Three Men Escaped Alcatraz, Evaded the FBI, and Lived Secret Lives

·42 min·3 clips

Allen West couldn't remove his grate, leaving him behind as the others escaped Alcatraz—was he lying about the plan?

This episode examines the 1962 escape of Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin from Alcatraz and the theory they survived. Host Carter Roy presents the official account alongside alternative claims that the men evaded capture. Alcatraz was considered inescapable due to its island location, freezing bay waters, twelve daily head counts, and tear gas canisters in the cafeteria. Inmates Frank Morris, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Allen West planned their escape using stolen spoons and metal scraps to chip through rotting cement around cell ventilation grates. They constructed decoy heads from papier-mâché and hair clips and built a waterproof raft from 52 stolen raincoats, inflating it with a repurposed accordion. Allen West failed to escape because his repaired grate would not open, leaving him to provide the FBI with a detailed, though inconsistent, account of the plan. The official investigation found a homemade oar and life jackets, one with teeth marks, leading to the conclusion the men drowned. Former San Francisco police officer Robert Checchy claimed he saw a suspicious white boat with a flashing light in the bay that night and that the FBI told him to bury his report. A U.S. Marshal whistleblower alleged a stolen blue Chevy was linked to the escape, and the warden received a taunting postcard signed by the escapees, though its authenticity was never publicly confirmed. The 1937 disappearance of inmates Ralph Rowe and Ted Cole under similar circumstances suggests Alcatraz may have had prior successful escapes. In 2003, the "MythBusters" team demonstrated a similar raft could reach the Marin Headlands, and a 2016 Dutch computer simulation supported a midnight escape would land them there. The Anglin family claims the brothers lived in Brazil, citing anonymous flower deliveries, Christmas cards, and a 1975 photo from a friend that an AI analysis later suggested showed the brothers. A 1993 "America's Most Wanted" interview with inmate Thomas Kent alleged the plan involved Clarence Anglin's girlfriend aiding their escape to Mexico. A 2013 handwritten letter, purportedly from an 83-year-old John Anglin offering to surrender for medical care, was deemed inconclusive by authorities. The episode maintains an investigative and narrative tone, weaving official records with witness testimonies and family anecdotes. It adopts a suspenseful style, presenting evidence for both the official drowning theory and the survival hypothesis without definitive conclusion. Listeners interested in historical mysteries, prison breaks, and forensic reconstructions will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a single, verified answer or who prefer strictly factual historical accounts might find the speculative elements less satisfying.

As heard by us

A prison-break story that treats the official account as only one theory.

The episode gives a tidy, methodical retelling of the 1962 Alcatraz escape, following Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin as they work through vents, a homemade raft, and the stubborn uncertainty that followed.

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Why you'd press play

You want a prison-break story that keeps asking who really got out, and why the official answer never sat still.

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