Scientists: Inmates who escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 could have survived; bodies never found

FILE - In this April 24, 2007, file photo, an exhibit about a 1962 prison escape made famous in the movie, "Escape from Alcatraz," is displayed in the museum store on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Scientists say the three prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz in one of the most famous and elaborate prison breaks in U.S. history could have survived and made it to land. Using software to study currents the night of the 1962 escape, three Dutch scientists concluded the three men could have made it to land north of the Golden Gate Bridge if they left between 11:30 p.m. and midnight. Prison officials and federal agents insisted at the time that the inmates perished, but their bodies were never found.(AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) (The Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO – Scientists say the three prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz in one of the most famous and elaborate prison breaks in U.S. history could have survived and made it to land.

Using software to study currents the night of the 1962 escape, three Dutch scientists concluded the three men could have made it to land north of the Golden Gate Bridge if they left between 11:30 p.m. and midnight.

Prison officials and federal agents insisted at the time that the inmates perished, but their bodies were never found.

The three prisoners — brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris — pulled off the escape with stolen spoons, dummy heads and a raincoat raft.

The scientists presented their findings Tuesday at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.