1976 Chowchilla kidnapping

Mass child abduction in California, US March 2016 October 2019 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping File:Chowchilla kidnapping trailer.jpg Interior of the trailer where the victims were held July 15, 1976 – no 1976 07 16 Chowchilla, California, U.S. Mass kidnapping, mass child abduction, attempted robbery, psychological torture Ransom 26 children and 1 adult Several children suffering cuts, bruises, and burns *James Schoenfeld Richard Schoenfeld Frederick Newhall Woods IV *Frank Edward Ray Michael Marshall RifleThe ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping July 16, 2021 https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22570738/chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping *All pleaded guilty to kidnapping All found guilty of infliction of bodily harm at trial Infliction of bodily harm convictions overturned Kidnapping for ransom and robbery, infliction of bodily harm Kidnapping for ransomRobbery yes Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole (previously without parole) Richard was paroled after 36 years James was paroled after 39 years Woods was paroled after 46 years Lawsuits against kidnappers settled for undisclosed amounts On July 15, 1976, in Chowchilla, California, three armed men hijacked a school bus. They abducted the driver and 26 children, ages 5 to 14, and imprisoned them in a truck trailer buried in a quarry in Livermore, California. The bus driver and children managed to escape before the kidnappers could issue their ransom demands. All of the victims survived, but many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The kidnappers intended to use ransom money from the kidnapping to restore the Victorian Rengstorff House in Mountain View, California.Taaffe Linda December 14, 2023 How Mountain View's oldest house became a motive for the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping Palo Alto Online https://www.paloaltoonline.com/real_estate/2023/12/14/how-mountain-views-oldest-house-became-a-motive-for-the-1976-chowchilla-kidnapping https://web.archive.org/web/20231216062348/https://www.paloaltoonline.com/real_estate/2023/12/14/how-mountain-views-oldest-house-became-a-motive-for-the-1976-chowchilla-kidnapping 2023-12-16 The kidnappers were caught, convicted, and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. An appellate court overturned the finding of bodily harm, and the kidnappers were subsequently resentenced to life with the possibility of parole. The incident led to major changes in California laws regarding bodily injury and psychological trauma.October 2024 By 2022, all three kidnappers had been paroled. Kidnapping On Thursday, July 15, 1976, 55-year-old school bus driver Frank Edward "Ed" Ray was transporting 26 Dairyland Elementary School students home. The children had spent the day on a summer class trip to the Chowchilla Fairgrounds swimming pool. At approximately 4p.m., a van drove into the bus's path and blocked the road. Ray stopped, and three men with nylon stockings covering their faces exited the van and hijacked the bus. One man pointed a gun at Ray, a second drove the bus, and the third followed in the van.Taylor Michael 2001-07-15 Chowchilla nightmares / 25 years later, kidnap victims still struggling to forget past https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Chowchilla-nightmares-25-years-later-kidnap-2898255.php 2019-10-21 SFGate.com The kidnappers drove to Berenda Slough (37.1573 -120.1244 Berenda Slough dms), a shallow branch of the Chowchilla River,Lindsey Robert Robert Lindsey (journalist) https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/17/archives/26-children-found-safe-after-being-kidnapped-from-bus-in-california.html?_r=0 26 Children Found Safe After Being Kidnapped From Bus In California The New York Times 1976-07-17 1 2017-05-12 Instead of turning right at an intersection leading to the fourth stop, it apparently continued west toward what is called the Berenda Slough. It was in the slough that the bus was found... where they hid the bus. They retrieved a second van they had hidden nearby. The kidnappers had modified both vans to transport their victims: the rear windows were painted black, and the interiors were insulated with soundproof paneling. The kidnappers ordered Ray and the children into the vans, then drove them to the California Rock & Gravel quarry (37 39 47.3 N 121 48 32.8 W) in Livermore, roughly 110 mi km from the fairgrounds. In the early morning hours of July 16, the victims were forced at gunpoint to climb down a ladder, through a hatch, and into an underground bunker. The kidnappers had buried a truck