Throughout history, there have been many cases of the prisoners who have escaped from detention and were never found. These escapes have attracted public attention and spawned lots of books, movies, and TV shows. Well, here we will share that information for you.
Prisoners Who Escaped and Were Never Found
Here are some of the most popular cases of the prisoners who escaped and were never found:
1. Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin (1962)
This is probably the most popular case of the prison escape of all time. On June 11, 1962, three prisoners named Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz, a maximum-security prison on an island in San Francisco Bay. To escape from the island, the three prisoners made a raft out of raincoats and inflatable life jackets. Despite a massive manhunt, the three prisoners were never found. And, it is assumed that they drowned in the treacherous waters of the bay. In addition, their escape has spawned a movie starring Clint Eastwood.
2. Eleanor Jarman (1940)
Eleanor Jarman was a robber who was arrested for the murder of Gustav Hoeh, a clothing store owner. Eleanor Jarman was found to be involved in the murder. On August 8, 1940, he escaped from detention. It was reported that when he visited his family, who were going through personal issues at the time, Jarman went into hiding and he was never found again.
3. Glen Stewart Godwin (1991)
Glen Stewart Godwin worked as a mechanic, tool salesman, and construction worker. He was arrested due to robbing and killing his drug dealer friend, Kim LeValley. During the robbery, Stewart Godwin stabbed his friend 26 times with a knife. To cover up the murder, he blew up a truck with LeValley’s body inside. For his misconduct, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. In 1987, he escaped from prison through a storm drain. He was successfully arrested again by the police. But in September 1991, Stewart Godwin managed to escape from prison again. Until now he was never seen again.
4. Vassilis Palaiokostas (2009)
Palaiokostas was arrested for kidnapping and robbery. He was sentenced to 25 years at Greece’s Korydallos prison. In 2006, Palaiokostas escaped using a sightseeing helicopter that was hijacked by his two accomplices. The guards believed that it was a scheduled visit from prison inspectors. Palaiokostas was successfully arrested, but in 2009 he escaped again from prison using a sightseeing helicopter again. Vassilis Palaiokostas was never found till now.
5. Omid Tahvili (2007)
Omid Tahvili was arrested for fraud via mail, wire, and telemarketing by stealing over $3 million. Besides that, Tahvili also kidnapped and sexually assaulted a man connected to a $300,000 robbery. When he was awaiting trial, Tahvili managed to escape by bribing a guard. For helping the prisoner escape, the guard was sentenced to three years in prison. But till now, Omid Tahvili was never found again. In 2008, In 2008, Omid Tahvili was named as one of the most wanted fugitives in the world.
6. Jerry Bergevin (1969)
Jerry Bergevin was arrested for robbing a drug store. He was sentenced to 10-15 years. He was transferred from state prison to a minimum-security prison. In 1969, he successfully escaped from prison. In 2013, a 44-year search for Bergevin was stopped. Also, his charges were dropped. Until now, no one knows about his existence. His granddaughters even believe that he was dead.
7. John Patrick Hannan (1955)
John Patrick Hannan was arrested for grand theft auto and assault in 1955. He was sentenced to 21 months. But in December of that year, Patrick Hannan successfully escaped from England’s Verne Prison. He escaped from the prison with another inmate, Gwynant Thomas. The two prisoners escaped from the prison by scaling a wall with knotted bed sheets. Finally, the police rearrested Gwynant Thomas only 16 hours after the escape. But the police could not find Patrick Hannan. And, until now Patrick Hannan was never found.
8. Sharon Kinne (1969)
In the 1960s, Sharon Kinne was arrested for the murder. He killed three people, that are James Kinne (her own husband), Patricia Jones (a lady whom James Kinne was having an affair with), and a Mexican-born American citizen. Due to lax security and a blackout at the prison, Sharon Kinne escaped from the prison on December 7, 1969. The police and other authorities have stopped the hunt for him. In American history, this is a popular case of the prisoner who escaped and was never found.
9. Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe (1937)
Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe were arrested for robbing a bank. After they made several escape attempts, they finally transferred to Alcatraz, a maximum-security prison in San Francisco Bay. However, on December 16, 1937, they escaped from Alcatraz by making a small hole out of a window in the tire repair shop of the prison. They were never found again till now.
10. Glen Stark Chambers (1990)
In 1975, Chambers was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend. He was serving a life sentence inside Florida’s Polk Correctional Institution. In 1990, he successfully escaped. To escape from the prison, he smuggled himself into a truck. Before that, he had cut a small slat out from a truck door that was rolled up while the truck was loading boxes. While some prisoners escaped from the prison by planning a dramatic escape, Chambers escaped by simply smuggling himself into a truck and was never found again.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
