Aviator Charles Lindbergh (‘The Lone Eagle’) was a household name when his 20 month-old son, Charlie Jr (dubbed ‘The Eaglet’) vanished from his nursery on 1st March, 1932, sparking a nationwide media frenzy.

The kidnappers left a ransom note demanding $50,000. After a further 12 exchanges of correspondence, the Lindberghs were told their son was onboard a boat called Nellie: a boat which was never found. At his sensational trial, immigrant Bruno Richard Hauptmann pleaded not guilty, but was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to the electric chair.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the Police matched Hauptmann to the abduction; reveal how Al Capone got caught up in the crisis; and ask where all the forensic botanists have gone… 

Further Reading:

• ‘The Tragic Story Of The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping’ (All Thats Interesting, 2021): https://allthatsinteresting.com/lindbergh-baby-kidnapping

• ‘60 Years Later, Doubt Clings to Lindbergh Baby Kidnaping Case’ (Los Angeles Times, 1992): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-09-mn-3355-story.html

• ‘How They Caught the Lindbergh Baby's Kidnapper’ (Smithsonian Channel, 2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpwduHFPqHk

#30s #Crime #Mystery

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

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