Three young men buried a school bus full of children and their driver alive in a rock quarry, then demanded a ransom. Sixteen hours later, the driver and the oldest boys dug their way out.
The Kidnapping
On July 15, 1976, three armed men hijacked a school bus carrying 26 children, ages 5 to 14, and their driver, Ed Ray, near Chowchilla, California. The kidnappers — Frederick Woods and brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld, all from wealthy families — transferred the group into two vans and drove them roughly 100 miles over 11 hours without food, water, or bathroom breaks.
Buried Alive
At around 3:30 a.m., the group arrived at a quarry in Livermore owned by Woods' family. The kidnappers forced everyone into a buried moving van outfitted with mattresses and some water, then covered it with dirt, using two truck batteries to weigh down a steel plate over the entry hole.
Inside, Ray and the older children worked to keep everyone calm. After several hours, Ray and 14-year-old Mike Marshall organized an effort to stack mattresses and use wooden slats to dislodge the steel plate above them. It took hours of effort, but the group eventually broke through and climbed out — roughly 16 hours after being buried.
Capture and Conviction
All three kidnappers were captured within weeks and convicted of kidnapping with bodily harm, receiving sentences of life without parole. The case remains the largest kidnapping-for-ransom in U.S. history.
Parole Over the Decades
Despite the original sentences, all three men were eventually granted parole after decades in prison: Richard Schoenfeld in 2012, James Schoenfeld in 2015, and Frederick Woods in 2022, following repeated earlier denials.
FAQ
How long were the Chowchilla children held captive?
They were buried in the quarry for about 16 hours before escaping on their own.
Were the kidnappers ever released from prison?
Yes. All three were eventually paroled between 2012 and 2022, decades after their life sentences.
How did the victims escape?
The bus driver and the oldest boys worked together to dislodge a steel plate covering their buried enclosure and dug their way out.