Chowchilla school bus kidnapping

E433762

The Chowchilla school bus kidnapping was a 1976 California crime in which 26 children and their bus driver were abducted and buried alive in a moving van, from which they later escaped, making it one of the most notorious mass kidnappings in U.S. history.

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Label Occurrences
Chowchilla school bus kidnapping canonical 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf crime
kidnapping
mass kidnapping
aftermath case cited in discussions of victims’ rights
case influenced school bus safety procedures
burialDepth about 6 feet
busRoute school bus returning from summer school
casualties 0 deaths
consequence long-term psychological trauma for victims
country United States of America
surface form: United States
date 1976-07-15
distanceFromChowchilla about 100 miles
durationOfCaptivity about 16 hours
escape victims dug themselves out
escapeAssistance older children helped dig to surface
escapeLeader Ed Ray NERFINISHED
imprisonmentLocation quarry near Livermore, California
injuries minor physical injuries
legalOutcome perpetrators convicted
perpetrators sentenced to life imprisonment
locatedIn California, United States
surface form: California

Chowchilla, California NERFINISHED
Madera County, California NERFINISHED
mediaCoverage extensive national media attention
method abduction at gunpoint
imprisonment in buried moving van
motive ransom
notableAs one of the largest mass kidnappings in U.S. history
notableVictimGroup Chowchilla schoolchildren
numberOfAdultVictims 1
numberOfChildVictims 26
numberOfVictims 27
perpetrator Frederick Woods NERFINISHED
James Schoenfeld NERFINISHED
Richard Schoenfeld NERFINISHED
perpetratorCount 3
planning crime was premeditated
policeResponse large-scale search and investigation
ransomDemand 5000000 USD
structuralSupport van roof reinforced with mattresses and dirt
target Dairyland Union School District students
timeOfDay afternoon
transportUsed moving van
school bus
ventilationMethod air vents cut in roof of van
victim Ed Ray NERFINISHED
victimAgeRange 5–14
victimOccupation school bus driver
year 1976

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Chowchilla hasNotableEvent Chowchilla school bus kidnapping