Charles Augustus Lindbergh Kidnapping (1932)
Item
Title
Charles Augustus Lindbergh Kidnapping (1932)
Description
Twenty-month-old Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his second-floor nursery room around 9:00 pm on March 1, 1932. He was discovered missing around an hour later and a police report was given. A ransom note was found demanding 50,000 dollars. On March 6th, his father Charles Lindbergh Sr. received another ransom note demanding 70,000 dollars and the Lindberghs hired Private Investigators.
A third note was sent on March 8th requesting different intermediaries and the cash. Dr. John F. Condon, a retired educator offered to act as the intermediary, and a fourth note sent on March 9th by the kidnapper agreed to Condon acting as the intermediary. On March 10th Condon received the money and began trying to set up a meeting through newspaper columns. On March 12th an in-person meeting was set up to further discuss the ransom and proof of the child's identity. Condon received baby clothes as proof of identity on March 16th.
An eighth note was sent on March 21st demanding fulfillment of the demands. The ninth note was sent on the 30th threatening to increase the ransom to $100,000. The tenth note was received on April 1st and told Condon to ready the money by the next night. The eleventh note was given to Condon by a taxi-man which led him to the twelfth note. $50,000 was given to a stranger and Condon was given the thirteenth note giving instructions on how to find the child. The search was unsuccessful until the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found accidentally on May 12th four miles away from the Lindbergh estate. He was killed by blunt force trauma to the skull and likely died the night he was kidnapped.
Two years later Bruno Richard Hauptmann was charged for the crime. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed on April 3, 1936. Later the Lindberg Law was passed, making kidnapping while crossing state lines a federal felony.
A third note was sent on March 8th requesting different intermediaries and the cash. Dr. John F. Condon, a retired educator offered to act as the intermediary, and a fourth note sent on March 9th by the kidnapper agreed to Condon acting as the intermediary. On March 10th Condon received the money and began trying to set up a meeting through newspaper columns. On March 12th an in-person meeting was set up to further discuss the ransom and proof of the child's identity. Condon received baby clothes as proof of identity on March 16th.
An eighth note was sent on March 21st demanding fulfillment of the demands. The ninth note was sent on the 30th threatening to increase the ransom to $100,000. The tenth note was received on April 1st and told Condon to ready the money by the next night. The eleventh note was given to Condon by a taxi-man which led him to the twelfth note. $50,000 was given to a stranger and Condon was given the thirteenth note giving instructions on how to find the child. The search was unsuccessful until the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found accidentally on May 12th four miles away from the Lindbergh estate. He was killed by blunt force trauma to the skull and likely died the night he was kidnapped.
Two years later Bruno Richard Hauptmann was charged for the crime. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed on April 3, 1936. Later the Lindberg Law was passed, making kidnapping while crossing state lines a federal felony.
Source
"Kidnapper's Note All Betray Same Spelling Errors; Promised Child Was Safe, Directed Ransom Dealings." The Record, 25 Sep. 1934, p.4.
“Kidnapping and Trial.” Minnesota Historical Society.
“Lindbergh Kidnapping.” FBI, 18 May 2016.
Date Started
1934-03-01
Date Ended
1934-06-12
Collection
Citation
“Charles Augustus Lindbergh Kidnapping (1932),” Englewood Makes History, accessed October 1, 2026, https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/items/show/663.