trailer, converted it into a bunker equipped with ventilation and a pit toilet, and stocked it with several mattresses and a small amount of food and water. As the victims climbed from the van into the bunker, the kidnappers wrote the name and age of each child on a Jack in the Box hamburger wrapper. Once the victims were inside, the kidnappers removed the ladder, covered the hatch with a heavy piece of sheet metal, weighted it with two 100 lb on off us industrial batteries, and buried the opening. thumb|upright|Victims being escorted by sheriff's deputies after their escape After several hours, Ray and the older children stacked the mattresses to reach the hatch. As Ray lifted the hatch, 14-year-old Michael Marshall wedged a piece of wood into the opening, moved the sheet metal and batteries, and dug away the remaining debris covering the entrance. Sixteen hours after being imprisoned, Ray and the children climbed out of the bunker and walked to the quarry guard's shack, near Shadow Cliffs Regional Park. http://www.ci.chowchilla.ca.us/city%20facts/history.htm#1976 Chowchilla City History: 1976 Bus Kidnapping ci.chowchilla.ca.us City of Chowchilla, California dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151103185845/http://www.ci.chowchilla.ca.us/city%20facts/history.htm#1976 November 3, 2015 2016-04-07 mdy-all Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies responded and took the victims to Santa Rita Jail, the nearest facility with medical staff. Jail doctors and EMTs examined and treated them and gave them food and water, while deputies took down statements and descriptions of the kidnappers. The victims were then driven back to their families in Chowchilla. Arrests and convictions On July 16, telephone lines to the Chowchilla Police Department were jammed with calls from media and frantic families. The kidnappers were unable to issue their $5 million ransom demand (equivalent to $US-GDP 5 1976 1 million in US-GDP).US-GDP They decided to call back later and fell asleep. When they awoke later in the evening, they saw television news reports that the victims had freed themselves and were safe. Meanwhile, local law enforcement and the FBI had immediately begun investigating 24-year-old Frederick Newhall Woods IV, the son of Frederick Nickerson Woods III, owner of the California Rock & Gravel quarry. It was discovered that the younger Woods had keys to the quarry, unlimited access and free use of its facilities. Additionally, Woods and two friends, brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld (aged 24 and 22, respectively), had been previously convicted of motor vehicle theft, for which they were sentenced to probation. Local law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for Hawthorne, the 78-acre Woods estate in Portola Valley. In the younger Woods' room, investigators found journals, a draft of the ransom demand, maps, notes, plans, receipts for the vans and the trailer, false identification, one of the guns used in the kidnapping and the hamburger wrapper on which were written the names and ages of each kidnapped child.David Begnaud David Begnaud https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-frederick-woods-survivor-i-felt-like-i-was-an-animal-going-to-the-slaughterhouse/ Chowchilla bus kidnapping survivor: 'I felt like I was an animal going to the slaughterhouse' CBS News en 2019-10-21 March 18, 2023 The notes outlined plans to have the ransom money dropped from a plane into the Santa Cruz Mountains at night and retrieve it under cover of darkness. Also discovered was a rental contract for a storage facility. There, the vans used to transport the victims were found, as well as a getaway vehicle, a Cadillac spray-painted with flat black night camouflage. Warrants for the arrests of Woods and the two Schoenfeld brothers were issued. Eight days after the kidnapping, Richard Schoenfeld voluntarily surrendered to authorities. Two weeks later, James Schoenfeld was arrested in Menlo Park. Later the same day, Woods was arrested by the RCMP in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Chowchilla Kidnappings The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings Michael Newton 2002 60 Facts on File thumb|The abductors entering the courthouse for a pre-trial hearing James Schoenfeld later stated that despite coming from wealthy families, both he and Woods were deeply in debt: "We needed multiple victims to get multiple millions and we picked children because children are precious. The state would be willing to pay ransom for them. And they don't fight back. They're vulnerable. They will mind."George Osterkamp