CBS reported on the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping during its latest episode of 48 Hours with never-seen-before victim interviews. It revisited the notorious kidnapping case, which was spearheaded by Frederick Woods and brothers James Schoenfeld and Richard Schoenfeld, who captured 26 students and their bus driver for ransom.
The three masked and heavily armed Chowchilla culprits received life sentences with permission for parole after their arrest. By 2022, all three of them have officially received parole. However, the trauma of the nightmarish 16 hours of captivity in an underground quarry remains in the victims who were five to 14 years old at that time.
The 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping victims remained underground in a rock quarry for 16 hours
On Thursday, July 15, 1976 school bus driver Frank Edward Ray was driving 26 students of Dairyland Elementary school. Their path was blocked by three heavily armed men covered in stockings, who confronted Ed Ray and hijacked the vehicle.
The kidnappers came from affluent families, were reportedly in debt, and intended to receive a ransom. James later stated that convicts specifically picked the school bus as they needed multiple victims for a larger sum of money. Moreover, they choose it in hopes of better police cooperation as children are vulnerable and precious.
The Chowchilla culprits following the hijacking of the vehicle drove the children around for 11 hours in two dark vans. They drove for approximately 100 miles before taking the kids and Ed Ray to a quarry in Livermore, California. There the captors buried the children in an underground box truck that they had stocked with some food, water, and mattresses.
However, the kidnappers failed to call the police for a $5 million ransom as the lines were busy with the inquiries of the media and worried parents. Due to this they went to sleep and woke up to the television reports of victims having made a brave escape.
The victims tried to escape as the chamber’s roof was beginning to giveaway
While the kidnappers were asleep, the students along with the bus driver stacked mattresses to reach the top of the chamber. They were buried alive in darkness under dirt, heavy sheets of metal, and 100 pounds of industrial batteries.
Following hours of effort, the eldest student and Ed Ray managed to wedge the lid open with a wooden log and moved the batteries. Together they dug the rest of the debris and 16 hours later of entering the truck they walked to the quarry’s guard shack.
The 1976 Chowchilla culprits were in their 20s when they escaped hearing the failure of their plans
The police discovered a sheet of paper titled plan, a list of victims, and a ransom note at Frederick Wood’s home. Due to this, Woods was arrested two weeks later in Canada and James was arrested earlier the same day in California. Meanwhile, Richard surrendered to authorities a week after the kidnapping. All the culprits pleaded guilty and received a sentence of life with the possibility of parole.
Richard Schoenfeld received parole in 2012 at the age of 57 and his older brother James after three years. In August 2022, the quarry owner’s son and mastermind behind the kidnapping, Frederick Woods, also received parole at the age of 70.
Woods parole received upon the 19th try, which remains heavily disputed to this day. Previously, he was denied parole 18 times for minimization of crime and disciplinary punishment for owning pornography and cell phones. In 2016, a lawsuit was filed against Woods that claimed he ran two businesses through the prison.
During his life sentence, Woods also inherited a $100 million trust fund and married three times. Additionally, he purchased a mansion 30 minutes away from the prison.
Meanwhile, a study found that the victims of the Chowchilla kidnapping continue to suffer from panic attacks, depression, and trauma. CBS gathered the victims in 48 Hours and revisited the biggest mass kidnapping in American history.
The episode titled, Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping, is available to view on the official website including never-seen-before interviews.
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