Clarence Anglin

Clarence Anglin was one of three inmates who attempted an elaborate escape from the maximum-security federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island on the night of June 11, 1962. Anglin, along with his brother John and Frank Morris, meticulously prepared for six months, creating papier-mâché dummy heads with real hair to place in their beds and fashioning a raft from over 50 stolen raincoats.12

The escapees enlarged the grille openings in their cell walls, navigated a utility corridor, and climbed to the cellblock roof. From there, they ascended through a ventilation shaft to the building's roof and used an exterior pipe to reach the ground. After cutting through perimeter fencing, they reached the water's edge with their makeshift raft.1

While it is confirmed they escaped from Alcatraz, it remains uncertain if they successfully reached the mainland. Fragments of their equipment were found near Angel Island, their intended intermediate destination. The FBI closed its case in 1979, concluding they likely drowned in the treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay, though their bodies were never recovered.21