One of the most infamous cold-cases of all time has been re-opened after the FBI received a letter from a man claiming to be John Anglin, one of the three men who successfully escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962.
The letter was sent in 2013, but it was only leaked to the media earlier this week.
Anglin escaped from Alcatraz with his brother Clarence and their cell-mate Frank Morris. The story of their escape has become a piece of American folklore and one of the countries greatest mysteries.
The three inmates were serving time on the island prison for bank robbery. Together, they dug tunnels with stolen spoons to escape from their cells. They even built paper-mâché heads that were placed in their beds to buy more time before their absence was discovered. It is believed the escapees built a make-shift raft and life-vests from old rain coats in an attempt to reach the shore line of San Francisco. The men were never seen nor heard from again. The case was closed after investigators decided Morris and the Anglin brothers likely drowned in the frigid waters.
55-years-later, the case was re-opened when the San Francisco Police Department received the following letter,
My name is John Anglin. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I’m 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely!
…
If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. This is no joke.
In the letter, the man claiming to be Anglin says his brother Clarence died in 2011 and Frank Morris passed away in 2008.
According to Fox News, the FBI tested the letter for fingerprints, but their results were “inconclusive.”
If alive, John Anglin would be 86-years-old. Clarence and Morris would be 87 and 90-years-old, respectively.
While many believe the letter to be nothing more than a hoax, it’s existence supports credible reports that Anglin’s mother was delivered flowers each year from an unknown source.
Watch the full news report below for more information.