In 2013, a letter allegedly written by John Anglin was sent to the FBI, claiming that all three inmates had survived the escape and were still alive. The letter, which many experts believe to be authentic, reads in part: "I am writing to you about my and my brothers escape from Alcatraz. I'm not writing to hurt or brag, just to let you know we made it."
The escape plan was months in the making. Morris, Anglin, and another inmate, Thomas Kent, began digging through the vents in their cells using crude homemade tools. They created paper mache heads and realistic faces to fool the guards during the nightly headcount. The trio also fashioned crude homemade lifelike bodies, which they placed in their beds to convince the guards that they were asleep. escape+from+alcatraz+19791979
On the evening of June 11, 1979, the three inmates put their plan into action. They climbed up to the roof of their cells and entered the ventilation system. From there, they made their way to the northern edge of the prison, where they had previously cut through the wire mesh. In 2013, a letter allegedly written by John
The investigation that followed was one of the largest and most extensive in FBI history. Agents interviewed over 1,000 people, checked countless leads, and analyzed a vast amount of evidence. However, despite their best efforts, the case remains unsolved. Morris, Anglin, and another inmate, Thomas Kent, began
The Alcatraz escape also led to significant changes in prison security. The incident highlighted weaknesses in the maximum-security prison's design and led to a comprehensive overhaul of the facility.