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How did the 1962 Alcatraz escape investigation by the FBI conclude and has it been officially reopened since?
Executive summary
The FBI conducted a 17-year probe into the June 1962 Alcatraz breakout and officially closed its file on December 31, 1979, concluding the three men likely drowned [1] [2]. Responsibility for the matter then moved to the U.S. Marshals Service, which keeps the escape open as an active fugitive matter even while some later evidence—most notably a 2013 letter—produced inconclusive forensic results and prompted renewed interest [3] [2] [4].
1. How the FBI’s original investigation ended: formal closure after 17 years
The FBI opened a long, methodical investigation after Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin disappeared from Alcatraz on June 11–12, 1962; agents pursued hundreds of leads but never produced conclusive proof that the men survived the Bay crossing. The bureau officially closed its case file on December 31, 1979, concluding the escapees probably drowned in the cold, swift waters of San Francisco Bay [1] [2]. The FBI’s public historical overview states that its “thorough investigation, which lasted for nearly two decades, was unable to determine whether the three men successfully escaped or died in the attempt,” reflecting both the bureau’s conclusion and the limits of available evidence [3].
2. Who took over and what “closed” actually meant
When the FBI closed its investigative file, the case did not disappear from law‑enforcement rosters: the U.S. Marshals Service assumed responsibility for the fugitives’ wanted status and maintains the matter as an open case in its records [5] [2]. Encyclopaedia Britannica and other reference outlets note that while the FBI closed its probe in 1979 and deemed drowning the likeliest outcome, the U.S. Marshals still list the men as wanted fugitives—an important legal distinction between an agency ending its active investigative work and the case remaining open under another authority [2] [5].
3. New leads since 1979: letters, photos and contested evidence
Interest in the case resurfaced periodically, especially after a 2013 letter—mailed to local police and made public in 2018—claimed to be from John Anglin and stated the three survived; the U.S. Marshals submitted the letter to the FBI lab, which found the handwriting comparison “inconclusive” [6] [4]. Alleged photographs and family anecdotes have also circulated (including reports of possible sightings in Brazil), but major outlets and the Marshals describe these items as intriguing but not definitive; reporting shows investigators pursued such leads without producing verifiable proof that the men lived on after 1962 [7] [8].
4. Has the FBI “reopened” the case since 1979? Short answer: available sources do not mention a formal FBI re‑opening
Reporting documents that the FBI reviewed the 2013 letter and that the U.S. Marshals sought forensic help, but the sources consistently say the FBI closed its file in 1979 and that subsequent developments were handled by the Marshals Service [1] [4] [5]. CBS, BBC and other outlets reported the FBI examined evidence such as the letter, but none of the provided sources states the FBI formally re‑opened the original 1962 investigative file as an active ongoing FBI case after 1979; instead the Marshals continued follow‑up on leads [6] [4] [5].
5. Why ambiguity persists: forensic limits, physical evidence and competing narratives
The enduring mystery stems from contradictory or absent physical proof: no bodies were recovered, some debris linked to an inflatable raft washed ashore or was reported in nearby islands, and eyewitness accounts over the years have been mixed and often unverified [1] [9]. Documentary projects and books have argued both that the escape was “possible” or that it failed; investigative tests (e.g., modern recreations of the crossing) strengthen plausibility but do not constitute proof that the three men survived [1] [7] [10].
6. What to watch for and how to weigh claims
When new claims surface—letters, photographs, or alleged confessions—note who retains legal custody of the case (U.S. Marshals), whether forensic labs rendered conclusive findings, and whether mainstream investigative outlets corroborate the evidence. Most reputable records and reference works reiterate the FBI’s 1979 closure and the Marshals’ ongoing responsibility; sensational new narratives appear frequently but, per the available reporting, have not superseded the official historical conclusion that drowning was the likeliest outcome [1] [2] [5].
Limitations: these statements draw only on the supplied sources; available sources do not mention any formal reopening of the FBI’s 1979 file beyond referrals and forensic checks prompted by later leads [1] [6].