THE LINDBERGH

KIDNAPPING
LIAM GIBBS, ANNA CHIPREAN, AND DANIELLE MILICH
 WHO

Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.(child who was kidnappedand

murdered)
Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh (parentsof the
kidnapped and murderedchild)
Bruno Richard Hauptmann (allegedkidnapper and murderer of
Charles LindberghJr.)
Dr. John Condon (wrote an open letter to the kidnappers in which
he offered to act as the mediator between Bruno and the
Lindberghs, he met Bruno and became a key witness for the
prosecution later on during the trial)
WHAT HAPPENED

It took place on March 1, 1932

This was one of the most publicized cases of the twentieth century
20-month-old son of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped
Charles Lindbergh and his wife (Anne) discovered a ransom note
demanding $50,000 in their sons empty room
For three days, investigators found nothing and there was no further
word from the kidnappers. Then, a new letter showed up, demanding
$70,000.
WHATHAPPENED

The kidnappers eventually gave instructions for dropping off the money
and when it was delivered, the Lindbergh's were told their baby was on
a boat called Nelly off the coast of Massachusetts
However, after hours of searching, there was no sign of either the boat
or the child
Soon after, the babys body was discovered near the Lindbergh
mansion
He had been killed the night of the kidnapping and was found less than
a mile from home
He wasfoundeaten by animals andwith his skull smashed in
 HOWWAS FORENSIC SCIENCE USED

a fingerprint expert examined the multiple ransom notes and ladder, which showed 400
partial fingerprints and some footprints. No adult fingerprints were found in the baby's
room, including in areas witnesses admitted to touching, such as the window, but the
baby's fingerprints were found.
The brief, handwritten ransom notes were riddled with spelling mistakes and grammatical
irregularities; at bottom there were two interconnected blue circles surrounding a red
circle, with a hole punched through the red circle and two more holes to the left and right.
When Hauptmann was at the stand during his trial, a document examiner pointed out
similarities between words and letters in the ransom notes and in Hauptmann's writing
specimens (which included documents written before he was arrested, such as automobile
registration applications).
 HOWWASFORENSIC SCIENCE USED

When the police searched Hauptmann's apartment, a considerable amount of evidence

was found.
One item was a notebook that contained a sketch for the construction of a ladder similar
to that which was found at the Lindbergh home in March 1932.
John Condon's telephone number, along with his address, was discovered written down
on a closet wall in the house.
A key piece of evidence, a piece of wood, was discovered in the attic of the home. After
being examined by an expert, it was determined to be an exact match to the wood used
in the construction of the ladder found at the scene of the crime.
Thetimeof deaththebabywas determined by the insectsfound insidethe babiesskull
The babywas identifiedby anexaminerwhenhelooked at the teeth.