Your grandfather is the founder of one of the world’s largest brewing companies, and you’re fortunate enough to not only work for him, but to also be the heir to his brewing empire. Life was good, you were untouchable. Until one day, you weren’t. Meet Adolph Coors.
Born on January 12, 1915, Adolph Coors III lived a remarkable life. He grew up in New Hampshire and attended Phillips Exeter Academy before moving on to Cornell University. He was president of the Quill and Dagger society as well as a member of The Kappa Alpha Society. Not only that, but he was also a semi-professional baseball player. In November 1940, he married Mary Urquhart Grant, and together the couple had four children.
Being the grandson of Adolph Coors had its benefits as well, and by 1960, Adolph had been named CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado.
All his good fortune was about to take a turn. On the morning of February 9, 1960, Adolph’s International Travelall was discovered on Turkey Creek Bridge, near Morrison, Colorado. There was no one inside the vehicle, but the radio was still on. Police immediately identified the vehicle as belonging to Adolph Coors and immediately began to search the area. All they found was his hat, glasses, and a blood stain.
The next day, still no sign of Adolph, but then his wife Mary received a ransom note in the mail. The note requested $500,000 for the safe release of her husband. Under the guidance of law enforcement, she followed the instructions to contact the kidnapper, but never heard anything back.
The FBI was now involved, and began working tirelessly to analyze the little evidence they had. They looked at the ransom note and discovered that it had a distinct typeface, and was written on paper with an uncommon watermark.
Local authorities focused on other leads, and soon a witness came forward, claiming to have seen a yellow 1951 Mercury on the bridge around the same time that Adolph Coors disappeared. The car had a license plate with the letters “AT” and numerals “62” on it, however police were unable to trace it with the information they had.
Just eight days after Adolph Coors was taken, the yellow Mercury was found in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The car had been deliberately set afire, however the gasoline-fueled fire could not destroy the serial number imprinted on the engine. Authorities were able to trace the car back to a Colorado resident named Walter Osborne.
The FBI learned that Walter Osborne had purchased a gun, handcuffs, and a typewriter. He had been living in Denver, until the day after Adolph Coors went missing. Looking into his employment, it was discovered that he had an insurance policy, that designated Joseph Corbett as his beneficiary.
This “Joseph Corbett” had a son, Joseph Corbett, Jr. who had previously been convicted of murder but had escaped from a California prison. He became the chief suspect, and the FBI obtained a fugitive warrant and placed him on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The car alone couldn’t be directly linked to Adolph, except through witness statements. Fortunately, dirt from the car was taken and ultimately traced back to the exact area where Adolph had been taken hostage.
No one knew for sure what had happened to Adolph Coors, whether he was dead or alive. That question was answered on September 11, 1960, when some hikers came across a pair of trousers in the woods, approximately 12 miles southwest of Sedalia. The pants had a key ring with the initials ACIII. Some other articles of clothing and skeletal remains were uncovered, and determined to be those of Adolph Coors. The jacket and shirt recovered had bullet holes, indicating he had been shot in the back. Further analysis of a shoulder bone confirmed that Adolph Coors had been murdered.
Being the grandson of the Coors empire, the case became an international obsession. As a result, picture of Joseph Corbett was included in an issue of Reader’s Digest magazine, where he was recognized by two neighbors in Vancouver, BC. John Corbett was arrested on October 29, 1961 in Vancouver by Canadian police and sent back to Colorado to face murder charges.
On March 19, 1961, Joseph Corbett, Jr. was convicted of the murder of Adolph Coors and sentenced to life in prison. He was released on parole in 1980 for good behavior and drove a truck for The Salvation Army until he retired.
In August, 2009, Joseph Corbett, Jr. committed suicide. He lived just 10 miles from where he had killed Adolph Coors, and maintained his innocence until the day he died.
Now – check out this story about the heir to the Jameson Whiskey company.
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