"Mysteries at the Museum" Alcatraz: Mysteries at the Museum

1 00:00:02,270 --> 00:00:03,336 Wait, we're not gonna make it. 2 00:00:03,338 --> 00:00:05,204 WILDMAN: I'm on a quest 3 00:00:05,206 --> 00:00:07,139 to uncover the real story... 4 00:00:07,141 --> 00:00:09,942 Wow. 5 00:00:09,944 --> 00:00:14,146 ...behind the most iconic prison break of all time, 6 00:00:14,148 --> 00:00:16,549 the great escape from Alcatraz. 7 00:00:17,818 --> 00:00:19,218 My mission is to find out 8 00:00:19,220 --> 00:00:22,221 how three men escaped the inescapable. 9 00:00:22,223 --> 00:00:23,555 And did they survive? 10 00:00:23,557 --> 00:00:24,757 Ah-ha! 11 00:00:24,759 --> 00:00:26,625 I'm going across the country 12 00:00:26,627 --> 00:00:29,028 and high above the legendary island fortress... 13 00:00:29,030 --> 00:00:30,896 I mean, they could've gone anywhere. 14 00:00:30,898 --> 00:00:34,567 ...to find out if what we think we know is true. 15 00:00:34,569 --> 00:00:37,570 Or is there still more to be uncovered? 16 00:00:37,572 --> 00:00:39,705 It's entirely possible that they are still out there. 17 00:00:42,843 --> 00:00:44,443 I'm Don Wildman. 18 00:00:44,445 --> 00:00:46,912 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 19 00:00:46,914 --> 00:00:49,848 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 20 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:51,317 That's amazing. 21 00:00:51,319 --> 00:00:52,585 Now, I'm digging deeper 22 00:00:52,587 --> 00:00:54,253 into some of the most perplexing 23 00:00:54,255 --> 00:00:56,322 and famous cases in history. 24 00:00:56,324 --> 00:00:59,391 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 25 00:00:59,393 --> 00:01:02,528 It's a totally alien environment down there. 26 00:01:02,530 --> 00:01:05,530 This is "Mysteries at the Museum: 27 00:01:05,532 --> 00:01:07,533 Escape from Alcatraz." 28 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:15,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 29 00:01:16,210 --> 00:01:17,943 I'm starting my investigation 30 00:01:17,945 --> 00:01:20,412 into the most famous prison escape in history 31 00:01:20,414 --> 00:01:22,614 right at the scene of the crime -- 32 00:01:22,616 --> 00:01:23,949 Alcatraz. 33 00:01:23,951 --> 00:01:27,887 Located 1 1/2 miles offshore from San Francisco, 34 00:01:27,889 --> 00:01:31,624 this former prison complex sits upon a rocky island 35 00:01:31,626 --> 00:01:34,226 that measures 22 acres. 36 00:01:34,228 --> 00:01:36,428 Today, it draws upwards of 37 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:39,431 one million curious tourists each year, 38 00:01:39,433 --> 00:01:44,570 making it one of the city's most popular attractions. 39 00:01:44,572 --> 00:01:46,672 But for almost three decades, 40 00:01:46,674 --> 00:01:50,109 from 1934 to 1963, 41 00:01:50,111 --> 00:01:53,779 making this trip was no joke. 42 00:01:53,781 --> 00:01:56,181 It's 4:00 a.m. I'm about to make one of 43 00:01:56,183 --> 00:01:59,652 the most dreaded journeys imaginable. 44 00:01:59,654 --> 00:02:01,787 I'm headed for Alcatraz. 45 00:02:04,125 --> 00:02:06,859 The San Francisco Bay is pitch-black, 46 00:02:06,861 --> 00:02:11,797 exactly how the escapees saw it over 50 years ago. 47 00:02:11,799 --> 00:02:14,867 Surrounded on all sides by the treacherous waters 48 00:02:14,869 --> 00:02:17,069 of the San Francisco Bay, 49 00:02:17,071 --> 00:02:18,670 this eerie stronghold 50 00:02:18,672 --> 00:02:21,574 was the definition of escape-proof. 51 00:02:24,011 --> 00:02:26,345 Captain Pete Tompkins has been operating 52 00:02:26,347 --> 00:02:30,015 the Alcatraz water taxi for more than 15 years 53 00:02:30,017 --> 00:02:32,684 and understands the prison's natural defenses 54 00:02:32,686 --> 00:02:33,952 better than anyone. 55 00:02:33,954 --> 00:02:37,623 This place was just designed to intimidate, wasn't it? 56 00:02:37,625 --> 00:02:40,026 TOMPKINS: Yeah. It is one scary-looking place. 57 00:02:40,028 --> 00:02:42,227 You run this harbor all the time. 58 00:02:42,229 --> 00:02:43,562 What are these waters like? 59 00:02:43,564 --> 00:02:46,031 Currents are strong. The wind always blows. 60 00:02:46,033 --> 00:02:47,433 It's cold. Yeah. 61 00:02:47,435 --> 00:02:49,501 It's one of the toughest bays to navigate. 62 00:02:49,503 --> 00:02:52,905 And all the currents you have to deal with and all the wind. 63 00:02:52,907 --> 00:02:55,374 It's not easy out here. It's hard on everyone. 64 00:02:55,376 --> 00:02:56,842 In a boat, let alone a raft. 65 00:02:56,844 --> 00:02:58,577 Yeah. 66 00:02:58,579 --> 00:02:59,978 Not to mention the sharks, you know. 67 00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:01,981 Oh, yeah? Have you seen sharks out here? 68 00:03:01,983 --> 00:03:05,785 Yes. There are sharks. 69 00:03:05,787 --> 00:03:08,320 So it should come as no surprise that, 70 00:03:08,322 --> 00:03:09,655 of the 36 inmates 71 00:03:09,657 --> 00:03:12,991 who attempted to flee the Rock, 72 00:03:12,993 --> 00:03:16,194 almost all were caught or killed. 73 00:03:16,196 --> 00:03:18,431 All, that is, except three. 74 00:03:22,002 --> 00:03:24,837 And I'm following in their footsteps 75 00:03:24,839 --> 00:03:27,740 to try and understand the real story 76 00:03:27,742 --> 00:03:30,242 of what happened that night. 77 00:03:37,018 --> 00:03:39,551 Stepping foot inside Alcatraz 78 00:03:39,553 --> 00:03:42,922 still evokes feelings of intense hopelessness. 79 00:03:54,368 --> 00:03:56,702 Wow, you can feel 80 00:03:56,704 --> 00:03:58,571 the tension in the air in this place. 81 00:03:58,573 --> 00:04:00,940 I mean, it's palpable, right? 82 00:04:04,112 --> 00:04:06,378 It's one of those places that never fails 83 00:04:06,380 --> 00:04:07,980 to give you the chills. 84 00:04:12,386 --> 00:04:15,254 Considered America's toughest prison, 85 00:04:15,256 --> 00:04:19,124 Alcatraz was a maximum-security, minimum-privilege facility 86 00:04:19,126 --> 00:04:22,394 for the nation's most hardened criminals. 87 00:04:22,396 --> 00:04:24,663 Each inmate was individually housed 88 00:04:24,665 --> 00:04:27,266 in one of the roughly 400 cells 89 00:04:27,268 --> 00:04:32,270 that each averaged 5 feet wide by 9 feet long. 90 00:04:32,272 --> 00:04:34,740 And, as if the seclusion wasn't enough, 91 00:04:34,742 --> 00:04:36,208 in the prison's earliest days, 92 00:04:36,210 --> 00:04:40,012 talking between inmates was almost entirely forbidden. 93 00:04:40,014 --> 00:04:43,482 This strict discipline is the reason infamous criminals 94 00:04:43,484 --> 00:04:45,017 like Al Capone, 95 00:04:45,019 --> 00:04:48,354 "Machine Gun" Kelly, "Whitey" Bulger, 96 00:04:48,356 --> 00:04:52,291 and roughly 1,500 others were imprisoned here. 97 00:04:52,293 --> 00:04:56,595 But it's also what made three men desperate to get out. 98 00:05:01,435 --> 00:05:03,369 The story is one of the greatest 99 00:05:03,371 --> 00:05:06,304 unsolved mysteries in criminal history. 100 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:08,907 And I'm gonna take a look at where it all started -- 101 00:05:08,909 --> 00:05:11,043 the cell. 102 00:05:11,045 --> 00:05:13,912 It's been reset to mimic exactly what it would've looked like 103 00:05:13,914 --> 00:05:16,982 on the day of the prison's most famous escape attempt. 104 00:05:21,055 --> 00:05:23,789 June 12, 1962 -- 105 00:05:23,791 --> 00:05:26,125 Prison guards taking morning roll call 106 00:05:26,127 --> 00:05:28,527 make a shocking discovery. 