https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-frederick-woods-ran-a-gold-mine-and-christmas-tree-farm-from-prison/ Notorious Chowchilla bus kidnapper ran a gold mine and Christmas tree farm from prison CBS News en 2019-10-22 August 18, 2022 All three pleaded guilty to kidnapping for ransom and robbery but refused to enter a guilty plea to infliction of bodily harm, as a conviction on that count in conjunction with the kidnapping charge carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. They were tried on the bodily harm charge, found guilty and given the mandatory sentence but their convictions were overturned by an appellate court which found that physical injuries sustained by the children (mostly cuts and bruises) did not meet the standard for bodily harm under the law. They were resentenced to life with the possibility of parole. Richard Schoenfeld was released in 2012,Paroled Chowchilla school bus kidnapper living in Mountain View Rick Hurd Green Jason http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_20921181/paroled-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapper-living-mountain-view San Jose Mercury News MediaNews Group June 22, 2012 June 22, 2012 and James Schoenfeld was paroled on August 7, 2015. KSBY.com http://www.ksby.com/story/29735998/chowchilla-bus-kidnapper-released-from-prison Chowchilla Bus Kidnapper Released From Prison https://web.archive.org/web/20150808132431/http://www.ksby.com/story/29735998/chowchilla-bus-kidnapper-released-from-prison August 8, 2015 August 7, 2015 http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457877_chowchilla-kidnapper-granted-parole.html?rh=1 Chowchilla kidnapper granted parole at 20th hearing https://web.archive.org/web/20150506092001/http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457877_chowchilla-kidnapper-granted-parole.html?rh=1 May 6, 2015 April 1, 2015 The Fresno Bee CALIFORNIA BRIEFING; SAN LUIS OBISPO; Parole granted in 1976 kidnapping April 2, 2015 Los Angeles Times B4 In 2016, a worker's compensation lawsuit filed against Woods revealed that he had been running several businesses, including a gold mine and a car dealership, from behind bars without notifying prison authorities. The heir to two wealthy California families, the Newhalls and the Woods, he inherited a trust fund from his parents that was described in one court filing as being worth $100 million (equivalent to $US-GDP 100 2016 0 million in US-GDP), although Woods' lawyer disputed that amount. In October 2019, Woods was denied parole for the 19th time. Egelko Bob Parole hearing granted for last Chowchilla kidnapper still in prison https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Parole-hearing-granted-last-Chowchilla-kidnapper-13786565.php 16 July 2019 San Francisco Chronicle 24 April 2019Sorto Gabrielle 8 October 2019 Infamous Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapper Inspired By 'Dirty Harry' Is Denied Parole https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/us/chowchilla-dirty-harry-kidnapper-denied-parole-trnd/index.html CNN 9 October 2019 Over the years, reasons given for the denials included his continued minimization of the crime as well as disciplinary infractions for possession of contraband pornography and cellphones. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/us/california-parole-denied-for-man-who-helped-hijack-school-bus-in-1976.html California: Parole Denied for Man Who Helped Hijack School Bus in 1976 The New York Times November 19, 2015 November 19, 2015 http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/Parole-Denied-Again-for-Frederick-Woods-Last-of-3-Men-Convicted-in-1976-Chowchilla-Kidnapping-to-Remain-in-Prison-351944801.html Parole Denied Again for Frederick Woods, Last of 3 Men Convicted in 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping to Remain in Prison November 19, 2015 NBCBayArea.com Woods married three times while in prison, and purchased a mansion about half an hour away. In March 2022, a panel of two commissioners recommended that Woods be granted parole. The recommendation required the approval of the full parole board, the board's legal division, and California's governor.