Many are searching for Frederick Woods Now as he was one of three men who kidnapped a school bus full of 26 children and their driver in Chowchilla.
Frederick Woods was 24 years old when he and two other men kidnapped a bus full of children in northern California in 1976, setting the record for the most significant mass kidnapping in American history.
Three young men from privileged families kidnapped a school bus full of children in the Central Valley village of Chowchilla in July 1976.
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Twenty-six children, ages 5 to 14, and their driver was kidnapped and driven for over 100 miles in two sealed, darkened vans before being buried in an underground prison. It is still considered the largest kidnapping in U.S. history.
Where Is Frederick Woods Now? Parole Explored
Frederick Woods, one of the three men responsible for the historic Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping in 1976, is still alive and about to be paroled. According to a recent CNN article
Woods, now 70, is poised to be released after being granted parole on Tuesday by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The driver and the kids emerged from their 16-hour underground ordeal when the captors fell asleep.
Each of Woods’ 27 punishments ranged from seven years to life in jail without the chance of parole.
Later, an appeals court overturned the verdict, ruling that the men should be eligible for release because they did not cause substantial physical harm.
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The kids, aged 5 to 14, and their bus driver were transported roughly 100 miles to a desolate quarry outside Livermore, California. The kidnappers forced them into a moving van buried six feet underground.
The kidnappers wanted a $5 million ransom while their hostages were being held in appalling conditions, with the stink of vomit and filth exacerbated by the blistering California heat.
The driver and children dug themselves out after 16 hours underground and escaped while the kidnappers were sleeping.
Woods and the two brothers were each sentenced to 27 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Is Chowchilla Bus Kidnapper Dead Or Alive?
One of the Chowchilla Bus Kidnappers, Frederick Woods, is still alive. He is now 70 years old and was one of three men who kidnapped 26 children and their driver from a school bus in Chowchilla, California, in 1976. The victims were held captive underground, making this the most significant mass kidnapping in U.S. history.
Even though Woods and his accomplices were sentenced to up to 27 life terms without the possibility of parole, a parole board recently confirmed that he would be released on parole. The victims’ and their families’ reactions to this decision were divided.
According to new information, the only remaining kidnapper, Fred Woods, has been making money and running enterprises while incarcerated. According to a jail probe, he even filed a lawsuit from behind bars, suing a team member for $1.5 million.
While it is not illegal for an inmate to run a business from jail, it does require permission from the warden, which Woods never bothered to get.
Woods is the heir to a family fortune and the descendant of two renowned California families, the Newhalls and the Woods. He has a trust fund from his parents that he exclusively shares with his Down syndrome sister, who is institutionalized.
The trust fund he inherited was described as “above $100 million” in one court file, a figure he disputes.