107 00:05:28,529 --> 00:05:29,795 Three prisoners -- 108 00:05:29,797 --> 00:05:33,131 John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris -- 109 00:05:33,133 --> 00:05:35,801 are missing. 110 00:05:35,803 --> 00:05:39,537 In their places are dummy heads. 111 00:05:39,539 --> 00:05:41,674 And at the back of each of their cells, 112 00:05:41,676 --> 00:05:44,543 a concealed hole. 113 00:05:44,545 --> 00:05:48,347 Guards launch a frantic investigation. 114 00:05:48,349 --> 00:05:50,949 And a fourth inmate comes forward. 115 00:05:50,951 --> 00:05:53,752 Claiming to have been in on the escapees' plan, 116 00:05:53,754 --> 00:05:55,721 he confesses its details. 117 00:06:01,095 --> 00:06:02,561 First, they fool the guards 118 00:06:02,563 --> 00:06:04,763 into thinking they're asleep by placing 119 00:06:04,765 --> 00:06:08,233 these papier-mâché heads on the pillows. 120 00:06:08,235 --> 00:06:09,301 Then they break out of their cell 121 00:06:09,303 --> 00:06:12,238 using a set of homemade tools. 122 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:14,306 And right in here is the utility corridor 123 00:06:14,308 --> 00:06:16,508 between the cell blocks. 124 00:06:16,510 --> 00:06:18,310 They crawl out of their vent 125 00:06:18,312 --> 00:06:20,112 and then scale the wall, 126 00:06:20,114 --> 00:06:22,581 using this tangled set of pipes here, 127 00:06:22,583 --> 00:06:25,517 all the way up onto the roof of the cell block. 128 00:06:25,519 --> 00:06:27,319 Once outside the prison, 129 00:06:27,321 --> 00:06:29,455 they allegedly crossed the Bay 130 00:06:29,457 --> 00:06:32,390 using a homemade raft. 131 00:06:32,392 --> 00:06:36,128 Morris and the Anglins were never seen again. 132 00:06:36,130 --> 00:06:38,930 What came next was America's largest manhunt 133 00:06:38,932 --> 00:06:41,433 since the search for the Lindbergh baby. 134 00:06:47,608 --> 00:06:49,608 There aren't that many people still around 135 00:06:49,610 --> 00:06:51,610 who were actually on Alcatraz 136 00:06:51,612 --> 00:06:53,545 the night Morris and the Anglins broke out. 137 00:06:53,547 --> 00:06:55,881 Remember, this is more than 50 years ago. 138 00:06:55,883 --> 00:06:59,084 But I tracked down someone who lived on the island 139 00:06:59,086 --> 00:07:01,353 at the time and remembers the morning 140 00:07:01,355 --> 00:07:04,056 after the escape like it was yesterday. 141 00:07:06,027 --> 00:07:07,826 WILDMAN: Jolene? 142 00:07:07,828 --> 00:07:09,094 How you doing? -Hi. 143 00:07:09,096 --> 00:07:12,430 Jolene Babyak is the daughter of the assistant warden, 144 00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:14,099 who was the highest ranking official 145 00:07:14,101 --> 00:07:16,568 on the island the night of the escape. 146 00:07:16,570 --> 00:07:18,570 She witnessed the tension and panic 147 00:07:18,572 --> 00:07:22,474 that took over as soon as the inmates went missing. 148 00:07:22,476 --> 00:07:25,377 So the night of the escape, what happens that night? 149 00:07:25,379 --> 00:07:27,512 The night of the escape, nothing happened. 150 00:07:27,514 --> 00:07:30,115 Mm-hmm. So the action really starts the next day. 151 00:07:30,117 --> 00:07:32,651 Right. Around 7:15 in the morning, 152 00:07:32,653 --> 00:07:34,520 I was awakened by the siren, 153 00:07:34,522 --> 00:07:36,388 which I had never heard before. 154 00:07:36,390 --> 00:07:39,191 It was that air raid that you hear in movies. 155 00:07:39,193 --> 00:07:40,926 And it was a dominating sound. 156 00:07:40,928 --> 00:07:43,996 You know, my first thought was, "It can't be an escape attempt." 157 00:07:43,998 --> 00:07:45,931 And I met my mother on the stairs. 158 00:07:45,933 --> 00:07:49,067 And she said, "Get dressed. There's been an escape." 159 00:07:49,069 --> 00:07:50,335 You were supposed to go into your house, 160 00:07:50,337 --> 00:07:51,670 lock the door, 161 00:07:51,672 --> 00:07:53,405 and not come out until there was some sort of all-clear. 162 00:07:53,407 --> 00:07:54,606 Where is your father now? 163 00:07:54,608 --> 00:07:56,408 You know, before they blow the siren, 164 00:07:56,410 --> 00:07:57,609 they call the head guy. 165 00:07:57,611 --> 00:08:00,345 Mm-hmm. This is a bad day in a warden's business. 166 00:08:00,347 --> 00:08:02,014 Right. At 7:00 in the morning, 167 00:08:02,016 --> 00:08:03,415 it's not gonna be good. -Mm-hmm. 168 00:08:03,417 --> 00:08:07,486 And they told him that they found three men missing 169 00:08:07,488 --> 00:08:09,488 and instructed them to blow the siren. 170 00:08:09,490 --> 00:08:11,356 You have to notify all the cities. 171 00:08:11,358 --> 00:08:15,360 You have to notify the FBI, Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. 172 00:08:15,362 --> 00:08:17,695 And by about 8:00, 8:30, 173 00:08:17,697 --> 00:08:21,833 you had an air, land, and sea search. 174 00:08:21,835 --> 00:08:24,236 So, with the island on lockdown, 175 00:08:24,238 --> 00:08:27,372 the manhunt kicked into high gear. 176 00:08:27,374 --> 00:08:29,574 You could see the boats around the Bay. 177 00:08:29,576 --> 00:08:32,010 You could certainly hear the helicopters overhead. 178 00:08:32,012 --> 00:08:34,246 And I would imagine the whole place is on lockdown. 179 00:08:34,248 --> 00:08:35,848 You're not going anywhere. -Right. 180 00:08:35,850 --> 00:08:37,916 Little did you know you were suddenly caught 181 00:08:37,918 --> 00:08:39,985 in one of the epic events of American history. 182 00:08:39,987 --> 00:08:41,853 Yeah. I mean, it's really amazing. 183 00:08:41,855 --> 00:08:43,188 I mean, I was a bystander. 184 00:08:43,190 --> 00:08:45,524 My dad was really much more involved. 185 00:08:45,526 --> 00:08:46,992 But then, you know, it turned out to be 186 00:08:46,994 --> 00:08:48,661 a classic escape attempt. 187 00:08:48,663 --> 00:08:51,196 Sure. 188 00:08:56,937 --> 00:08:58,269 In a matter of hours, 189 00:08:58,271 --> 00:08:59,938 the search area expanded 190 00:08:59,940 --> 00:09:02,474 to include all of San Francisco Bay, 191 00:09:02,476 --> 00:09:04,743 including the cities and towns surrounding it. 192 00:09:04,745 --> 00:09:08,914 The Bay is massive -- 325 miles of shoreline, 193 00:09:08,916 --> 00:09:10,682 bordered by three cities, 194 00:09:10,684 --> 00:09:13,751 9 counties, and 101 municipalities. 195 00:09:13,753 --> 00:09:18,490 And Morris and the Anglins had a 12-hour head start. 196 00:09:18,492 --> 00:09:20,692 Searching for these escapees 197 00:09:20,694 --> 00:09:23,762 was like locating a needle in a haystack. 198 00:09:23,764 --> 00:09:26,899 But how impossible was this? 199 00:09:26,901 --> 00:09:29,301 Well, there's one way to find out. 200 00:09:31,505 --> 00:09:33,371 The Coast Guard and the FBI 201 00:09:33,373 --> 00:09:35,907 pressed into service every boat and plane 202 00:09:35,909 --> 00:09:37,576 they could get their hands on. 203 00:09:37,578 --> 00:09:39,510 Aaron. -Hey, Don. 204 00:09:39,512 --> 00:09:42,848 I'm teaming up this morning with seaplane pilot Aaron Singer 205 00:09:42,850 --> 00:09:45,517 to get a bird's-eye view of the search area. 206 00:09:56,463 --> 00:10:00,899 I am astonished by the scope of what I'm seeing. 207 00:10:09,810 --> 00:10:13,745 There it is, the infamous Rock. 208 00:10:13,747 --> 00:10:16,181 Incredible. 209 00:10:18,552 --> 00:10:21,019 So you've done your own search and rescue, yeah? 210 00:10:21,021 --> 00:10:23,221 I have. Tell me what that's like. 211 00:10:23,223 --> 00:10:25,357 You know, you'll have a pilot and you'll have a spotter 212 00:10:25,359 --> 00:10:27,492 where you're taking this huge search area. 213 00:10:27,494 --> 00:10:31,897 And you have to break it down into little pieces. 