July 28, 2022 ▸ History, True Crime

Episode 673: Chowchilla Kidnapping: 26 Kids, 28 Hours, 1 School Bus

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a strange case of True Crime known as the Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping. In 1976, three men (Frederick Woods, James Schoenfeld, and Richard Schoenfeld) did the unthinkable. As bus driver Ed Ray was driving 26 children back from a pool outing, the kidnappers boarded their school bus and held them at gunpoint. Then, the children and Ray were forced to endure an 11 hour claustrophobic bus ride and were dumped into a buried moving truck for 16 hours. Everyone from the media to the FBI swarmed the town. So, what did it take for them to escape? Were any of them harmed? How did all the victims end up in a prison? Why weren’t the kidnappers ever able to ask for their ransom demand? Listen, laugh, learn.

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.cityofchowchilla.org/300/1976-Bus-Kidnapping

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-frederick-woods-rare-photos-from-one-of-the-largest-kidnappings-in-u-s-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Chowchilla_kidnapping

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/02/us/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-victim-trauma/index.html

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22570738/chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping

https://www.ranker.com/list/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-facts/jodi-smith

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/chowchilla-kidnapping-parole.html