The June 1962 Alcatraz escape was a [prison break] from [Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary], a [maximum-security facility] located on [an island] in [San Francisco Bay], undertaken by inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin. The three men were able to escape from their cells and leave the island in a makeshift raft.
The fate of the escapees after they entered San Francisco Bay has remained unknown.[[2]][[3]][[4]] A fourth inmate, Allen West, did not manage to escape his cell in time to join the others and decided to abort his escape attempt. The escape was marked by elaborate planning and execution, including crafting dummy heads to fool the guards, and the manufacture of improvised tools and a raft.
In 1979, the FBI officially closed its investigation, concluding that the men drowned in San Francisco Bay, while trying to reach land.[[5]][[6]][[7]] However, the [US Marshals Service] has continued to keep the escapees on its wanted list.[[8]][[9]] New circumstantial and material evidence has continued to surface, stoking further research and debates on whether the inmates managed to survive.