214 00:10:31,899 --> 00:10:34,366 And then you take each little piece, 215 00:10:34,368 --> 00:10:36,935 and you have to comb it meter by meter. 216 00:10:41,175 --> 00:10:44,243 So let's say it's June 12th. 217 00:10:44,245 --> 00:10:46,110 What am I seeing? 218 00:10:46,112 --> 00:10:50,115 In June of 1962, they probably had low fog, 219 00:10:50,117 --> 00:10:52,383 wind blowing like snot out here. 220 00:10:52,385 --> 00:10:54,186 I mean, they had difficult conditions. 221 00:10:54,188 --> 00:10:57,923 At the time, helicopters weren't exactly reliable in the 1960s. 222 00:10:57,925 --> 00:10:59,925 Plus, there's a lot more seaplanes around. 223 00:10:59,927 --> 00:11:02,594 So they probably had more aircraft 224 00:11:02,596 --> 00:11:04,596 doing that work than helicopters. 225 00:11:04,598 --> 00:11:06,998 Right. Right. Right. 226 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,068 Gazing out over this vastness of water, 227 00:11:10,070 --> 00:11:13,939 I can see why the mystery continues today. 228 00:11:13,941 --> 00:11:16,074 Morris and the Anglins could have drowned, 229 00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:18,277 been swept out to sea by the currents, 230 00:11:18,279 --> 00:11:21,580 or somehow paddled themselves to dry land. 231 00:11:25,152 --> 00:11:28,152 How hard is it to find somebody when you're up here in the air? 232 00:11:28,154 --> 00:11:29,554 Well, it's pretty difficult. 233 00:11:29,556 --> 00:11:32,224 You have so much stuff happening on the water, 234 00:11:32,226 --> 00:11:35,493 white caps, swells, shore birds. 235 00:11:35,495 --> 00:11:36,828 In that particular case, 236 00:11:36,830 --> 00:11:39,364 those guys were trying to stay out of sight. 237 00:11:39,366 --> 00:11:42,634 So it's a lot of things that you have to try 238 00:11:42,636 --> 00:11:45,070 and find that needle in the haystack. 239 00:11:47,841 --> 00:11:49,774 If they'd gone to shore, 240 00:11:49,776 --> 00:11:51,309 would you have any possibility 241 00:11:51,311 --> 00:11:53,511 of seeing them there from the air? 242 00:11:53,513 --> 00:11:56,180 The problem was, of course, if they got to shore, 243 00:11:56,182 --> 00:11:58,917 it's a lot easier for them to blend into the city. 244 00:11:58,919 --> 00:12:01,720 I mean, the city was here. If they did get to shore, 245 00:12:01,722 --> 00:12:03,388 it was probably over by then. 246 00:12:03,390 --> 00:12:05,724 Look at the size of this bay. 247 00:12:05,726 --> 00:12:07,492 I mean, they could have gone anywhere. 248 00:12:16,937 --> 00:12:18,403 WILDMAN: I'm on the trail of the three 249 00:12:18,405 --> 00:12:22,674 most infamous prison escapees in history... 250 00:12:22,676 --> 00:12:24,876 Wow, it's incredible. 251 00:12:24,878 --> 00:12:28,346 ...who, on the night of June 12, 1962, 252 00:12:28,348 --> 00:12:30,148 broke out of Alcatraz, 253 00:12:30,150 --> 00:12:33,017 never to be seen again. 254 00:12:33,019 --> 00:12:36,021 They could have gone anywhere. 255 00:12:36,023 --> 00:12:38,290 Now, more than 50 years later, 256 00:12:38,292 --> 00:12:39,691 questions still remain 257 00:12:39,693 --> 00:12:41,959 about what really happened that night. 258 00:12:41,961 --> 00:12:47,399 After all, the three men have never been found, dead or alive. 259 00:12:47,401 --> 00:12:49,234 It's time to dig deeper. 260 00:12:49,236 --> 00:12:51,703 And to do that, we need to first understand 261 00:12:51,705 --> 00:12:54,306 who these men really were. 262 00:12:54,308 --> 00:12:57,909 Let's start with the inmate I find most fascinating, 263 00:12:57,911 --> 00:13:00,412 Frank Morris. 264 00:13:03,784 --> 00:13:06,251 Orphaned at the young age of 11, 265 00:13:06,253 --> 00:13:07,853 his life of crime started 266 00:13:07,855 --> 00:13:11,189 just two years later with petty theft. 267 00:13:11,191 --> 00:13:14,859 From there, he moved onto narcotics and armed robbery. 268 00:13:14,861 --> 00:13:16,395 But what made him stand out 269 00:13:16,397 --> 00:13:20,565 from your common criminal was his intelligence. 270 00:13:20,567 --> 00:13:23,201 Morris had an I.Q. of 133, 271 00:13:23,203 --> 00:13:27,005 placing him in the top 2 percentile of Americans, 272 00:13:27,007 --> 00:13:30,876 the perfect escapee mastermind. 273 00:13:30,878 --> 00:13:33,412 If Morris was the brains, 274 00:13:33,414 --> 00:13:37,415 then John and Clarence Anglin were the brawn. 275 00:13:37,417 --> 00:13:40,085 Raised on a small farm in rural Georgia, 276 00:13:40,087 --> 00:13:43,088 their early life was one of back-breaking labor. 277 00:13:43,090 --> 00:13:48,693 So, yearning for something more, they began robbing banks. 278 00:13:48,695 --> 00:13:50,962 For a time, it worked. 279 00:13:50,964 --> 00:13:53,231 But then, in 1958, 280 00:13:53,233 --> 00:13:56,101 they got caught and sent 281 00:13:56,103 --> 00:13:59,304 to the Atlanta State Penitentiary. 282 00:13:59,306 --> 00:14:03,041 And that is where they met Morris. 283 00:14:03,043 --> 00:14:06,577 The trio bonded over a single common goal -- 284 00:14:06,579 --> 00:14:08,447 escape. 285 00:14:08,449 --> 00:14:10,382 But when they tried to bust out, 286 00:14:10,384 --> 00:14:12,583 it didn't go as planned. 287 00:14:12,585 --> 00:14:16,621 Instead, it landed all three of them in Alcatraz. 288 00:14:18,925 --> 00:14:21,860 So how exactly did these guys beat the odds 289 00:14:21,862 --> 00:14:24,662 and make it successfully out of their cells, 290 00:14:24,664 --> 00:14:26,631 all without anyone noticing? 291 00:14:29,136 --> 00:14:30,735 To find out, I'm gonna take a look 292 00:14:30,737 --> 00:14:32,971 at the evidence they left behind. 293 00:14:36,409 --> 00:14:39,911 This is the Golden Gate National Recreational Archive. 294 00:14:42,215 --> 00:14:45,683 I love places like this. 295 00:14:45,685 --> 00:14:47,953 Inside these hallowed walls 296 00:14:47,955 --> 00:14:51,623 are roughly 6 1/2 million artifacts, 297 00:14:51,625 --> 00:14:56,161 including all of the items recovered from the 1962 escape, 298 00:14:56,163 --> 00:14:57,829 from the papier-mâché heads 299 00:14:57,831 --> 00:14:59,764 the prisoners placed in their beds 300 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:01,967 to the fake grilles they made to conceal 301 00:15:01,969 --> 00:15:05,036 the growing holes in their cells. 302 00:15:05,038 --> 00:15:07,639 Curator Amanda Williford has agreed to show me 303 00:15:07,641 --> 00:15:10,508 some of the collection's most important pieces. 304 00:15:10,510 --> 00:15:13,778 WILDMAN: Having done the research and the reading, 305 00:15:13,780 --> 00:15:17,282 these artifacts are like seeing a Hollywood star to me. 306 00:15:22,122 --> 00:15:26,791 First up, an unconventional digging apparatus. 307 00:15:26,793 --> 00:15:28,126 WILDMAN: So what are these? Can I pick it up? 308 00:15:28,128 --> 00:15:29,727 -Yes. -Okay. 309 00:15:29,729 --> 00:15:31,463 Oh, yeah. What? 310 00:15:31,465 --> 00:15:33,532 So, these are actually spoon handles. 311 00:15:33,534 --> 00:15:35,133 They took off the bowls... -I see. 312 00:15:35,135 --> 00:15:37,001 ...and then used the smaller handle part 313 00:15:37,003 --> 00:15:39,337 to flatten and sharpen. 314 00:15:39,339 --> 00:15:43,341 So they were actually using these sharpened spoon handles 315 00:15:43,343 --> 00:15:46,143 to chisel away at the mortar around the grate? 316 00:15:46,145 --> 00:15:49,547 Yes, and the cinder blocks that were around the grate. 