:33:28,417 --> 00:33:30,250 and there is a large farm there. 733 00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:34,292 - The family hires a local guide to help them through town 734 00:33:34,292 --> 00:33:36,042 and as they're going through the town, 735 00:33:36,042 --> 00:33:38,208 they start asking locals whether or not 736 00:33:38,208 --> 00:33:40,083 they'd seen guys like John and Clarence 737 00:33:40,083 --> 00:33:41,417 come through that area. 738 00:33:42,333 --> 00:33:44,625 - What they do find is stories. 739 00:33:44,625 --> 00:33:47,250 They find that people who live in this region say, 740 00:33:47,250 --> 00:33:49,500 "Oh yeah, there were these three American guys 741 00:33:49,500 --> 00:33:51,375 who showed up in the early 1960s. 742 00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:54,083 They kind of kept to themselves, but they were friendly 743 00:33:54,083 --> 00:33:57,083 and they started living in this cave." 744 00:33:57,083 --> 00:33:58,875 - It's rumored that some of the locals 745 00:33:58,875 --> 00:34:02,375 in the town are curious as to what the men's intentions are. 746 00:34:02,375 --> 00:34:04,042 So the local town sheriff heads up 747 00:34:04,042 --> 00:34:06,542 to the cave formation to meet with the men. 748 00:34:06,542 --> 00:34:08,542 The men put him at ease and they actually 749 00:34:08,542 --> 00:34:10,208 end up becoming friends with the sheriff 750 00:34:10,208 --> 00:34:12,000 and he goes out of his way to provide them 751 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,708 with some food and allows 'em to stay. 752 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,250 - [Laurence] It's a tantalizing clue, 753 00:34:17,250 --> 00:34:20,125 but that's where the trail goes cold. 754 00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:24,250 Several weeks later, the men apparently move on, 755 00:34:24,250 --> 00:34:27,958 leaving behind a single photograph as possible proof 756 00:34:27,958 --> 00:34:30,583 of their new life in Brazil. 757 00:34:30,583 --> 00:34:31,667 - They never find them. 758 00:34:32,708 --> 00:34:35,708 In 2020, however, the family takes this photograph 759 00:34:35,708 --> 00:34:38,875 that they've been holding onto to a facility 760 00:34:38,875 --> 00:34:41,083 where they do a kind of analysis. 761 00:34:42,042 --> 00:34:43,750 - [Laurence] The facial structure of the men 762 00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:45,708 in the photograph is analyzed, 763 00:34:45,708 --> 00:34:49,542 comparing it with verified photos of the Anglins. 764 00:34:49,542 --> 00:34:51,667 - This software confirms that, yes, 765 00:34:51,667 --> 00:34:54,625 the men in the photo are indeed John and Clarence Anglin. 766 00:34:58,375 --> 00:35:01,500 However, authorities are much less convinced 767 00:35:01,500 --> 00:35:05,542 that this photograph actually is the Anglins. 768 00:35:05,542 --> 00:35:07,792 - Unfortunately, it wasn't the best. 769 00:35:07,792 --> 00:35:09,500 That Polaroid picture, 770 00:35:09,500 --> 00:35:14,417 one of the guys' head is turned slightly and sunglasses are on. 771 00:35:14,417 --> 00:35:16,417 So we're dealing with something 772 00:35:16,417 --> 00:35:18,083 that's not a hundred percent science. 773 00:35:18,083 --> 00:35:19,417 It's not like DNA, 774 00:35:19,417 --> 00:35:22,042 but at least it gives us enough information 775 00:35:22,042 --> 00:35:25,083 to proceed on the particular lead. 776 00:35:25,083 --> 00:35:27,208 - Let's remember that this story originates 777 00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:29,333 with Fred Brizzi. 778 00:35:29,333 --> 00:35:31,583 - He's a conman, he's a convict. 779 00:35:31,583 --> 00:35:34,333 You have to take everything he says with a grain of salt. 780 00:35:34,333 --> 00:35:37,208 - [Laurence] Without more conclusive proof, 781 00:35:37,208 --> 00:35:41,375 the FBI refuses to revise their original assessment 782 00:35:41,375 --> 00:35:43,458 that the escapees died in the water. 783 00:35:43,458 --> 00:35:46,375 - It's still an active case because they're still calling me 784 00:35:46,375 --> 00:35:47,958 and asking me for some historical information 785 00:35:47,958 --> 00:35:49,208 on the case. 786 00:35:49,208 --> 00:35:50,833 - There's no doubt that the FBI 787 00:35:50,833 --> 00:35:52,917 and the US Marshals have received numerous reports 788 00:35:52,917 --> 00:35:55,542 over the years, and they're going to follow them all. 789 00:36:00,500 --> 00:36:03,542 - [Laurence] Decades after the escape from Alcatraz, 790 00:36:03,542 --> 00:36:06,917 the US Marshals continue to follow up on leads. 791 00:36:06,917 --> 00:36:09,500 In 2013, they get a call 792 00:36:09,500 --> 00:36:11,958 from the San Francisco Police Department 793 00:36:11,958 --> 00:36:13,750 with a new development. 794 00:36:13,750 --> 00:36:16,208 - The San Francisco Police Department gets a letter 795 00:36:16,208 --> 00:36:17,542 and the person who opens it 796 00:36:17,542 --> 00:36:19,333 cannot believe what they're reading. 797 00:36:19,333 --> 00:36:21,375 It is a long, handwritten letter 798 00:36:21,375 --> 00:36:23,958 signed by none other than John Anglin. 799 00:36:23,958 --> 00:36:27,458 - [Laurence] The letter begins, "My name is John Anglin. 800 00:36:27,458 --> 00:36:30,708 I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 801 00:36:30,708 --> 00:36:33,375 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. 802 00:36:33,375 --> 00:36:36,708 I am 83 years old and in bad shape." 803 00:36:36,708 --> 00:36:39,958 - He indicates that he's the only one alive still, 804 00:36:39,958 --> 00:36:41,625 but that all three made it. 805 00:36:41,625 --> 00:36:43,292 - It says that since that night, 806 00:36:43,292 --> 00:36:45,917 they've been living out their lives pretty quietly 807 00:36:45,917 --> 00:36:47,708 in Minot, North Dakota. 808 00:36:47,708 --> 00:36:49,875 (dramatic music) 809 00:36:53,542 --> 00:36:56,375 If the letter is real, it's an incredible look 810 00:36:56,375 --> 00:36:59,875 into what these men had been up to since 1962. 811 00:36:59,875 --> 00:37:01,458 It also includes the information 812 00:37:01,458 --> 00:37:04,625 that Frank Morris died in 2008. 813 00:37:05,708 --> 00:37:09,375 - [Laurence] The letter also says Clarence Anglin died 814 00:37:09,375 --> 00:37:13,833 in 2011, making John the sole survivor. 815 00:37:13,833 --> 00:37:17,542 - This letter, however, is not a confession or a check-in. 816 00:37:17,542 --> 00:37:20,375 - The purpose of this letter is John wants 817 00:37:20,375 --> 00:37:23,542 to trade medical care for a confession. 818 00:37:23,542 --> 00:37:26,375 - It's not that unusual when I'm reading that letter. 819 00:37:26,375 --> 00:37:29,792 We have had people turn themselves in for medical help. 820 00:37:29,792 --> 00:37:32,333 It's happened in the past quite a bit. 821 00:37:32,333 --> 00:37:34,333 - He's not kidding about these terms. 822 00:37:34,333 --> 00:37:37,875 He says that he wants the SFPD to announce on TV 823 00:37:37,875 --> 00:37:41,292 that he'll get just a year's sentence and medical care, 824 00:37:41,292 --> 00:37:43,167 and if they do that, he'll write back 825 00:37:43,167 --> 00:37:45,333 and disclose his whereabouts. 826 00:37:45,333 --> 00:37:47,292 - [Laurence] If authentic, the letter 827 00:37:47,292 --> 00:37:49,208 is the first public contact 828 00:37:49,208 --> 00:37:52,458 from any of the three men since the escape. 829 00:37:52,458 --> 00:37:56,167 But when US Marshals investigate the letter further, 830 00:37:56,167 --> 00:37:58,375 they have misgivings. 831 00:37:58,375 --> 00:38:00,958 - Whether the letter's legitimate or not, 832 00:38:00,958 --> 00:38:04,708 we've done all the criminal analysis we can on it. 833 00:38:04,708 --> 00:38:08,208 The letter was inconclusive from the DNA perspective. 834 00:38:08,208 --> 00:38:11,292 - The letter is written by a very shaky hand 835 00:38:11,292 --> 00:38:13,583 and some parts are impossible to read. 836 00:38:13,583 --> 00:38:16,625 Handwriting analysis of this text against letters 837 00:38:16,625 --> 00:38:20,125 that they had from their time at Alcatraz is inconclusive. 838 00:38:20,125 --> 00:38:23,042 - Not to say that John couldn't have had somebody else 839 00:38:23,042 --> 00:38:25,542 write it for him, and we've come up with the fact 840 00:38:25,542 --> 00:38:28,667 that we can't corroborate any of that information in the letter. 841 00:38:28,667 --> 00:38:33,208 So to me, it's just another great mystery 842 00:38:33,208 --> 00:38:36,083 of this particular case that we've come across 843 00:38:36,083 --> 00:38:37,958 so many times in this investigation. 844 00:38:39,208 --> 00:38:40,875 - [Laurence] Strongly suspecting a hoax, 845 00:38:40,875 --> 00:38:43,458 US Marshals choose not to take the author 846 00:38:43,458 --> 00:38:45,083 of the letter up on his offer. 