The Kidnapping of Charlie Lindbergh (Part 1)

Mar 19, 2026

A vanished twenty-month-old in 1932 sparks a national manhunt and media frenzy. Listeners hear about the missing crib, ransom notes with odd language, and a homemade ladder that hinted at careful planning. The story covers eerie discoveries, failed exchange attempts, and how the case quickly shifted from kidnapping to murder investigation.

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ANECDOTE

How Charles Met Anne Morrow

Ash and Elena recount Lindbergh meeting Anne Morrow in Mexico and marrying two years later.
Anne was a Smith student who later became Charles Jr.'s mother; their first child was born on her 24th birthday, June 22, 1930.

INSIGHT

Kidnapping Happened On First Weekday At New Home

The Lindberghs had just begun overnight weekday stays at their remote Hopewell estate when the kidnapping occurred.
March 1, 1932 was the first weekday they spent there, making the timing of the abduction especially puzzling.

ANECDOTE

Nursemaid Finds Window Open And Baby Missing

Betty Gao, the live-in nursemaid, dressed Charles Jr. and pinned his blanket before bedtime.
She later found the nursery window open wider than she'd left it and noticed the baby missing during a routine check.

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On March 1, 1932, someone crept into a second-floor window of the home of Charles and Ann Lindbergh and kidnapped the couple’s twenty-month-old son, Charlie, leaving behind a ransom note demanding $50,000 for the boy’s return.

Mentions in this episode:

Come to see MORBID Live at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th! Tickets are available for purchase by visiting this site!

Don't forget to prepare for our March Bonus Episode Bookclub, brought to YOU by our friends at Ashley! We're excited to share the episode with you wherever you find podcasts on March 31st! We will also have the full VIDEO episode available on Youtube as well! Want to be part of the conversation? This time we're talking about Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell. Get it wherever you find books now!

Reference

American Experience. n.d. Ann Morrow Lindbergh. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lindbergh-anne-morrow/.

Associated Press. 1932. "Moore halts plan for state reward." Central New Jersey Home News, March 2: 1.

—. 1932. "Seek Lindbergh baby in Newark after card is discovered in mails." Central New Jersey Home News, March 2: 1.

—. 1932. "Orders that vigilance be not relaxed until killers meet justice." Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ), May 13: 1.

—. 1932. "Morrow maid a suicide." Herald-News (Passaic, NJ), June 10: 1.

—. 1934. "Hauptman ready to quit US." The Evening Times (Trenton, NJ), September 21: 1.

Cahill, Richard. 2014. Hauptmann's Ladder: A Step-By-Step Analysis of the Lindbergh Kidnapping. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.

Hauck, Anthony. 1935. "Hauptman's guilt overwhelmingly proved." New York Times, February 12: 12.

Linder, Douglas. n.d. Ransom notes, responses and other communication. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1398-ransom.

New York Times. 1934. "Friends describe Hauptman as shy." New York Times, September 23: 24.

—. 1934. "Hauptman script 'like' kidnappers." New York Times, October 16: 20.

—. 1932. "Test of religion seen in kidnapping." New York Times, May 16: 2.

2013. Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby? Directed by Larry Klein. Performed by Nova.

Shapiro, Stanley. 2009. "The Celebrity of Charles Lindbergh." Air Power History 21-33.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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