317 00:15:49,549 --> 00:15:52,683 That is amazing. 318 00:15:52,685 --> 00:15:54,552 Night after night, 319 00:15:54,554 --> 00:15:57,556 the inmates worked in secret to dig their way 320 00:15:57,558 --> 00:16:01,960 out of the nearly 6-inch thick walls of their cells. 321 00:16:01,962 --> 00:16:03,962 Sound tedious? 322 00:16:03,964 --> 00:16:05,697 You bet. 323 00:16:05,699 --> 00:16:09,568 Imagine doing it for six months straight. 324 00:16:09,570 --> 00:16:11,570 Now, if you're wondering how the inmates did 325 00:16:11,572 --> 00:16:14,038 all this chiseling without getting caught, 326 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:15,640 so am I. 327 00:16:15,642 --> 00:16:17,776 Turns out, they had their very own 328 00:16:17,778 --> 00:16:19,778 homemade surveillance system. 329 00:16:19,780 --> 00:16:21,846 Oh, my goodness. What is this? 330 00:16:21,848 --> 00:16:26,117 So there's two compartments to this. Mm-hmm. 331 00:16:26,119 --> 00:16:29,053 You can see a lot of the tape is falling off. Okay. 332 00:16:29,055 --> 00:16:30,922 It's a cardboard shape, a box -- 333 00:16:30,924 --> 00:16:32,857 long, oblong box. 334 00:16:32,859 --> 00:16:34,326 And then I see a mirror. -Mm-hmm. 335 00:16:34,328 --> 00:16:35,660 This is a periscope. 336 00:16:35,662 --> 00:16:38,063 -It is a periscope. -Ah, that's so amazing. 337 00:16:38,065 --> 00:16:39,597 And what were they using this for? 338 00:16:39,599 --> 00:16:42,200 This was to make sure that the coast was clear, 339 00:16:42,202 --> 00:16:43,601 check for guards. 340 00:16:43,603 --> 00:16:46,137 These guys thought of everything. 341 00:16:46,139 --> 00:16:48,673 In addition to their pseudo-spyglass, 342 00:16:48,675 --> 00:16:51,409 the escapees avoided detection by working 343 00:16:51,411 --> 00:16:53,745 during the prison's music hours, 344 00:16:53,747 --> 00:16:55,747 when the hum of guitars and trumpets 345 00:16:55,749 --> 00:16:58,350 drowned out their progress. 346 00:16:58,352 --> 00:17:00,751 Some even say they paid the guards 347 00:17:00,753 --> 00:17:03,621 to look the other way. 348 00:17:03,623 --> 00:17:06,891 But it seems Amanda saved the best tool for last. 349 00:17:10,964 --> 00:17:13,364 WILLIFORD: This is a drill that the escapees made. 350 00:17:13,366 --> 00:17:17,636 This was apparently created from a vacuum cleaner. 351 00:17:17,638 --> 00:17:19,504 And it actually worked. 352 00:17:19,506 --> 00:17:21,906 It's incredible to see the resourcefulness 353 00:17:21,908 --> 00:17:23,574 and the determination, 354 00:17:23,576 --> 00:17:25,710 I mean, the lengths they went to 355 00:17:25,712 --> 00:17:28,980 to get away with this. 356 00:17:28,982 --> 00:17:30,448 To get out onto the roof, 357 00:17:30,450 --> 00:17:33,718 the prisoners had to make it through one final hatchway. 358 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,054 And that's where the drill came in. 359 00:17:36,056 --> 00:17:38,256 It was the only thing powerful enough to bust 360 00:17:38,258 --> 00:17:40,358 through the portal's heavy concrete. 361 00:17:42,595 --> 00:17:46,865 But one thing about this final tool gives me pause. 362 00:17:46,867 --> 00:17:48,933 The drill has no bit. 363 00:17:48,935 --> 00:17:52,536 So I wonder how you would actually use this. 364 00:17:52,538 --> 00:17:54,439 Mechanics are beyond me. 365 00:17:57,611 --> 00:17:59,010 As I leave the archives, 366 00:17:59,012 --> 00:18:02,080 I can't shake a gnawing curiosity. 367 00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:04,815 How did this thing actually work? 368 00:18:04,817 --> 00:18:07,485 To find out, there's only one thing to do -- 369 00:18:07,487 --> 00:18:09,354 build it myself. 370 00:18:09,356 --> 00:18:11,489 Or at least try. 371 00:18:11,491 --> 00:18:15,626 Now, I'm not actually the most mechanically inclined. 372 00:18:15,628 --> 00:18:19,497 So to make my prison drill, I'm calling in backup. 373 00:18:19,499 --> 00:18:21,833 His name is Laz, and he's an ex-con. 374 00:18:21,835 --> 00:18:23,234 And when he was on the inside, 375 00:18:23,236 --> 00:18:26,571 he could build everything from a crossbow to a tattoo gun. 376 00:18:26,573 --> 00:18:30,542 But whether he can build a vacuum drill remains to be seen. 377 00:18:32,979 --> 00:18:34,746 Here goes. 378 00:18:37,584 --> 00:18:39,116 Oh, I see you've got the pictures. 379 00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,317 Quite a device, right? 380 00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:42,586 LAZ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 381 00:18:42,588 --> 00:18:44,990 -What do we got here? -So I have a vacuum right here. 382 00:18:44,992 --> 00:18:48,259 A 1950s vacuum. Sweet. 383 00:18:48,261 --> 00:18:50,395 I'm gonna start taking it apart. 384 00:18:50,397 --> 00:18:52,530 I'm gonna find the motor and take it from there. 385 00:18:52,532 --> 00:18:54,499 All right. Let's do it. 386 00:18:56,603 --> 00:18:58,937 After studying the escapees' drill, 387 00:18:58,939 --> 00:19:00,939 it looks like the only piece of the vacuum 388 00:19:00,941 --> 00:19:03,141 they used was the motor. 389 00:19:03,143 --> 00:19:08,012 So our first step is to remove it. 390 00:19:08,014 --> 00:19:09,280 There it is. -There you go. 391 00:19:09,282 --> 00:19:11,415 Oh, thank you. 392 00:19:11,417 --> 00:19:15,486 Then, we take off the plastic housing that surrounds it. 393 00:19:15,488 --> 00:19:17,488 That's it right there. 394 00:19:17,490 --> 00:19:20,558 Yep. Exactly. 395 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:23,427 For the next step, Laz and I -- 396 00:19:23,429 --> 00:19:24,963 okay, mostly Laz -- 397 00:19:24,965 --> 00:19:26,831 figure that we should reconnect the power 398 00:19:26,833 --> 00:19:28,233 directly to the motor. 399 00:19:30,237 --> 00:19:33,971 Once that's done, it's time for a little bit of guesswork. 400 00:19:33,973 --> 00:19:37,509 What did they use for a drill bit? 401 00:19:37,511 --> 00:19:42,112 When I was at the archive, the artifact itself had no bit. 402 00:19:42,114 --> 00:19:43,381 I mean, you'd figure they'd have 403 00:19:43,383 --> 00:19:45,383 to have something attached to it. 404 00:19:45,385 --> 00:19:47,785 So we got to attach a drill bit to the end of this, huh? 405 00:19:47,787 --> 00:19:49,787 -Yeah. -How do we do this? 406 00:19:49,789 --> 00:19:52,991 What's the process? -I brought a drill bit. 407 00:19:52,993 --> 00:19:54,192 I also brought a blowtorch. 408 00:19:54,194 --> 00:19:56,394 Blowtorch! Excellent! 409 00:19:56,396 --> 00:20:00,732 Now, this kind of MacGyvering I can totally get behind. 410 00:20:08,208 --> 00:20:09,540 Looks good. 411 00:20:09,542 --> 00:20:13,744 Finally, it's time to put this puppy to the test. 412 00:20:13,746 --> 00:20:17,015 Will I escape from Alcatraz? Here we are. 413 00:20:17,017 --> 00:20:18,283 Just give me the count. 414 00:20:18,285 --> 00:20:21,419 All right. 415 00:20:21,421 --> 00:20:23,955 Three. 416 00:20:23,957 --> 00:20:25,623 Two. 417 00:20:25,625 --> 00:20:27,759 One. 418 00:20:27,761 --> 00:20:28,793 Go. 419 00:20:39,105 --> 00:20:41,372 WILDMAN: I'm investigating the 50-year-old case 420 00:20:41,374 --> 00:20:44,843 of Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin, 421 00:20:44,845 --> 00:20:46,511 the three convicts who disappeared 422 00:20:46,513 --> 00:20:50,515 while attempting to flee Alcatraz on a homemade raft. 423 00:20:50,517 --> 00:20:52,449 I'm trying to understand how exactly 424 00:20:52,451 --> 00:20:54,852 they broke out of the Rock in the first place 425 00:20:54,854 --> 00:20:59,324 because, believe me, it's harder than it looks. 