Charlie Chaplin died on 12/25/1977 in Switzerland at 88 years of age. On 3/2/1978 he was dug up and stolen. His remains were recovered by Swiss police on 5/17/1978. Two Eastern European refugees confessed to the crime. The surviving Chaplins began receiving ransom demands by phone several weeks after the coffin was taken. There were many false calls but one demand was backed up with a photo of the coffin.
Chaplin's widow refused to consider ransom (no duh?) but in order to cooperate with police,they bargained through their lawyer with the robbers over a tapped phone. By the time the demand had dropped from $600,000 to $250,000 the police were able to trace the calls to a pay telephone.
Maybe it is just me,but doesn't this whole scenario seem like a bizarre plan? Why would anyone go to all the trouble of digging up a body thinking they could ransom it to the family? What kind of threats could they make? Killing the deceased is out,as is dismemberment,so that leaves what?...You will never see them again,but wait,you would never see them again anyway! Oh well,just another of those things that makes a person scratch their head.
Chaplin's widow refused to consider ransom (no duh?) but in order to cooperate with police,they bargained through their lawyer with the robbers over a tapped phone. By the time the demand had dropped from $600,000 to $250,000 the police were able to trace the calls to a pay telephone.
Maybe it is just me,but doesn't this whole scenario seem like a bizarre plan? Why would anyone go to all the trouble of digging up a body thinking they could ransom it to the family? What kind of threats could they make? Killing the deceased is out,as is dismemberment,so that leaves what?...You will never see them again,but wait,you would never see them again anyway! Oh well,just another of those things that makes a person scratch their head.
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