Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping: The Day a School Bus Vanished
In 1976, a school bus with 26 children and their driver was kidnapped near Chowchilla, California and buried in a quarry trailer. After more than 16 hours underground, bus driver Ed Ray and student Michael Marshall led the captives in a daring escape to freedom.
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Show Notes
The Chowchilla bus kidnapping began like any school run, then veered into a buried alive ordeal no one could have imagined.
One moment a group of kids are arguing about snacks, the next they are being marched off a bus by men who clearly skipped Kidnapping 101. While the town panics, the abductors bungle their own plan and promptly disappear, leaving 27 people trapped underground with no idea what happens next. What unfolds is a mix of fear, grit, and surprisingly resourceful thinking as the captives take matters into their own hands.
Topics include
- Chowchilla
- Michael Marshall
- Ed Ray
- Buried alive schoolchildren
- Largest child kidnapping case in US history
Resources and Further Reading
- 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping - Wikipedia
- Edward Ray - The City Of Chowchilla
- They’ve Taken Our Children, 1993 - by Vern Gillum
- The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping - Vox
- Chowchilla bus kidnapping - Rare photos CBS
Host & Show Info
- Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
- Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
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