426 00:20:59,326 --> 00:21:03,461 Right now, I'm trying my hand at making a prison-made drill 427 00:21:03,463 --> 00:21:06,931 with decidedly mixed results. 428 00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:08,266 Three. 429 00:21:08,268 --> 00:21:09,333 Two. 430 00:21:09,335 --> 00:21:10,769 One. Go. 431 00:21:14,207 --> 00:21:15,607 You okay? What the...? 432 00:21:15,609 --> 00:21:19,210 That didn't work at all. 433 00:21:19,212 --> 00:21:22,479 Looks like our ingenious drill bit was so ingenious, 434 00:21:22,481 --> 00:21:24,215 it flew right off. 435 00:21:24,217 --> 00:21:26,551 Time for a rethink. 436 00:21:26,553 --> 00:21:28,219 Maybe we're being overcomplicated. 437 00:21:28,221 --> 00:21:30,488 Maybe there's no drill bit at all involved. 438 00:21:30,490 --> 00:21:32,023 It's a possibility. 439 00:21:32,025 --> 00:21:33,424 Maybe this is the actual bit. 440 00:21:33,426 --> 00:21:34,825 Maybe that's what they used to cut it. 441 00:21:34,827 --> 00:21:37,161 -Yeah. -So what do we do? 442 00:21:37,163 --> 00:21:38,963 Well, let's keep it simple, then. 443 00:21:38,965 --> 00:21:40,965 You file it down, sort of make a "X." 444 00:21:40,967 --> 00:21:42,166 -Okay. -Make it like a bull machine. 445 00:21:42,168 --> 00:21:43,301 Oh, that'll be the cutting edge. Mm-hmm. 446 00:21:43,303 --> 00:21:46,371 And we'll use that as the actual bit. 447 00:21:46,373 --> 00:21:48,372 All right. Well, let's give it a shot. 448 00:21:48,374 --> 00:21:50,174 So, to create a cutting edge, 449 00:21:50,176 --> 00:21:53,845 we chiseled grooves into the motor rotor. 450 00:21:53,847 --> 00:21:56,381 And voilà. 451 00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:01,186 Plug me in. -You got it. 452 00:22:03,656 --> 00:22:05,657 All right. Let me know when you're ready. 453 00:22:05,659 --> 00:22:09,326 Okay. Here we go. 454 00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:10,861 Go for it. 455 00:22:16,803 --> 00:22:20,605 There's a spark. You can see it's cutting something. 456 00:22:20,607 --> 00:22:22,607 There's friction. -Oh, wow. 457 00:22:22,609 --> 00:22:25,877 Yeah! It's definitely going through. 458 00:22:29,015 --> 00:22:31,749 And that's how you make a drill out of a vacuum cleaner. 459 00:22:31,751 --> 00:22:33,284 All right, man. Good job. 460 00:22:33,286 --> 00:22:34,551 We did it together, man. 461 00:22:34,553 --> 00:22:37,021 There you go. -Thanks. 462 00:22:39,226 --> 00:22:41,359 But here's the thing about Alcatraz -- 463 00:22:41,361 --> 00:22:44,696 Breaking out of the cell block wasn't the hardest part. 464 00:22:44,698 --> 00:22:47,699 The reason the Rock was thought to be escape-proof 465 00:22:47,701 --> 00:22:49,900 was its location. 466 00:22:49,902 --> 00:22:51,969 Before 1962, there had been 467 00:22:51,971 --> 00:22:54,505 11 escape attempts from Alcatraz. 468 00:22:54,507 --> 00:22:56,507 But all the inmates who made it off the island 469 00:22:56,509 --> 00:22:57,842 either drowned 470 00:22:57,844 --> 00:22:59,977 or were plucked out of the water with hypothermia. 471 00:22:59,979 --> 00:23:02,113 So Morris and the Anglins knew 472 00:23:02,115 --> 00:23:03,914 if they had any hope of making it 473 00:23:03,916 --> 00:23:05,450 to the shore alive, 474 00:23:05,452 --> 00:23:07,118 they would need a raft. 475 00:23:10,723 --> 00:23:12,523 For anyone who has ever 476 00:23:12,525 --> 00:23:14,926 investigated the escape from Alcatraz, 477 00:23:14,928 --> 00:23:18,630 this is the very heart of the mystery -- the raft. 478 00:23:21,001 --> 00:23:22,800 In a neglected part of the prison, 479 00:23:22,802 --> 00:23:25,270 using more than 50 stolen raincoats, 480 00:23:25,272 --> 00:23:28,939 the escapees supposedly made a 14-foot-long 481 00:23:28,941 --> 00:23:32,076 and 6-foot-wide triangular raft. 482 00:23:32,078 --> 00:23:33,678 They constructed it by hand, 483 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,280 stitching together the main sections 484 00:23:36,282 --> 00:23:40,785 and gluing the edges. 485 00:23:46,159 --> 00:23:49,026 Nobody but Morris and the Anglins 486 00:23:49,028 --> 00:23:50,761 ever laid eyes on the raft. 487 00:23:50,763 --> 00:23:52,796 So it's hard to judge its seaworthiness. 488 00:23:52,798 --> 00:23:54,165 But we do know this much -- 489 00:23:54,167 --> 00:23:56,633 It would have relied on manpower alone 490 00:23:56,635 --> 00:23:58,369 using makeshift paddles. 491 00:23:58,371 --> 00:23:59,837 And it probably didn't have a rudder. 492 00:23:59,839 --> 00:24:04,909 So they would have been drawn along with the water's current. 493 00:24:04,911 --> 00:24:06,910 Here's why this is a problem. 494 00:24:06,912 --> 00:24:07,979 This is the Golden Gate, 495 00:24:07,981 --> 00:24:09,914 the entrance to San Francisco Bay. 496 00:24:09,916 --> 00:24:12,316 Out there is the Pacific Ocean. 497 00:24:12,318 --> 00:24:14,719 The next dry piece of land is Japan, 498 00:24:14,721 --> 00:24:17,354 5,000 miles away. 499 00:24:17,356 --> 00:24:19,457 Any experienced mariner will tell you this is one of 500 00:24:19,459 --> 00:24:22,326 the most treacherous passages in the world. 501 00:24:22,328 --> 00:24:24,862 On an outgoing tide, which happens twice daily, 502 00:24:24,864 --> 00:24:27,732 the entire bay drains through this passageway. 503 00:24:27,734 --> 00:24:30,601 San Francisco Bay is 450 square miles. 504 00:24:30,603 --> 00:24:33,470 Golden Gate is 1,700 yards wide. 505 00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:37,075 All that water passing through that small strait. 506 00:24:37,077 --> 00:24:39,744 Ferocious currents, deadly. 507 00:24:39,746 --> 00:24:41,546 So the question is, 508 00:24:41,548 --> 00:24:43,881 could Morris and the Anglins outrun the current 509 00:24:43,883 --> 00:24:47,085 in their little raincoat raft? 510 00:24:47,087 --> 00:24:51,022 I intend to find out. 511 00:24:51,024 --> 00:24:52,289 Here's where the theories 512 00:24:52,291 --> 00:24:54,892 about what happened start to get a little wild. 513 00:24:54,894 --> 00:24:56,560 The Feds, at the time, 514 00:24:56,562 --> 00:24:58,496 said the men were washed out to sea 515 00:24:58,498 --> 00:25:00,631 by the strong currents. 516 00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:02,433 And that's totally possible. 517 00:25:02,435 --> 00:25:04,968 The currents are very strong. 518 00:25:04,970 --> 00:25:08,906 But it turns out, they might have stood a chance. 519 00:25:08,908 --> 00:25:12,042 If they left between 11:00 p.m. and midnight 520 00:25:12,044 --> 00:25:13,577 and paddled hard to the north, 521 00:25:13,579 --> 00:25:15,847 perpendicular to the current, 522 00:25:15,849 --> 00:25:18,115 their raft would have been carried in the direction 523 00:25:18,117 --> 00:25:22,052 of the mainland at Horseshoe Bay. 524 00:25:22,054 --> 00:25:23,520 It's a long shot. 525 00:25:23,522 --> 00:25:25,189 But they might just have made it. 526 00:25:30,129 --> 00:25:33,330 To settle the matter, I'm going to retrace their steps 527 00:25:33,332 --> 00:25:38,602 and see if I can paddle from Alcatraz to Horseshoe Bay. 528 00:25:38,604 --> 00:25:41,338 At 50 miles long and 12 miles wide, 529 00:25:41,340 --> 00:25:43,941 the bay is the largest estuary system 530 00:25:43,943 --> 00:25:45,877 on the west coast of America. 