In June 1962, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin executed the most famous prison escape in U.S. history. They were incarcerated in Alcatraz, a facility widely considered to be completely escape-proof.

The trio meticulously planned their breakout for months. Using improvised tools, they carved holes in their cell walls and created realistic dummy heads from soap and toilet paper to deceive the guards during nighttime inspections.

Their most crucial innovation was a raft constructed from stolen raincoats. On the night of June 11, they crawled through ventilation shafts, reached the prison roof, and disappeared into the waters of San Francisco Bay.

The escape was discovered the next morning, triggering a massive FBI manhunt. While the official investigation concluded the inmates had drowned in the bay’s cold, treacherous currents, the mystery never fully faded.

Over the years, tantalizing clues emerged suggesting they survived. A letter in 2013, purportedly from John Anglin, claimed all three had lived for decades under new identities. This was bolstered by rumors and alleged sightings.

Scientific analysis added credibility to the survival theory. The television show *MythBusters* demonstrated that a similar raft could successfully navigate the bay. Then, in 2018, AI facial recognition analysis of a 1975 photo from Brazil showed strong matches for the Anglin brothers.

Whether they perished or lived in freedom, the Alcatraz escape remains a captivating story of human ingenuity and the enduring quest for liberty, proving that no prison is truly escape-proof.