“It was, beyond doubt, the Trial of the 20th Century (and, let it be said, nothing yet in the 21st century has come remotely close). It might also be described as the Circus of the Century, a media extravaganza in lousy taste, followed avidly in every corner of America and in most of the world beyond" (Rupert Cornwell, Independent, Saturday 20 October 2012).
(Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr.)
The following description of the Lindbergh baby case is based on the document Lindbergh Kidnapping on FBI website and 1932 Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped on History website. Quotes are from people being interviewed in Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby -A PBS Nova program.
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., 20-month-old
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There was a clear signal that the ladder “had broken during the ascent or descent” (Nova documentary). The police assumed that criminal(s) might have dropped the baby while descending the ladder, which caused a fatal damage on the baby’s head (Nova documentary).
On March 6 of 1932, Colonel Lindberg received a second ransom note demanding $ 70,000, which is $ 20,000 more than the first ransom (postmarked Brooklyn, New York, March 4). After that, the offenders continually send ransom notes to the Lindbergh couple. The couple had received fifteen ransom notes negotiating the money until the body of the baby was found around 4 and a half miles away from their home, with his head crushed, body decomposed and partially buried in the underbrush (Lindbergh Kidnapping, FBI).
“It is one of the most haunting crimes in American history—the daring kidnapping and tragic death of Charles Linbergh Jr., the Precious son of America’s then greatest hero…The crime touches the fear lurking in the heart of every parent that somehow without warning or reason, their child would be taken from them, never to return” (The Nova