531 00:25:45,879 --> 00:25:49,480 High winds and currents that reach up to 6 knots 532 00:25:49,482 --> 00:25:54,652 make this seemingly calm water treacherous to navigate. 533 00:25:57,757 --> 00:26:00,558 My fellow paddlers, Jason and Brad, 534 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,962 will be helping me get across the bay in nothing but this. 535 00:26:04,964 --> 00:26:07,498 That a small raft. -It is a small raft. 536 00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:10,034 So that's a small raft. 537 00:26:10,036 --> 00:26:11,902 And that's a big body of water. 538 00:26:11,904 --> 00:26:14,438 And imagine, this inflatable raft 539 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,042 is much more durable than the one the escapees used. 540 00:26:18,044 --> 00:26:20,845 If we can't make it across these treacherous waters 541 00:26:20,847 --> 00:26:22,780 in this raft in broad daylight, 542 00:26:22,782 --> 00:26:25,316 then it's highly unlikely the inmates could have made it 543 00:26:25,318 --> 00:26:27,918 in their makeshift raft in the pitch black. 544 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,421 Let's do this. 545 00:26:39,132 --> 00:26:40,464 Just like the prisoners, 546 00:26:40,466 --> 00:26:42,867 we're going to paddle perpendicular to the current, 547 00:26:42,869 --> 00:26:45,536 hoping to make it to Horseshoe Bay. 548 00:26:45,538 --> 00:26:47,605 We'll have to paddle really hard 549 00:26:47,607 --> 00:26:49,941 or be swept through the Golden Gate 550 00:26:49,943 --> 00:26:52,542 and into the Pacific. 551 00:26:52,544 --> 00:26:54,612 You ready for this? 552 00:26:59,953 --> 00:27:01,886 Not long after setting off, 553 00:27:01,888 --> 00:27:04,421 I'm getting a sense of what it must have been like 554 00:27:04,423 --> 00:27:06,691 for Morris and the Anglin brothers. 555 00:27:09,094 --> 00:27:10,294 This is the middle of the night 556 00:27:10,296 --> 00:27:13,631 in the pitch black in water that is like this. 557 00:27:13,633 --> 00:27:15,399 I mean, this is terrifying. 558 00:27:23,042 --> 00:27:26,477 Only half a mile in and we're already feeling the strain. 559 00:27:29,849 --> 00:27:31,982 We need to paddle against the current 560 00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:34,051 if we want to make it to our target. 561 00:27:34,053 --> 00:27:36,554 Otherwise, we end up in open water. 562 00:27:42,228 --> 00:27:43,594 Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. 563 00:27:43,596 --> 00:27:45,062 We're being pulled out underneath 564 00:27:45,064 --> 00:27:50,001 the Golden Gate Bridge into the ocean no matter what. 565 00:27:50,003 --> 00:27:53,471 And the further we go, the more challenging it is. 566 00:27:56,142 --> 00:27:58,876 It's too hard. 567 00:27:58,878 --> 00:28:01,479 We're not gonna make it. 568 00:28:09,155 --> 00:28:12,623 Paddle harder! Come on! Come on! 569 00:28:12,625 --> 00:28:14,225 Come on! Come on! 570 00:28:14,227 --> 00:28:18,562 We got to make it! 571 00:28:18,564 --> 00:28:20,998 Push! 572 00:28:23,102 --> 00:28:26,170 The crew and I give it everything we've got. 573 00:28:36,582 --> 00:28:39,650 And amazingly, after another exhausting hour... 574 00:28:41,987 --> 00:28:44,889 ...Horseshoe Bay and the mainland are in sight. 575 00:28:50,929 --> 00:28:54,065 We made it. Whew. 576 00:28:54,067 --> 00:28:55,732 Escape from Alcatraz. 577 00:28:55,734 --> 00:28:57,535 I mean, this is government land. 578 00:28:57,537 --> 00:29:00,238 I'm not allowed to step on it, ironically. 579 00:29:03,409 --> 00:29:04,942 We made it in this raft. 580 00:29:04,944 --> 00:29:07,678 So perhaps they did as well in theirs. 581 00:29:12,752 --> 00:29:15,886 For decades, one of the key pieces of evidence 582 00:29:15,888 --> 00:29:19,890 investigators had to go on was a prison-made paddle 583 00:29:19,892 --> 00:29:23,694 that was found two miles north of Alcatraz 584 00:29:23,696 --> 00:29:27,631 just a few days after the escape. 585 00:29:27,633 --> 00:29:31,469 But it turns out, that wasn't all that washed up. 586 00:29:34,373 --> 00:29:37,308 Years later, something else washed ashore 587 00:29:37,310 --> 00:29:41,579 that could provide answers to the Alcatraz mystery -- 588 00:29:41,581 --> 00:29:43,147 a dead body. 589 00:29:55,328 --> 00:29:58,128 WILDMAN: More than 50 years ago, three convicts -- 590 00:29:58,130 --> 00:30:01,531 John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris -- 591 00:30:01,533 --> 00:30:05,870 did something no one else had done before or since. 592 00:30:05,872 --> 00:30:08,172 They escaped from Alcatraz. 593 00:30:10,543 --> 00:30:12,810 I'm on a mission to discover how they did it 594 00:30:12,812 --> 00:30:15,279 and what happened to them. 595 00:30:18,150 --> 00:30:19,816 As part of my quest, 596 00:30:19,818 --> 00:30:23,653 I've stumbled upon what could be an incredible break in the case, 597 00:30:23,655 --> 00:30:25,956 one that might help answer the question 598 00:30:25,958 --> 00:30:29,827 of whether the three escapees actually survived that night. 599 00:30:29,829 --> 00:30:31,161 To look into this new 600 00:30:31,163 --> 00:30:33,897 and potentially game-changing piece of evidence, 601 00:30:33,899 --> 00:30:36,767 I'm headed for the place where it was discovered -- 602 00:30:36,769 --> 00:30:38,101 a remote promontory 603 00:30:38,103 --> 00:30:41,772 just 30 miles outside of San Francisco. 604 00:30:41,774 --> 00:30:45,276 When I arrive, I'm blown away, literally. 605 00:30:47,913 --> 00:30:50,581 This is Point Reyes National Seashore, 606 00:30:50,583 --> 00:30:53,451 one of the windiest places on the Pacific Coast. 607 00:30:53,453 --> 00:30:55,252 It's protected from urban development 608 00:30:55,254 --> 00:30:56,987 by the National Park Service. 609 00:30:56,989 --> 00:30:59,790 And no wonder. It's spectacular. 610 00:31:03,328 --> 00:31:07,531 From thunderous surf to expansive beaches, 611 00:31:07,533 --> 00:31:10,134 rocky headlands to grassy dunes, 612 00:31:10,136 --> 00:31:13,804 this 71,000-acre park offers visitors 613 00:31:13,806 --> 00:31:16,907 breathtaking vistas to explore 614 00:31:16,909 --> 00:31:19,410 and more than 1,500 species of plants 615 00:31:19,412 --> 00:31:21,846 and animals to discover. 616 00:31:28,687 --> 00:31:31,621 I'm here to meet U.S. Marshal Michael Dyke. 617 00:31:31,623 --> 00:31:32,890 He's been the lead investigator 618 00:31:32,892 --> 00:31:36,293 on the Alcatraz escape for over a decade. 619 00:31:36,295 --> 00:31:38,495 So this case is still open, yeah? 620 00:31:38,497 --> 00:31:39,830 Yeah, it's still open. 621 00:31:39,832 --> 00:31:41,565 Why is that? Why are you still investigating? 622 00:31:41,567 --> 00:31:43,901 There's only three ways we're gonna stop looking for them. 623 00:31:43,903 --> 00:31:45,302 -Mm-hmm. -And that would be -- 624 00:31:45,304 --> 00:31:47,637 is if they're either arrested, 625 00:31:47,639 --> 00:31:49,039 proven to be dead, 626 00:31:49,041 --> 00:31:52,376 or they reach the age of 99. 627 00:31:52,378 --> 00:31:56,247 Currently, Frank Morris would be about 89, late 80s. 628 00:31:56,249 --> 00:32:01,051 Wow. And the Anglin brothers would be about 85. 629 00:32:01,053 --> 00:32:03,653 But Marshal Dyke has a piece of new evidence 630 00:32:03,655 --> 00:32:05,956 that could finally close the case 631 00:32:05,958 --> 00:32:09,726 on at least one of the inmates. 