Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"The irony of this is unreal. Apparently they kept trying to ask for money, but they could never call in their demands because the phone lines were so busy because of the horrible thing that they had done. They could not too many children to ask for the money that they wanted." — Ashley Flowers
"And the reason they got here is they had learned that California had a surplus of money in the budget for that year. According to the Chowchilla documentary, they thought that if they kidnapped a school bus that the state would pay for the ransom out of that surplus." — Britt
"It's not just surviving the event. It's also about surviving the trauma in the days and weeks and years that come after." — Ashley Flowers
The episode chronicles the infamous 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping, where 26 children and their driver, Ed Ray, were abducted by three masked men. Initially, authorities suspected a simple breakdown, but the discovery of the abandoned bus in a desert thicket quickly escalated the situation into a statewide search, involving numerous agencies and immense media attention. The kidnappers transported the children and driver to an underground bunker, a repurposed moving trailer buried in a rock quarry, where they were held for approximately 16 hours under dire conditions.
The narrative highlights the remarkable resilience of the children and Ed Ray, who, through their own efforts, managed to escape the buried trailer and reach safety. This escape led authorities to the perpetrators: Fred Woods and brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld. The investigation revealed their motive was financial, with plans to extort millions from the state, leveraging California's budget surplus at the time. Despite the severe trauma inflicted, the legal proceedings saw a complex journey of guilty pleas, appeals, and evolving sentences, eventually leading to parole for all three kidnappers.
The discussion emphasizes the lasting impact of such trauma on survivors, underscoring that recovery extends far beyond the immediate event. The episode concludes by directing listeners to resources like the Jace Foundation and the Polyvagal Equine Institute, organizations dedicated to supporting trauma survivors and promoting healing.