Kidnapped Lindbergh baby found dead on May 12, 1932

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - One of the nation’s most notorious kidnapping cases came to an end on May 12, 1932 when the body of famous aviator Col. Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was found.

It all started on the evening of March 1, 1932, when the child was abducted from his second floor nursery. The home was on a 390-acre estate just outside of Hopewell, New Jersey.

Immediately after the abduction was discovered a search found a broken ladder, muddy footprints, and a ransom note.

For the next five weeks newspapers followed the investigation and the negotiations with the kidnappers. Twelve ransom notes in all were delivered.

On April 2, the Lindbergh family paid $50,000 for the return of their son. They received a note telling them the child would be found on a boat near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Several searches failed to find the baby.

On May 12, an assistant on a truck accidentally found the Lindbergh child. He was partially buried and badly decomposed.

The body was found around 4.5 miles from the family home, 45 feet off the highway.

The boy’s head was crushed and parts of the body were missing. The coroner reported he had been dead for around two months.

A nationwide search for the kidnapper included the FBI, the New Jersey State Police, and the New York City Police. On September 19, 1934, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime.

Hauptmann’s trial began on January 3, 1935. It lasted 5 weeks and included testimony by Charles Lindbergh.

Hauptmann was convicted on February 13, 1935 and sentenced to death. He was electrocuted on April 3, 1936.