The Rock. It sits there in the middle of San Francisco Bay, cold, damp, and supposedly inescapable. But in 1962, three men—Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin—slipped into the black water and vanished. For decades, the Anglin family has lived under the shadow of being the "last son of Alcatraz" kin, carrying a legacy of mystery that the FBI couldn't close. Honestly, if you talk to anyone in the true crime world, this isn't just a cold case. It's a piece of American folklore that refuses to die because the evidence keeps twitching.
People love a good escape story. But for the Anglins, this was real life. They weren't just names on a most-wanted poster; they were brothers from a family of thirteen children, raised in the South, and eventually branded as some of the most famous fugitives in history.
What Actually Happened on June 11, 1962?
The plan was brilliant. It was also incredibly gross. They used sharpened spoons to dig through the salt-rotted concrete behind their cells. They made "dummy heads" out of soap, toilet paper, and real human hair from the barbershop to fool the guards during night checks. Then, they climbed out.
Most people assume they drowned. The water in the Bay is brutal. It’s 50 degrees. The currents are like a washing machine. If you go in without a plan, you’re dead in minutes. But the Anglins weren't stupid. They spent months vulcanizing raincoats together to make a raft.
Did it work?
The official line from the U.S. Marshals is that they probably died. Yet, they haven't closed the case. Why? Because the "Last Son of Alcatraz" narrative isn't just about the escape; it’s about what happened in the years that followed. There are photos. There are letters. There are sightings in Brazil that make even the most hardened skeptics take a second look.
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The Brazil Connection and the 1975 Photo
In 2015, a History Channel documentary dropped a bombshell. A family friend of the Anglins, Fred Brizzi, produced a photograph allegedly taken in Brazil in 1975. It shows two men standing by a roadside. They have long hair, sunglasses, and look remarkably like older versions of John and Clarence.
The facial recognition experts took a crack at it. Using modern forensic technology, they compared the bone structure—the distance between the eyes, the shape of the jaw. The result? It’s a highly probable match. This isn't just some grainy Bigfoot photo. This is a clear shot of two men who look exactly like the brothers would have looked thirteen years after their "death."
If they made it to South America, they beat the system. They lived the life everyone dreams of when they're stuck in a 5x9 cell.
Why the Anglin Family Keeps the Flame Alive
The Anglin family hasn't had it easy. Imagine being the "Last Son of Alcatraz" relative in a small town. You’re the family of the guys who broke the unbreakable prison. For years, the FBI bugged their phones. They showed up at Christmas. They watched the mother’s funeral to see if the brothers would show up.
Marie Anglin Widner, the brothers' sister, has been vocal for years. She doesn't believe her brothers drowned. She talks about the flowers that showed up at the house without a card. She talks about the Christmas cards that arrived with no return address.
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"I think they made it," she’s said in various interviews. And honestly, she might be right. If they didn't, where are the bodies? Alcatraz is a contained environment. Usually, when someone jumps, the tide brings them back or they're found floating within a few days. The three men from the 1962 escape? Nothing. Not a scrap of the raft, not a shoe, nothing until much later when a few remnants were found on Angel Island.
The Letter That Changed Everything
In 2013, the San Francisco Police Department got a letter. It sat in a file for years before it went public. It started with: "My name is John Anglin. I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I'm 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer."
The writer claimed that Frank Morris died in 2008 and Clarence died in 2011. He offered to turn himself in for a one-year sentence where he could get medical treatment. The FBI ran DNA. They checked for fingerprints. The results were... inconclusive.
It’s frustrating. It’s basically the ultimate "maybe." If it was him, he’s likely dead now. If it wasn't, it was an incredibly sophisticated prank from someone who knew the details of the case inside out.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Escape
You see it in movies—the dramatic dive into the waves. In reality, it was probably a slog. They had to navigate the "utility corridor," a dark, cramped space behind the cells that was filled with pipes and dust. It was hot. It smelled like sewage.
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- The Raft: It wasn't just a bunch of coats. They used a concertina (a small accordion) to inflate it.
- The Timing: They left around 9:30 PM. The tide was actually in their favor for a brief window to hit Angel Island.
- The Gear: They made plywood paddles. They were prepared.
The Last Son of Alcatraz story persists because it represents the ultimate underdog victory. Three guys with nothing but spoons and raincoats beat the most secure federal prison in the world. It’s a middle finger to the establishment that still resonates.
The Modern Search and DNA Testing
We’re in 2026, and the tech has changed. Investigators are now looking at environmental DNA and advanced tidal modeling that wasn't possible in the 60s. Some researchers have used AI to simulate the Bay’s currents on that exact night. The simulations show that if they left at a specific time, they wouldn't have been swept out to sea. They would have landed right where they planned.
Also, the Anglin family has cooperated with DNA requests. When a body washed up on a beach in the 60s, it was buried as a Jane/John Doe. Recently, some of those remains have been exhumed for comparison. So far, no match.
This lack of a "smoking gun" body is the strongest evidence that they survived. The Bay eventually gives up its dead. But it never gave up the Anglins.
Actionable Steps for History Buffs and Sleuths
If you’re fascinated by the saga of the Anglin brothers and the mystery of the Last Son of Alcatraz, you can actually engage with the history yourself. It’s not just a story in a book; it’s a living piece of San Francisco’s culture.
- Visit the Island with a Critical Eye: Don't just take the standard tour. Look at the utility corridors. See the size of the vents they crawled through. It’s smaller than you think.
- Research the Marshals' Files: The U.S. Marshals Service still keeps an active file on the case. They occasionally release redacted documents under FOIA requests.
- Study the 1975 Brazil Photo: Look at the high-resolution scans available online. Compare the "ear prints"—ears are as unique as fingerprints, and the men in the photo have remarkably similar ear shapes to the Anglin brothers.
- Follow the "Jolene" Case: There have been rumors of a sister or daughter in the South who knows the truth. Keeping an eye on genealogical forums often reveals new "leads" that the public misses.
The case won't be closed until there’s a death certificate or a 100-year-old man walking into a police station. Until then, the Anglin brothers remain the ghosts of San Francisco, the men who proved that even The Rock has its cracks.