632 00:32:09,728 --> 00:32:11,528 In the months after the breakout, 633 00:32:11,530 --> 00:32:13,731 the authorities were called to Point Reyes 634 00:32:13,733 --> 00:32:15,099 to investigate a report 635 00:32:15,101 --> 00:32:19,136 that something unusual had been found on the shoreline -- 636 00:32:19,138 --> 00:32:21,404 a dead body. 637 00:32:21,406 --> 00:32:24,742 The body was found just inside of those hills over there... 638 00:32:24,744 --> 00:32:28,879 Yeah. Okay. ...about nine months after the escape. 639 00:32:28,881 --> 00:32:30,214 So is that feasible 640 00:32:30,216 --> 00:32:33,017 that this could be the body of one of these three guys? 641 00:32:33,019 --> 00:32:34,351 Definitely, it could be one of them 642 00:32:34,353 --> 00:32:37,287 because, you know, ocean currents generally -- 643 00:32:37,289 --> 00:32:38,956 a lot of times, would -- at that time, 644 00:32:38,958 --> 00:32:40,791 were bringing bodies northward. 645 00:32:43,362 --> 00:32:45,829 The body was buried in the 1960s, 646 00:32:45,831 --> 00:32:48,031 shortly after it was found. 647 00:32:48,033 --> 00:32:50,434 And it was only recently that Marshal Dyke 648 00:32:50,436 --> 00:32:52,436 and his team had it exhumed 649 00:32:52,438 --> 00:32:56,240 to extract a vital DNA sample. 650 00:32:56,242 --> 00:32:59,376 So who do you think it is? Morris or the Anglins? 651 00:32:59,378 --> 00:33:02,046 It's important to point out, based on the femur measurements, 652 00:33:02,048 --> 00:33:05,181 they came up with a measurement of 5 foot 7 1/2", 653 00:33:05,183 --> 00:33:07,051 which happens to be Morris' exact height. 654 00:33:07,053 --> 00:33:08,719 So there's a fairly strong possibility 655 00:33:08,721 --> 00:33:10,788 these bones could be Morris. 656 00:33:10,790 --> 00:33:12,456 There is still a good possibility 657 00:33:12,458 --> 00:33:15,259 they could be him. 658 00:33:15,261 --> 00:33:17,461 And if this is Morris, 659 00:33:17,463 --> 00:33:20,264 his death may not have been an accident. 660 00:33:20,266 --> 00:33:22,666 There's a rumor out there that the Anglins 661 00:33:22,668 --> 00:33:24,134 and Morris didn't like each other. 662 00:33:24,136 --> 00:33:25,869 And they only put up with each other 663 00:33:25,871 --> 00:33:27,538 in order to facilitate the escape. 664 00:33:27,540 --> 00:33:30,141 And that rumor goes on to state that, 665 00:33:30,143 --> 00:33:32,142 while the escape was occurring, 666 00:33:32,144 --> 00:33:34,411 they would have took one of the paddles from the raft 667 00:33:34,413 --> 00:33:38,482 and hit Morris in the head and let him drown. 668 00:33:38,484 --> 00:33:41,952 The Anglins might have used Morris to plan the escape 669 00:33:41,954 --> 00:33:44,621 and then pushed him off the raft and into the bay. 670 00:33:44,623 --> 00:33:47,223 So the identity of the body 671 00:33:47,225 --> 00:33:50,360 might not only answer the question of Morris' fate, 672 00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:52,563 but also expose a murder. 673 00:33:55,367 --> 00:33:57,233 The marshal sends me to see the results 674 00:33:57,235 --> 00:33:59,837 of the DNA sample extracted from the body 675 00:33:59,839 --> 00:34:04,174 and tested against a descendant of Frank Morris. 676 00:34:04,176 --> 00:34:07,044 Recently, a blood relative was identified, 677 00:34:07,046 --> 00:34:12,049 finally allowing this part of the mystery to be solved. 678 00:34:12,051 --> 00:34:14,117 I'm in the lab of forensic specialist 679 00:34:14,119 --> 00:34:16,053 Professor Todd Disotell. 680 00:34:19,325 --> 00:34:20,390 Tell me how this works. 681 00:34:20,392 --> 00:34:23,060 Give me the 101 of what you're looking at. 682 00:34:23,062 --> 00:34:24,995 DISOTELL: The top row is from the body 683 00:34:24,997 --> 00:34:27,331 that washed up on the shore. 684 00:34:27,333 --> 00:34:28,865 And the second row here 685 00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:30,934 is from a descendant of Frank Morris. 686 00:34:30,936 --> 00:34:32,602 Hmm. Okay. 687 00:34:32,604 --> 00:34:35,673 And so if we want to try to do a DNA match, 688 00:34:35,675 --> 00:34:38,542 we have to match up those individual peaks 689 00:34:38,544 --> 00:34:42,813 to see if two individuals inherited the same marker 690 00:34:42,815 --> 00:34:45,950 from their mother or even from their father. 691 00:34:45,952 --> 00:34:48,886 So you've analyzed this data, hmm? 692 00:34:48,888 --> 00:34:50,287 Yes, I have. 693 00:34:50,289 --> 00:34:52,890 And, you know, I'm actually really surprised by it. 694 00:35:03,387 --> 00:35:05,654 WILDMAN: I'm investigating the mysterious fate 695 00:35:05,656 --> 00:35:07,122 of three inmates -- 696 00:35:07,124 --> 00:35:10,392 John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris -- 697 00:35:10,394 --> 00:35:14,663 who busted out of Alcatraz in 1962 698 00:35:14,665 --> 00:35:17,399 and were never seen again. 699 00:35:17,401 --> 00:35:21,470 So I've come to the lab of Professor Todd Disotell 700 00:35:21,472 --> 00:35:25,073 to analyze the DNA of an unidentified body 701 00:35:25,075 --> 00:35:29,545 and determine if it could be the escapee Frank Morris. 702 00:35:32,483 --> 00:35:35,483 So, do they match, the bones and the descendants? 703 00:35:35,485 --> 00:35:36,618 Well, as you can see, 704 00:35:36,620 --> 00:35:39,722 almost none of the peaks actually overlap. 705 00:35:42,359 --> 00:35:45,694 This is not Frank Morris. 706 00:35:45,696 --> 00:35:49,031 So we're as good as certain that Frank Morris 707 00:35:49,033 --> 00:35:51,099 is still out there, dead or alive. 708 00:35:51,101 --> 00:35:53,569 Yeah. 709 00:35:57,975 --> 00:36:00,776 Ever since the escape, people across the world 710 00:36:00,778 --> 00:36:03,846 have claimed to have seen these men. 711 00:36:03,848 --> 00:36:08,250 Almost every instance has been discounted. 712 00:36:08,252 --> 00:36:11,487 But there's one report that might just be the real thing. 713 00:36:19,730 --> 00:36:24,533 I'm on my way to Colquitt, a tiny town in rural Georgia. 714 00:36:24,535 --> 00:36:27,335 If not for this story, likely, very few people 715 00:36:27,337 --> 00:36:30,605 would have heard of the place. 716 00:36:30,607 --> 00:36:32,608 Today, Colquitt is famously known 717 00:36:32,610 --> 00:36:35,444 as the hometown of the Anglin brothers. 718 00:36:38,215 --> 00:36:41,349 I've heard a rumor that the brothers were spotted here 719 00:36:41,351 --> 00:36:43,352 years after the escape. 720 00:36:43,354 --> 00:36:46,755 If that's true, then it could be the proof I've been looking for 721 00:36:46,757 --> 00:36:48,891 that they really are still alive. 722 00:36:51,561 --> 00:36:54,162 Colquitt is a quiet agricultural community 723 00:36:54,164 --> 00:36:55,764 of less than 2,000 people, 724 00:36:55,766 --> 00:36:57,633 filled with farms, fields 725 00:36:57,635 --> 00:36:59,568 and, as it turns out, 726 00:36:59,570 --> 00:37:02,237 a very strange mural. 727 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:04,039 Oh, what's this? 728 00:37:04,041 --> 00:37:06,241 This is fascinating. 729 00:37:06,243 --> 00:37:07,776 It's no Leonardo da Vinci. 730 00:37:07,778 --> 00:37:09,444 But it's a clear indication 731 00:37:09,446 --> 00:37:11,513 of how much the legend of the Anglins 732 00:37:11,515 --> 00:37:13,816 looms over this tiny town. 733 00:37:19,924 --> 00:37:23,192 To help me put the final pieces of the puzzle into place, 734 00:37:23,194 --> 00:37:24,726 I've arranged to meet a reporter 735 00:37:24,728 --> 00:37:28,196 who has been following this story for decades. 736 00:37:28,198 --> 00:37:30,866 His name is Jeremy Campbell. 737 00:37:30,868 --> 00:37:33,668 So tell me about this family. 