Module 5 - Polygraph Testing & Forensic Document Analysis

 Kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby

One of the most famous ransom notes in history, left behind by the kidnapper of the young son of Charles Lindbergh, a famous American aviator. Image courtesy of Ronelle Delmont, 2006.

Background Information

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh gained international fame as the first pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean alone.  He flew from New York to Paris in 33.5 hours in a single-engine airplane named The Spirit of St. Louis. 

Charles Lindbergh, Jr., the 20-month-old son of the famous aviator was kidnapped around 9:00 p.m. on March 1, 1932, from his nursery on the second floor of the Lindbergh estate in New Jersey.

The Letters

A search of the house was immediately completed after his disappearance was discovered. A ransom note demanding $50 000.00 was found by a window in the nursery.  When police were called to the scene, they discovered that a large wooden ladder that did not belong to the Lindbergh' s was used to gain access to the baby' s room.  The ladder had broken either during the abduction or after the abduction; it was found in two pieces.

A total of 13 handwritten ransom notes were sent to Charles Lindbergh over a series of months.  Some of the notes increased the ransom demand; others outlined the details and location for pick up of the ransom money. Examination of the ransom notes by various FBI handwriting experts resulted in the unanimous opinion that all the notes were written by the same person.  Also, experts stated they thought the writer was likely of German descent. 

The Body is Found

In April 1932, after $50 000.00 in gold certificates was given to the kidnapper by a friend of Charles Lindbergh, the kidnapper revealed that the baby was on a boat on Martha' s Vineyard. However, he was not found, and this was considered to be a fabrication.

In May 1932, the body of the kidnapped baby was found accidently by a local man.  The baby' s partly buried and badly decomposed body was found about four miles from his home.  Examination of the body showed that he had been dead for about two months and the cause of death was a blow to the head.

The Conclusion

Two years after the kidnapping, a gas station attendant suspicious of a man who paid for his gas using a ten-dollar gold certificate wrote down his license plate number and gave it to police.  The license plate number was traced to Bruno Hauptmann from Bronx, New York. Hauptmann was 35 years old and born in Germany. He occasionally worked as a carpenter, he had a criminal record for robbery, and he had spent time in prison. A short time after the kidnapping, Hauptmann began investing heavily in the stock market and quit working.

When police confronted Bruno Hauptmann and searched him, they found a twenty-dollar gold certificate in his wallet and more than $13,000 in gold certificates were found hidden in his garage.

After his arrest, FBI writing analysis experts compared samples of Hauptmann's handwriting to the ransom notes received by the Lindbergh family.  Many similarities resulted in the conclusion that Hauptmann wrote the ransom notes.  The photo below illustrates a similarity that was found:

Both photos above courtesy of the FBI. www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/lindber/lindbernew.htm

This handwriting proof along with other evidence (such as tool marks on the ladder matching the suspect''s tools, wood from ladder matching wood in flooring of suspect' s home, phone number and address of Lindbergh' s friend found inside the suspect' s closet) resulted in a jury finding Hauptmann guilty of the kidnapping and murder of young Charles Hauptmann, Jr..  He was sentenced to death and in April of 1936 Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted.

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