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chowchilla-california-bus-kidnapping-frederick-woods-recommended-for-parole/ Frederick Woods recommended for parole over 1976 Chowchilla bus hijacking and kidnapping of 26 kids CBS News CBS Interactive Inc. 2022-03-25 2022-04-18Neil Vigdor https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/chowchilla-kidnapping-parole.html California to Parole Man Who Kidnapped 26 Children on School Bus The New York Times March 29, 2022 April 18, 2022 Governor Gavin Newsom asked the board to reconsider but the decision was affirmed. On August 17, 2022, it was reported that Woods' parole had been granted and he was to be released from prison.Frederick Woods, convicted in 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping, to be released on parole https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/frederick-woods-1976-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping-parole/ 2022-08-18 August 17, 2022 CBS News en-US Associated Press Aftermath thumb|The victims riding in a parade to celebrate their escape Frank Edward "Ed" Ray, the bus driver, received a citation from the California School Employees Association for outstanding community service. Hevesi Dennis May 18, 2012 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html Ed Ray, Bus Driver During Kidnapping, Dies at 91 The New York Times Before he died on May 17, 2012, he was visited by many of the schoolchildren he had helped save. Associated Press May 18, 2012 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/18/MN1E1OKAH8.DTL https://web.archive.org/web/20120520004934/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/18/MN1E1OKAH8.DTL dead May 20, 2012 Chowchilla kidnapping bus driver Frank Ray dies San Francisco Chronicle sfgate.com Smith Joshua Emerson May 17, 2012 http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/05/17/2349939/ed-ray-chowchilla-bus-driver-in.html Ed Ray, Chowchilla bus driver in 1976 kidnapping, dies https://web.archive.org/web/20140322083902/http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/05/17/2349939/ed-ray-chowchilla-bus-driver-in.html March 22, 2014 Merced Sun-Star In 2015, Chowchilla renamed the Sports & Leisure Park as the Edward Ray Park, and declared every February 26, Ray's birthdate, as "Edward Ray Day". https://www.cityofchowchilla.org/301/Edward-Ray---A-Local-Hero Edward Ray - A Local Hero CityofChowchilla.org City of Chowchilla, California July 14, 2021Miller Thaddeus http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/community/chowchilla/article11304704.html Chowchilla bus driver remembered, honored as humble hero Merced Sun-Star February 26, 2015 February 26, 2016 Chowchilla Mayor John Chavez read a proclamation during the park dedication, which included making every Feb. 26 Edward Ray Day in Chowchilla. A study found that the kidnapped children suffered from panic attacks, nightmares involving kidnappings and death, and personality changes. Many developed fears and phobias such as "cars, the dark, the wind, the kitchen, mice, dogs and hippies", Study Finds Trauma in Kidnap Victims Merced Sun-Star Associated Press January 20, 1981 and one shot a Japanese tourist with a BB gun when the tourist's car broke down in front of his home.A Decade-old Crime Holds A Small Town Hostage https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/07/20/a-decade-old-crime-holds-a-small-town-hostage/ Chicago Tribune Linda Witt C1 July 20, 1986 March 15, 2016 Many of the children continued to report symptoms of trauma at least 25 years after the kidnapping, including substance abuse and depression, and a number have been imprisoned for "doing something controlling to somebody else."Innocence lost; the Chowchilla kidnap victims 25 years later, and what they taught us about childhood trauma CBS News Transcripts July 29, 2001 Charles Osgood Charles Osgood John Blackstone CBS Sunday Morning'Little Heroes of Medicine' Teach Experts to Treat Childhood Trauma CBS News January 31, 2002 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/little-heroes-of-medicine-teach-experts-to-treat-childhood-trauma/ April 5, 2016 The treatment of young victims of trauma has been guided by what was learned about the effects of the Chowchilla kidnapping on the children who were abducted. In 2016, the 25 surviving victims settled a lawsuit they had filed against their kidnappers. The money they received was paid out of Frederick Woods' trust fund, and although the exact amount of the settlement was not disclosed, one survivor stated that they had each received "enough to pay for some serious therapy—but not enough for a house." Abductors thumb|right|Mugshots of Frederick Woods, James Schoenfeld and Richard Schoenfeld, 1976 Frederick Newhall Woods IV (aged 24 during the kidnapping) was repeatedly denied parole until August 2022, when, at the age of 70, he was granted full parole.Neysa Alund Nataile https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/08/18/frederick-woods-kidnapped-school-bus-children-parole/10356066002/ He Kidnapped a School Bus of Children and Buried Them Alive. This Week He Was Granted Parole USA Today17 August 2022 Last man in prison for Chowchilla bus kidnapping in 1976 to be