Member-only story
Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold’s ‘Perfect Murder’
The young men thought they could outsmart law enforcement but left behind identifying evidence.
The Abduction
On May 21, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks went missing while walking home from school. His father, Jacob Franks, was a wealthy watch manufacturer and was well known and highly respected in their community.
The evening of his abduction, Bobby’s parents received a phone call from a man who called himself “George Johnson” and informed them that their son had been abducted but was safe and they would give him back for a $10,000 ransom. The man said random instructions would arrive shortly.
The following morning, a letter detailing the ransom instructions arrived in the mail. The instructions were meticulous and lengthy, but the family was willing to comply to get their son back.
The family had barely gotten through the first set of instructions when they received word that Bobby’s body had been found. The ransomers had lied and had never had any intention of exchanging Bobby for the ransom money.
The Investigation
His body had been found the following morning. He was located twenty-five miles from Chicago, in Hammond, Indiana, inside a culvert along the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. His body was naked, and his killer had poured acid on his face and genitals in an attempt to conceal his identity.
Because of the shocking nature of the crime and the Franks’ wealth and power, an intense investigation began. In addition to the full attention of the Chicago police department, a large reward was offered for any information. At the crime scene, there was little evidence. However, a pair of glasses was recovered near the body.
The glasses were a very average prescription and frame, but they had a unique hinge. This particular hinge had only been sold to three customers in the Chicago area. One was a man out of town, another was a woman quickly determined not to have…
