88 YEARS ON THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO BABY LINDBERGH?

- April Glover

At 9pm on March 1, 1932, a 20-month old baby slept soundly in his crib in an upstairs bedroom in Hopewell, New Jersey, in the US.

The infant, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr, was the son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne.

Baby Charles never knew it, but he had been born into incredible wealth.

His parents had a net worth of about $20 million in today’s currency, mostly due to Charles Sr’s aviation accomplishments.

Charles was the first person in history to complete a solo transatlantic flight in 1927.

But Charles’ celebrity and riches were perhaps one of the reasons why he is now remembered as a tragic figure.

As his baby son slept that night in 1932, a kidnapper climbed a ladder to the nursery and abducted the child, leaving a ransom note demanding $US50,000 ($AU76,000) – equivalent to about $1.38 million in today’s money.

Little Charles was discovered missing by his nanny Betty Gow about an hour later.

The authorities were alerted and soon the scant evidence was pieced together.

The hastily scrawled ransom note was left on the windowsill, a broken ladder was found on the ground beside the house, and footprints could be seen leading into the woods at the edge of the property.

Three days passed and the investigators – with Charles himself taking the helm – found no sign of the missing child.