There is still much debate over whether or not 3 men actually did successfully escape Alcatraz. I have also seen the MYTHBUSTERS episode where they try to simulate the escape to see if it is possible. I am curious to see how many other people think that they DID escape. The movie is a very accurate portrayal of the events and after seeing this you would think that it's clearly quite possible that they could have escaped and lived.

For those that have seen the film or know the story you quickly get an idea of just how intelligent and patient these men were. They painted fake bodies to fool the guards while they dug, they made a raft from rain coats, etc etc. The only real evidence that points to them NOT escaping is a bag that was found with personal information from the men, which washed up on shore. There has never been any remains found nor any traces of these men. So for that reason MOST people will tell you that they drowned or were perhaps eaten by sharks. I have been to Alcatraz and while the distance to safety from the Island is quite a distance the Mythbusters were able to do it in about 45minutes and that was using the same conditions that the men were faced with such as tide, current, temperature, etc. The guards did not know the men were missing for about 10-12 hours when they did morning inspection of the cell.

I am a firm believer that these men escaped and could possible be still alive. It's insane to think that just because we haven't heard from them that they are dead. If these men had it together enough to escape a maximum security prison that NO ONE else did and get to the water...they surely could have escaped and had the brains to eliminate themselves from society. New identities somewhere else in the world perhaps. This would have been much easier back then because you didn't need all sorts of documents and photo ID. Plus, if they got to the water, which they did, they would have had much determination to reach freedom and would have stopped at nothing!

Anyone else think they are still alive?