The Chilling Mystery Behind The Only Inmates To Ever Escape The Infamous Alcatraz Prison

Finally Out

Allen West, no stranger to determination, refused to succumb to despair. With relentless resolve, he toiled to expand his escape hole until it was just wide enough to squeeze through. Victory surged through his veins as he broke free from his cell’s grip. Yet, when he reached the rooftop, the chilling reality struck like a hammer blow—his comrades had vanished into the night.

Now standing alone on the precipice of freedom, West faced a heart-wrenching choice: return to his cell, a prisoner once more, or embrace the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay, where peril and possibility coalesced into an uncertain and audacious gamble for his life.

In The Morning

With a heavy heart, Allen West chose the path of caution, returning to his cell as the morning sun painted the prison in an eerie light. The news of their audacious escape had spread like wildfire, setting off a frenzied manhunt.

Cooperation with the authorities hung like a question mark over West’s head. As alarms blared, and the net of scrutiny tightened, he spilled the beans on their daring plan. Angel Island beckoned as their first destination—a haven for stolen cars, pilfered clothing, and an uncertain future. But in the fog of uncertainty, whether West spoke the unvarnished truth or played another card in the game of audacity remained a tantalizing mystery.

The Problem

As the hours ticked by, a vexing problem unfolded: there had been no reported car thefts or clothing heists within the critical 12-hour window after the trio’s escape. The chilling possibility hung in the air, like an unanswered riddle—had Morris and the Anglin brothers reached an alternative destination, or had fate taken a far grimmer turn?

Adding another layer of intrigue, Allen West boldly claimed to be the mastermind behind the audacious escape, positioning himself as the architect of their Houdini-like feat. As the mystery deepened, the FBI was summoned, their seasoned investigators tasked with unraveling the enigma of the three elusive souls who had vanished from the heart of Alcatraz.

Cold Waters

As the sun rose on the following day, a mystifying absence lingered—the bay waters yielded no bodies, no trace of Morris and the Anglin brothers. Instead, a perplexing discovery unfurled: personal belongings, silent witnesses to an enigmatic escape.

The chilling waters of the San Francisco Bay, notorious for their frigidity, gnashed at a temperature of 50 to 54 degrees. Here, the inexorable embrace of cold would assail an adult man’s bodily functions within a mere 20 minutes. An unsettling truth emerged—the inmates, accustomed to the prison’s warm confines, faced an unforgiving adversary in the icy waters, leaving the ultimate fate of their audacious escape veiled in a shroud of chilling uncertainty.

Studying The Currents

A month after the audacious escape, hope flickered with the discovery of a floating body, found 17 miles from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, clad in attire reminiscent of Alcatraz prisoners. Yet, this glimmer of potential closure was lost in the labyrinth of time, as the report reached the world too late. An exhaustive, years-long investigation ensued, a relentless quest to unravel the enigma of their disappearance.

The final chapter in this chilling tale was etched on December 31, 1979, a staggering 17 years after their escape. With heavy hearts and aching uncertainty, the FBI drew its somber conclusion: Morris and the Anglin brothers had succumbed to the relentless embrace of the San Francisco Bay’s icy waters, their fate forever bound to the enigmatic waters they sought to conquer.

A Christmas Card

In a stunning twist, the History Channel’s 2015 documentary shattered the established narrative, asserting that the Anglin brothers had, against all odds, managed a triumphant escape from Alcatraz. Evidence began to surface, igniting hope where once there was only mystery. Christmas cards bearing their unmistakable handwriting found their way to their family, a haunting echo of their existence.

A photograph, captured in Brazil in 1975, further fueled the intrigue. Forensic experts, while cautious, deemed it “more than likely” to be John and Clarence Anglin. As the tendrils of evidence continued to weave a tantalizing web, the Alcatraz escape mystery refused to rest, leaving the world to grapple with the enigmatic fate of these audacious fugitives.