738 00:37:33,670 --> 00:37:36,471 It's a very close family, also very private. 739 00:37:36,473 --> 00:37:40,008 They just don't know who they can trust. 740 00:37:40,010 --> 00:37:42,010 But over the years, Jeremy's spoken 741 00:37:42,012 --> 00:37:45,613 to the younger sister of John and Clarence, 742 00:37:45,615 --> 00:37:49,284 who's convinced the men are still alive. 743 00:37:49,286 --> 00:37:50,886 Marie Anglin may be holding on to one 744 00:37:50,888 --> 00:37:53,155 of the biggest secrets in American history. 745 00:37:53,157 --> 00:37:56,625 And her brothers may be alive. 746 00:37:56,627 --> 00:37:57,726 She has proof. 747 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,987 WILDMAN: My quest to solve the riddle 748 00:38:11,989 --> 00:38:14,456 of what really happened to the three inmates 749 00:38:14,458 --> 00:38:17,859 who escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 750 00:38:17,861 --> 00:38:19,127 has led me all the way 751 00:38:19,129 --> 00:38:22,364 to the tiny Georgia town of Colquitt, 752 00:38:22,366 --> 00:38:25,134 home of the Anglin family. 753 00:38:25,136 --> 00:38:27,002 I'm meeting Jeremy Campbell, 754 00:38:27,004 --> 00:38:29,938 a reporter who's been following this story for decades 755 00:38:29,940 --> 00:38:33,742 and has close ties to the elusive bunch. 756 00:38:33,744 --> 00:38:35,344 Marie Anglin may be holding on to one 757 00:38:35,346 --> 00:38:37,880 of the biggest secrets in American history. 758 00:38:37,882 --> 00:38:41,083 And her brothers may be alive. 759 00:38:41,085 --> 00:38:45,353 She has proof that makes her believe they got out. 760 00:38:45,355 --> 00:38:47,956 What is that? 761 00:38:47,958 --> 00:38:49,758 The first three years 762 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,227 after the escape from Alcatraz, 763 00:38:52,229 --> 00:38:54,763 a Christmas card arrived. 764 00:38:54,765 --> 00:38:56,899 And it was signed by the brothers. 765 00:38:56,901 --> 00:38:59,168 Had no postmark, they had no return address. 766 00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:00,769 They weren't even stamped. 767 00:39:00,771 --> 00:39:03,038 They were in the mailbox. 768 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:04,840 These guys had come by and put them 769 00:39:04,842 --> 00:39:06,442 in the mailboxes themselves. 770 00:39:06,444 --> 00:39:08,109 That's what they're thinking. -That's what they believe. 771 00:39:08,111 --> 00:39:09,778 Wow. Interesting. 772 00:39:09,780 --> 00:39:11,447 That's just the beginning. 773 00:39:11,449 --> 00:39:13,515 So tell me what other evidence contributes 774 00:39:13,517 --> 00:39:17,252 to this case of their survival. 775 00:39:17,254 --> 00:39:20,455 Every year on her birthday, 776 00:39:20,457 --> 00:39:23,792 their mother was given a bouquet of flowers 777 00:39:23,794 --> 00:39:26,261 with no card, no name. 778 00:39:26,263 --> 00:39:28,263 But she knew who it was from. 779 00:39:28,265 --> 00:39:29,397 She's convinced it was 780 00:39:29,399 --> 00:39:31,200 from her sons that escaped from Alcatraz. 781 00:39:31,202 --> 00:39:32,868 Wow. 782 00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:35,938 It seems this wasn't the only thing 783 00:39:35,940 --> 00:39:37,473 that the Anglin brothers did for their mother 784 00:39:37,475 --> 00:39:38,874 after they escaped. 785 00:39:41,611 --> 00:39:43,679 These men loved their mother. 786 00:39:43,681 --> 00:39:49,485 So when word spread to wherever they were that she had died, 787 00:39:49,487 --> 00:39:52,955 the family says the Anglin brothers 788 00:39:52,957 --> 00:39:55,357 did not miss the funeral. 789 00:39:55,359 --> 00:39:59,695 They showed up, but they didn't look like anyone would expect. 790 00:39:59,697 --> 00:40:02,764 -In costume. -They were dressed as women. 791 00:40:02,766 --> 00:40:04,766 Is it any possibility, though, 792 00:40:04,768 --> 00:40:07,169 that these are pranks that were played on the family? 793 00:40:07,171 --> 00:40:08,303 It's a famous story. 794 00:40:08,305 --> 00:40:10,038 And it's a family with a lot of hope. 795 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,574 Certainly, it could be a prank. 796 00:40:12,576 --> 00:40:14,309 But the family believes 797 00:40:14,311 --> 00:40:16,845 that they would stay in touch and they have stayed in touch. 798 00:40:16,847 --> 00:40:18,713 Right. 799 00:40:18,715 --> 00:40:20,715 And the Anglins have one more piece 800 00:40:20,717 --> 00:40:23,852 that fits into the puzzle. 801 00:40:23,854 --> 00:40:27,055 Marie Anglin says when her older brother died, 802 00:40:27,057 --> 00:40:28,723 on his death bed 803 00:40:28,725 --> 00:40:30,993 he revealed the biggest evidence 804 00:40:30,995 --> 00:40:32,594 in their family 805 00:40:32,596 --> 00:40:35,464 to support this theory. 806 00:40:35,466 --> 00:40:38,400 As he was dying, he said that he'd been in touch 807 00:40:38,402 --> 00:40:40,001 with the Anglin brothers 808 00:40:40,003 --> 00:40:42,604 for 25 years. -What? 809 00:40:42,606 --> 00:40:45,340 He'd seen them and that they had families. 810 00:40:45,342 --> 00:40:47,776 And they were living in Brazil. 811 00:40:50,214 --> 00:40:51,880 He couldn't go to his grave 812 00:40:51,882 --> 00:40:54,950 without telling someone that. 813 00:40:54,952 --> 00:40:56,952 But if the Anglins are right, 814 00:40:56,954 --> 00:40:59,755 and the men truly fled to Brazil, 815 00:40:59,757 --> 00:41:02,557 I just have one question left. 816 00:41:02,559 --> 00:41:07,095 With no money and no resources, how did they get there? 817 00:41:07,097 --> 00:41:11,366 Well, there is a sheriff's memo from 1962. 818 00:41:11,368 --> 00:41:14,436 And it said that a blue car was stolen 819 00:41:14,438 --> 00:41:17,105 the day after they escaped from Alcatraz. 820 00:41:17,107 --> 00:41:20,308 And the suspects were three males. 821 00:41:20,310 --> 00:41:23,111 So what do you think? True or not? 822 00:41:23,113 --> 00:41:24,579 I think if it was them, 823 00:41:24,581 --> 00:41:28,383 they would have driven straight to freedom. 824 00:41:28,385 --> 00:41:30,652 It's entirely possible that they are still out there. 825 00:41:30,654 --> 00:41:32,487 Wow. That's fascinating, isn't it? 826 00:41:40,664 --> 00:41:43,398 The lengths that John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, 827 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,335 and Frank Morris went to bust out of Alcatraz 828 00:41:46,337 --> 00:41:49,071 are almost unthinkable. 829 00:41:49,073 --> 00:41:52,274 Their success was the result of tremendous creativity, 830 00:41:52,276 --> 00:41:54,476 patience, and luck. 831 00:41:54,478 --> 00:41:56,545 Perhaps that's why people are so fascinated 832 00:41:56,547 --> 00:41:59,547 to learn whether they pulled off the final test 833 00:41:59,549 --> 00:42:02,350 and are still alive today. 834 00:42:02,352 --> 00:42:03,885 But 50 years later, 835 00:42:03,887 --> 00:42:07,356 new evidence has finally tipped the scales of their survival 836 00:42:07,358 --> 00:42:10,625 from impossible to plausible. 837 00:42:10,627 --> 00:42:13,028 So are the three men enjoying a full 838 00:42:13,030 --> 00:42:15,631 and secret life in Brazil? 839 00:42:15,633 --> 00:42:17,632 We may never know for sure. 840 00:42:17,634 --> 00:42:19,567 But one thing is certain. 841 00:42:19,569 --> 00:42:22,170 Their escape will live on in history 842 00:42:22,172 --> 00:42:25,274 as one of the most iconic of all time. 842 00:42:26,305 --> 00:43:26,900 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm