The Unsolved Fate: 5 Shocking New Updates On The 1962 Alcatraz Three Escapees

The 1962 Alcatraz escape remains one of the most enduring mysteries in American criminal history, a daring feat of ingenuity and determination that has captivated the public for over six decades. On the night of June 11, 1962, three inmates—Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin—vanished from the supposedly inescapable Federal Penitentiary, known as "The Rock."

As of late 2024 and early 2025, the case is far from closed. The official stance for years was that the men drowned in the frigid, turbulent waters of the San Francisco Bay. However, new scientific analysis, age-progressed photos, and a continuous, active investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) until at least 2030, suggest a much more compelling, and potentially successful, outcome for the three fugitives. This article details the latest, most shocking updates to the case.

The Masterminds: Biography of the Three Fugitives

The success of the escape hinged on the unique skills and backgrounds of the three men. They were not common criminals; they were career convicts with a history of escape attempts and a rare combination of intelligence and resourcefulness.

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Frank Lee Morris (The Mastermind)

• Role: Considered the leader and architect of the entire escape plan.
• Intelligence: Federal officials noted his exceptional intelligence, reportedly having an IQ of 133, placing him in the top 2% of the population.
• Criminal History: A career criminal with convictions for bank robbery, burglary, and narcotics possession.
• Prison Record: Known for repeated escape attempts from various prisons before his transfer to the maximum-security Alcatraz in January 1960.

John William Anglin and Clarence Anglin (The Resourceful Brothers)

• Background: The brothers were the sons of poor Georgian farmers, growing up in a large family of 13 children near Donalsonville, Georgia.
• Early Life: Their impoverished childhood, spent living in a cramped house with no plumbing, is believed to have given them the resilience and practical skills necessary for their eventual escape and survival.
• Criminal History: Their criminal careers began with petty crimes in their youth, eventually escalating to bank robbery, for which they were ultimately sent to Alcatraz.
• Skills: Both were highly resourceful. John, the older brother, was known as the more level-headed of the two. Clarence was noted for his quick temper. Their experience as boatmen and swimmers from their Florida days was crucial to the water-based escape plan.

The Perfect Storm: How the Ingenious Escape Was Executed

The 1962 escape was a meticulous operation that took months of planning and preparation, exploiting a structural flaw in the prison’s design and relying on a remarkable collection of improvised tools.

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The Tools of Freedom: Spoon, Raincoats, and a Concertina

The fugitives used sharpened spoons and tools pilfered from the prison shop to slowly chip away at the deteriorated concrete surrounding the air vents in their cells.

The noise of the nightly chipping was masked by the accordion music played during the prison's music hour, a common occurrence at the time.

Once through the vent, they accessed a rarely used utility corridor behind the cell block. Over a period of months, they used this hidden space to assemble their crucial escape gear.

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The most vital component was their makeshift flotation device. The men stole over 50 prison-issue raincoats, which they painstakingly stitched together and sealed ("vulcanized") using an improvised adhesive, creating a large, inflatable rubber raft and several life vests.

To buy time, the men created realistic-looking dummy heads, known as "decoys," out of a mixture of soap, toilet paper, paint, and human hair collected from the prison barbershop. These decoys were placed in their beds, fooling the guards during their night checks.

On the night of June 11, 1962, the men slipped through their holes, climbed up plumbing and piping to the roof, and then slid down a kitchen vent pipe to the ground. They then inflated their raft and launched into the frigid, dark waters of the San Francisco Bay.

The Enduring Mystery: New Scientific Evidence and USMS Updates

The official FBI investigation concluded in 1979 that the men had drowned, but the case remains open under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Marshals Service, which is mandated to continue the investigation until the escapees turn 100 years old, which means the case remains active until at least 2030.

Update 1: The US Marshals’ Age-Progressed Photos

In a major development that confirms the case is still considered viable, the U.S. Marshals Service has released new age-progressed photographs of the three men. These images show what Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin would look like in their 90s, suggesting authorities believe they may still be alive and in hiding.

The USMS continues to follow all credible leads, maintaining the possibility that the three men successfully made it to shore and lived out their lives as fugitives.

Update 2: Scientific Analysis Supports Survival

A significant challenge to the "drowned" theory came from a detailed hydrodynamic study conducted by Dutch scientists. This analysis used sophisticated computer models to simulate the tidal currents in the San Francisco Bay on the night of the escape.

The study concluded that if the men launched their raft between 10:45 PM and 11:30 PM, the strong outgoing tide would have carried their makeshift vessel out of the bay and toward the safety of the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This scientific finding directly contradicts the long-held belief that the currents would have pulled them straight out into the Pacific Ocean or drowned them immediately, lending strong credence to the possibility of survival.

Update 3: The Anglin Family’s Secret Evidence

The Anglin family has repeatedly asserted that the brothers survived. In 2013, they provided investigators with new evidence, including a photograph allegedly taken of the Anglin brothers in Brazil in 1975.

They also revealed a Christmas card, signed with their names and dated 1962, which was anonymously delivered to the Anglin family home in Florida shortly after the escape. Though the FBI dismissed the card at the time, the family insists it is proof they survived.

Update 4: The 2013 Letter to the Police

Perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence to surface in recent years is a letter allegedly written by John Anglin in 2013, which was delivered to the San Francisco Police Department. The letter claimed that all three men survived the escape, but that Frank Morris had died in 2008 and Clarence Anglin had died in 2011.

The letter writer offered to reveal his location in exchange for medical treatment and a short prison sentence. While the authenticity of the letter remains unproven, forensic analysis of the handwriting was inconclusive, meaning it could not be definitively ruled out as a hoax.

Update 5: The Discovery of a Raft Paddle and Life Vest

While the main raincoat raft was never recovered, a paddle and a vulcanized rubber life vest fragment—the only physical evidence of the men’s craft—were found on Angel Island shortly after the escape.

The location of these items is consistent with the scientific hydrodynamic models, suggesting the men's plan worked exactly as intended and that they may have landed on the northern shore before discarding their gear and moving inland.

The Enduring Legacy of "The Rock" Escapees

The mystery of the three Alcatraz escapees—Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin—is a testament to human ingenuity and the irresistible lure of freedom. The narrative has shifted from a presumed tragedy to a plausible success story, fueled by new scientific data and the US Marshals' commitment to an active investigation.

Whether they died in the chilling currents or lived out their days in South America, the escape from Alcatraz remains the only successful, albeit unconfirmed, prison break from "The Rock." The case will continue to be investigated, ensuring the legend of the three men who escaped the inescapable lives on.