Chowchilla kidnapping Case: Was the kidnapper arrested? All three kidnappers involved in the Chowchilla kidnapping case were arrested and brought to justice.
The Chowchilla kidnapping case relates to an occurrence on July 15, 1976, in Chowchilla, California, when three men kidnapped 26 children and their school bus driver.
The kidnappers, from wealthy families, had been plotting the crime for months to demand a $5 million ransom.
The victims were taken to a quarry in Livermore, California, and made to descend into an underground bunker’s ventilation shaft. The driver and the kids were left stranded underneath as the kidnappers covered the tunnel with a thick metal top.
Thankfully, the victims could free themselves after being confined for more than 16 hours by digging out of the bunker with only their bare hands.
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Chowchilla Kidnapping Case: Was The Kidnapper Arrested?
All three kidnappers involved in the Chowchilla kidnapping case were arrested and brought to justice.
After being arrested, Richard Schoenfeld, James Schoenfeld, and Fred Woods were charged with many counts of kidnapping.
The three defendants maintained throughout the trial that their only intention was to obtain a ransom payment and that they had no desire to hurt the kids.
All three were found guilty and given life sentences after the court rejected their defense.
Frederick Newhall Woods IV, who was 24 years old at the time of the kidnapping, had his requests for release repeatedly denied until August 2022, when he was finally granted full parole at 70.
James Schoenfeld, also 24 years old during the kidnapping, was released on release at 63 in 2015.
Similarly, Richard Schoenfeld, 22 years old during the kidnapping, was granted release at 57 in 2012.
The Chowchilla kidnapping case is still regarded as a horrific and traumatizing episode in American history, even though the perpetrator spent decades in prison.
Were All 27 People Survived In Chowchilla Kidnapping Case?
Yes, all 27 victims of the Chowchilla kidnapping case survived.
Twenty-six schoolchildren, aged five to fourteen, and their bus driver, Ed Ray, were the victims.
The children and the driver were bundled into two vehicles by the kidnappers, who then drove them to an underground bunker at a quarry in Livermore, California.
The victims were locked within the ventilation shaft with a thick metal cap, keeping them there for more than 16 hours.
Despite being in a terrible and life-threatening position, the victims maintained their composure and cooperated to use their bare hands to dig their way out of the bunker.
They ultimately crawled to the surface and signaled a passing van for assistance.
A Survivor Of The Chowchilla Kidnapping Case Was Interviewed By 48 HOURS
In the March 18, 2023 episode of CBS’s “48 HOURS,” Jodi Heffington, a survivor of the Chowchilla Kidnapping case, is interviewed along with other survivors.
In the episode, the 1976 incident is revisited, during which 26 children aged 5 to 14 and their bus driver were abducted at gunpoint by three young men hailing from affluent families who had intended to extort a ransom.
The kidnappers took the victims to a remote rock quarry, buried them alive inside a truck trailer, and left them underground for 16 hours.
However, the victims miraculously managed to escape by digging themselves out.
In the episode, Heffington, who was ten years old, shares her memories and experiences from the kidnapping in a never-before-seen interview.
Further, the show also includes an interview with Larry Park, who was six years old during the incident.
The episode recounts the kidnapping and explores the long-lasting emotional and psychological effects on the children and their families.
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