Frank Morris

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Frank Lee Morris (September 1, 1926 - ???) was an American criminal who escaped from Alcatraz and was never seen again.

Contents

1 Early years
2 Alcatraz
3 The Escape
4 See also

Early years

Frank Lee Morris was born in Washington D.C. and spent most of his early years going to different foster homes. He was convicted of his first crime at the age of 13, and by his late teens Morris had been arrested for crimes ranging from narcotics possession to armed robbery. As he progressed into adult life, Morris began to move to even bigger penitentiaries. He was alleged to possess "superior intelligence" (IQ of 133; it takes an IQ of 130 to join the MENSA) and could worm his way out of most prisons.

Alcatraz

On January 20, 1960 Frank Morris was shipped to Alcatraz, where he became prisoner #AZ1441. Allegedly, Morris began scheming his escape as soon as he arrived at Alcatraz. He was not alone in his attempt; there were three others: John Anglin, his brother Clarence Anglin, and Allen West (who never went through with the escape attempt).

The escape attempt was extremely complicated. Over a period of two years, Morris and the Anglins created a raft and lifelike dummies, and stole a number of tools to dig with. By May of 1962, they had already dug through the vents at the back of the cells, working in shifts, with some keeping lookout while others dug.

The Escape

On the night of June 11, 1962 the attempt went ahead. The group escaped out of the vents in the back of their cells and into the utility corridor. They then proceeded onto the roof and down to the bay. There they boarded the raft they had been working on, and disappeared into the night. The following morning the officers awoke to find the dummies lying in the beds and the prisoners missing. The FBI conducted one of the largest manhunts since the Lindbergh kidnapping to no avail. Bits of the raft and life preservers were later found in the bay. Also found was a waterproof bag containing personal effects of the Anglins. Although the authorities never found any bodies, they were certain the men had drowned. They pointed out that there were no robberies or car thefts that could have been attributed to them, as well as the fact that the men were habitual criminals and yet were never arrested again. However it was proved by MythBusters that his raft could have possibly landed at the Marin Headlands raising possible doubt over his death.

Frank Morris

Early years

Alcatraz

The Escape

See also