Enduring The Nightmare: The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

On July 15th, 1976, in Chowchilla, CA, the largest kidnapping for ransom in United States history took place. Kidnappers Fred Woods IV, James Schoenfeld, and Richard Schoenfeld took bus driver Ed Ray and 26 children hostage, later driving them to a quarry and burying them alive inside a box truck. After spending hours underground, the driver and children were able to escape captivity and return to safety. FOX News Senior Correspondent and Host of the Nightmare In Chowchilla podcast Claudia Cowan discusses the timeline of events and breaks down the prosecution and aftermath of the case. Jennifer Brown Hyde lived the nightmare. At 9 years old, she and her older brother, Jeff were two of the children taken hostage on that very bus. Jennifer provides a first-hand account of what it was like to survive the kidnapping and opens up about the impact the events had on her life to this day. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices