Lost and Found: The Fight against Child Abduction

The biggest trauma that a mother and father would have to endure would be losing their child. 

Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was the son of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Lindbergh. Lindbergh was an aviator on the historic non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean from St. Louis, New York, to Paris, France, in May 1927. 

This flight made the Lindbergh family gain a lot of fame and recognition. They eventually bought a 390-acre estate on the outskirts of Hopewell in hopes that they would live a normal life without attention from the media. Charles Jr. was kidnapped from this estate when he was just 20 months old. 

The kidnapping took place on March 1st, 1932, at about 9:00 p.m. He was abducted from his nursery, located on the second floor. The family found out that he was missing approximately an hour later. They were informed by Betty Gow, the child's nurse. Gow had gone to check up on Charles Jr. When she went inside the room, she saw the window in front of the crib wide open. She quickly rushed to close it to avoid Charles Jr. getting ill due to the cold wind. She then went to check on the baby in his crib, but to her horror, he was no longer there. 

The police were immediately contacted. The premises were searched, but there was no sign of the baby. On inspection of the room, a ransom note demanding $50,000 was attached to the window. Traces of mud were also found on the floor, with faint footprints that were impossible to measure and identify. The ladder that was used for the kidnapping was also broken, which hinted that the kidnapper or the baby had fallen upon descent. However, no blood stains or fingerprints were found at the crime scene. 

A second random note was received on March 6th that demanded $70,000. Up until this time, all household help was being questioned and investigated. After this random note, the Lindbergh's involved the police on a larger scale and private investigators. The third ransom note was received by Charles’ attorney through a publication. The note stated that an intermediary would not be accepted. Dr. John Condon then offered to act as a ‘go-between’. 

The fourth random note was found by Dr. Condon the following day. The note stated that Dr. Condon was an acceptable go-between. Dr. Condon was approved by the Lindbergh's as well. On the 10th of March, Dr. Condon received $70,000 in cash and was ordered to start negotiations for the payment through newspaper columns. Dr. Condon went by the name of ‘Jafsie’. 

At 8:30 p.m. the same day, Dr. Condon received an anonymous call along with the fifth ransom letter through a taxi driver. The note gave the location for another ransom letter (100 feet from a subway station). Dr. Condon then found the sixth ransom note. Following the provided instructions, Dr. Condon met with ‘John’ at Woodlawn Cemetery. There, they discussed the ransom payment. ‘John’ agreed to give Condon a token of Charles Jr.’s identity. 

On March 16th, the baby's sleepwear and the seventh ransom note were found by Dr. Condon. These clothes were given to the Lindberghs and confirmed to be the baby's clothes. The eighth ransom note was found again by Dr. Condon on March 21st. The note insisted on complete compliance and stated that the kidnapping had been the result of a year of planning. 

On March 29th, the baby’s thumb guard was found at the house entrance. 

The ninth ransom note was found on March 30th by Dr. Condon. The note threatened to increase the payment to $100,000. The tenth ransom note was received on April 7th. The note said to have the money ready by the following night. Dr. Condon replied to this note by camouflaging it in the press. The 11th ransom note was given to Dr. Condon by another taxi driver, and the 12th ransom note was found under a stone, as per the instructions of the 11th ransom note. 

Later in the evening, Dr. Condon met again with ‘John’ to reduce the amount by $50,000. ‘John’ agreed, and the amount was paid. In return, Dr. Condon was given a thirteenth random note and a receipt.

The thirteenth note was the location of the child. The location was a boat in a place near Massachusetts. The next day, officials were sent out to search, but it was unsuccessful. He was not found for about a month after the ransom note. 

On May 12th, 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr.’s body was found by accident. His body was half buried and half decomposed, about four and a half miles southeast of the Lindbergh estate. The baby’s head was crushed, and his body parts were missing. Upon examination, it was concluded that the baby had passed away two months ago. 

The initial suspect in the case was Violet Sharpe, who worked as a waitress at the mansion. This is because she was acting unusual when questioned by authorities. However, before she could be further questioned, she committed suicide. She was later proven innocent on account of her activities during the night of the kidnapping. 

The money that Charles Lindbergh used to pay ransom had golden serial numbers. The FBI and the investigators informed and alerted all banks, petrol stations, stores, etc. to keep a lookout for the golden serial numbers on the money. These golden numbers would indicate if the money being used was ransom money. 

For quite a while, it was silent. There was no news on these notes, and they were not being used anywhere. However, suddenly, the FBI started getting multiple calls from different businesses saying that they had received money with serial numbers that matched the ones provided by the FBI. This money was now being used everywhere for everyday errands. 

One gas station employee described the man, and it matched Dr. Condon’s description of ‘John’. This man was later identified as Richard Hauptmann, a German-born carpenter.

When his house was inspected, they found a missing piece of wood in the floorboards. The broken piece of the ladder that had been used to mend it fit perfectly into the gap in Hauptmann's house. This evidence played a crucial part in identifying Hauptmann as the murderer. 

On April 3rd, 1936, Hauptmann was electrocuted to death, and justice was served. 

Child abduction, while not always predictable, is something that can, and has to be prevented. Preventing child abduction includes a mix of education, awareness, and community effort. We must teach our children to recognize abnormal signs and not trust or accept anything from unfamiliar figures. We should teach children to run away from such situations and immediately inform a trusted adult. Parents should also always be aware of where their children are and keep them under constant, healthy supervision. In situations where the child is very young, vulnerable, and naive, adults around the child must be very vigilant. They shouldn’t ever leave their child alone in public settings, and neither should they keep their children on a different floor or in a different room than them late at night. If there is a different room, the room should be 100% secure from all sides. The windows should be sturdy, covered, and locked from the inside. The crib should be closer to the door and away from the window. There should be monitors installed everywhere to detect motion. The parents should also check on their child every 10 minutes or so. By staying vigilant, we can protect our children from such risks and ensure that they grow up in a safe environment.