Youtor
The 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping
>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=GW7wDOpE6pc
On a hot Thursday in July 1976, 55-year-old school bus driver Ed Ray was taking 26 children from Dairyland Elementary home after a day at the fairgrounds. As they were driving, a van blocked their path, and three masked men hijacked the bus. One pointed a gun at Ray, while another drove the bus. They took the children to an abandoned quarry, where they were forced into a buried truck trailer, turned into an underground bunker. For hours, Ray and the children were trapped. Finally, Ray and a brave 14-year-old boy, Michael Marshall, worked together to lift the heavy hatch and free everyone. • On July 16, the Chowchilla Police Department's phone lines were flooded with calls from worried families and reporters. Because of this, the kidnappers couldn’t make their $5 million ransom demand. They decided to try again later and fell asleep. When they woke up that evening, they saw on the news that the victims had escaped and were safe. The men behind this chilling kidnapping were Frederick Newhall Woods IV and brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld. Their actions would cost them decades behind bars, each sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. • Richard Schoenfeld was the first to walk free in 2012, followed by his brother James in 2015. But perhaps the most striking twist in this tale centers on Frederick Woods. By 2016, while still imprisoned, Woods had reportedly built a business empire – managing a gold mine and a car dealership. Born into privilege as heir to two wealthy California families, Woods stood to inherit • a trust fund worth $100 million. • • SOURCES. • https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/chow... • • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_...
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