847 00:38:46,083 --> 00:38:48,375 - Whether or not this letter was actually written 848 00:38:48,375 --> 00:38:49,833 by John Anglin, 849 00:38:49,833 --> 00:38:51,667 even if these men still were alive, 850 00:38:51,667 --> 00:38:53,542 they'd right now be in their nineties. 851 00:38:54,708 --> 00:38:57,500 - [Laurence] But besides this letter, 852 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:00,667 there have always been rumors dating back many years 853 00:39:00,667 --> 00:39:03,250 that could support the theory that the Anglins 854 00:39:03,250 --> 00:39:06,250 have been living in the US the entire time. 855 00:39:06,250 --> 00:39:08,708 - There are members of the Anglin family, including some 856 00:39:08,708 --> 00:39:10,542 of their sisters who suspect that John 857 00:39:10,542 --> 00:39:12,250 and Clarence had been reaching out 858 00:39:12,250 --> 00:39:14,292 to the family for some time. 859 00:39:14,292 --> 00:39:15,833 - There's lore that John 860 00:39:15,833 --> 00:39:17,833 and Clarence may have even made a personal 861 00:39:17,833 --> 00:39:20,458 appearance at their mother's funeral. 862 00:39:20,458 --> 00:39:22,583 - There are two odd looking characters 863 00:39:22,583 --> 00:39:24,417 who show up at the Florida funeral. 864 00:39:24,417 --> 00:39:26,375 It's two men dressed as women. 865 00:39:26,375 --> 00:39:28,208 - Supposedly could have been the Anglin 866 00:39:28,208 --> 00:39:30,333 brothers dressed as women. 867 00:39:30,333 --> 00:39:32,708 That's never been able to be corroborated. 868 00:39:33,750 --> 00:39:35,875 - Later on, when the Anglin brothers' father 869 00:39:35,875 --> 00:39:37,208 George passed away, 870 00:39:37,208 --> 00:39:39,792 the same situation happens when two strangers show up, 871 00:39:39,792 --> 00:39:42,583 but this time with long beards and slip into the viewing. 872 00:39:42,583 --> 00:39:44,792 They spend just a few moments at the casket, 873 00:39:44,792 --> 00:39:47,458 shed a few tears, and then leave 874 00:39:47,458 --> 00:39:49,167 without acknowledging anyone there. 875 00:39:50,208 --> 00:39:52,875 - I can tell you from the Marshal Service perspective, 876 00:39:52,875 --> 00:39:55,417 we might have done some spot surveillance on 'em 877 00:39:55,417 --> 00:39:58,542 for whatever reason, whether an anniversary date, 878 00:39:58,542 --> 00:40:00,042 family member passing away. 879 00:40:01,583 --> 00:40:04,583 Hours of surveillance, nothing ever turned up. 880 00:40:04,583 --> 00:40:06,167 - [Laurence] Without further evidence, 881 00:40:06,167 --> 00:40:07,833 it's impossible to say conclusively 882 00:40:08,833 --> 00:40:10,958 whether the Anglins really did live out the rest 883 00:40:10,958 --> 00:40:14,708 of their lives in the United States or anywhere else. 884 00:40:14,708 --> 00:40:16,833 - This is a fun story to think about, right? 885 00:40:16,833 --> 00:40:20,042 I mean, here you have this inescapable fortress, 886 00:40:20,042 --> 00:40:21,875 this supermax prison, 887 00:40:21,875 --> 00:40:24,917 and here you have these three guys who figured a way out. 888 00:40:24,917 --> 00:40:27,750 - They've bounced in and out of prisons their whole life, 889 00:40:27,750 --> 00:40:30,958 institutions, but they used what they've got. 890 00:40:30,958 --> 00:40:33,583 Their smarts, whatever they can pick up around the prison, 891 00:40:33,583 --> 00:40:36,583 they fight the law and maybe they won. 892 00:40:36,583 --> 00:40:39,792 - No bodies have ever been produced. 893 00:40:39,792 --> 00:40:43,500 No evidence of their death has ever been produced. 894 00:40:44,708 --> 00:40:47,042 - It's still one of the great mysteries of the 20th century 895 00:40:47,042 --> 00:40:48,583 and everybody gloms onto it 896 00:40:48,583 --> 00:40:51,958 because they love when an underdog wins. 897 00:40:55,708 --> 00:40:59,417 - The US Marshal Service plans to keep the case open 898 00:40:59,417 --> 00:41:02,208 until they can definitively say the escapees 899 00:41:02,208 --> 00:41:05,042 are dead or in custody. 900 00:41:05,042 --> 00:41:06,417 It's their way of warning 901 00:41:06,417 --> 00:41:08,500 anyone else thinking of escaping prison 902 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:12,250 that the marshals will never give up. 903 00:41:12,250 --> 00:41:13,667 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 904 00:41:13,667 --> 00:41:17,375 Thank you for watching "History's Greatest Mysteries". 905 00:41:17,375 --> 00:41:19,750 (dramatic music)