In 1932, the baby son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his nursery, a ransom note left in his place. Over the next several weeks, a series of further ransom notes arrived from the kidnapper or kidnappers, sending investigators and family members on a wild goose chase. Tragically, though the ransom was paid, the baby was found dead two months after his abduction. By tracking the ransom money, detectives were eventually able to arrest and convict a German carpenter by the name of Bruno Hauptmann, but over the years, some armchair theorists have come to believe that Hauptmann didn’t work alone, and that an organized gang lay behind the horrifying crime. Join Tom and Jenny as they delve into one of the most infamous cases of the 20th century on a sad and shocking episode 281.

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Channel art and audio & video editing by Jenny Ashford. Music & sound effects courtesy of freesound.org users jamespotterboy, corsica-s, enjoypa, capturedlv, luffy, kiddpark, and justkiddink. Video clips courtesy of Videezy & Videvo.