Letter Surfaces Claiming Alcatraz Inmates Survived Infamous Escape

SAN FRANCISCO (CBSNewYork) – A bombshell letter has surfaced in San Francisco, suggesting three men pulled off a great escape from the country's most infamous prison, Alcatraz.

In 1962, two bank robber brothers and their buddy vanished into the Pacific Ocean without a trace – until now.

"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 letter read. "Yes, we all made it that night, but barely."

It was one of the most daring prison escapes in history from the federal fortress island.

"As a law enforcement person, I'd like to think that their escape attempt was not fruitful for them," former FBI agent Jeff Harp said.

Police in San Francisco discovered the letter in 2013, forcing the FBI to reopen the decades-old cold case.

On the night of June 11, 1962, after months of meticulous planning, the trio of bank robbers squeezed through the vents in the back of their cells.

"They literately drilled small holes around the existing vent and then pushed that concrete in," National Park Service Ranger John Cantwell said.

The men then climbed through a ventilator onto the prison roof, where they slid down the smokestack to the ground and launched a raft made of more than 50 raincoats. The men vanished into the cold, rough waters of the Pacific.

"The Federal Bureau of Prisons say that they drowned once they got off of Alcatraz and their bodies were swept out to the Pacific Ocean – end of story," said Cantwell.

Or was it? According to the letter, Frank died in 2008 and John's brother, Clarence, died three years later.

"If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am," the letter continued. This is no joke."

The FBI examined the letter for fingerprints, DNA and to compare handwriting samples, but in the end the results were inconclusive, meaning the story of the Alcatraz escapees may only live on in folk lore.

The U.S. Marshals service, which is the only agency currently, investigating the case, said in a statement, "There is absolutely no reason to believe that any of them would have changed their lifestyle and became completely law abiding citizens after this escape."