released, officials confirm https://abc30.com/chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-1976-frederick-newhall-woods-fred-children/12133826/ 2024-05-08 abc30.com Acquaintances described him as a loner who did not meet his father's expectations.Woods, Wealthy Kidnap Suspect, Described as a Loner and a Loser July 26, 1976 Wayne King The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/26/archives/woods-wealthy-kidnap-suspect-described-as-a-loner-and-a-loser.html May 11, 2025 James Schoenfeld (aged 24 during the kidnapping) was paroled in 2015 at age 63.https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/james-schoenfeld-convicted-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapper-freed-on-parole-may-be-in-bay-area/1990851/ Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapper James Schoenfeld Freed on Parole, May be in Bay Area August 8, 2015 Richard Schoenfeld (aged 22 during the kidnapping) was paroled in 2012 at age 57.https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Chowchilla-kidnapper-Richard-Schoenfeld-paroled-3638295.php Chowchilla kidnapper Richard Schoenfeld paroled Sfgate June 16, 2012 Gordon Rachel In popular culture American crooner Robert Goulet released a ballad about the incident in 1977, entitled "Ballad Of Chowchilla Ray".https://soundcloud.com/robert-goulet-music/ballad-of-chowchilla-ray-1 Ballad Of Chowchilla Ray soundcloud.com The investigative news program Hard Copy aired a two-part series in 1992 about the kidnapping.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2372090/ Hard Copy - Chowchilla Part 1 May 11, 1992 2026-04-29 www.imdb.com A two-hour made-for-television movie about the incident, titled They've Taken Our Children: The Chowchilla Kidnapping, aired on ABC on March 1, 1993. It stars Karl Malden as Ray, and Julie Harris as his wife.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105576/ They've Taken Our Children: The Chowchilla Kidnapping imdb.com The kidnappings are featured in "Buried Alive", the seventh episode of Season 2 of Investigation Discovery's House of Horrors: Kidnapped.House of Horrors: Kidnapped: "Buried Alive" (TV Episode) April 21, 2015 Internet Movie Database https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4527418/ April 22, 2015 "Buried Alive" first aired on April 21, 2015, and is told from the point of view of Marshall, the oldest of the children, who was instrumental in their escape. 48 Hours examines the abduction in the 2019 episode "Live to Tell: The Chowchilla Kidnapping", as well as the March 18, 2023, episode "Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping" (Season 36, Episode 20). In 2022, an Inside Edition episode titled "1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping Survivors Share Their Stories" reunited some of the women who had been kidnapped as children. They gave their recollections of the abduction. The school bus, which is now stored in a Chowchilla farm warehouse, was shown as well.https://www.insideedition.com/11262-40-years-on-victims-recall-being-buried-alive-in-van-as-children-as-kidnapper-gets 40 Years On, Victims Recall Being Buried Alive in Van as Children in Chowchilla Inside Edition July 31, 2015 July 30, 2015 April 18, 2022 On December 3, 2023, CNN aired a documentary on the kidnapping, simply titled Chowchilla.https://people.com/chowchilla-documentary-cnn-school-bus-kidnapping-8384758 New Documentary Examines Kidnapping of School Bus Full of Children — and How They Miraculously Escaped People November 17, 2023 The 1978 In Search Of episode "Hypnosis" briefly outlines the start of this kidnapping. 2025 cross over episodes of Sheriff Country ( S1:E13 “The Finest”) and Fire Country (S4:E13 “The Bravest”) featured a kidnapping of high school students from a hijacked school bus being held for ransom in a shipping container buried in the middle of a quarry.IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32268630/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_sheriff%20country live October 12, 2026 IMDB See also California Crime 1972 Faraday School kidnapping 2013 Alabama bunker hostage crisis List of kidnappings (1970–1979) PTSD in children and adolescents References External links "'Nobody's Gonna Talk': The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping", Vox, July 23, 2021. Category:1970s kidnappings in the United States Category:1976 crimes in the United States Category:1976 in California Category:Chowchilla, California Category:Crimes in the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Formerly missing American people Category:July 1976 in the United States Category:Kidnapped American children Category:Motor vehicle theft