Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

Part 1 of 6: the bus disappears and families begin searching for the children.

Part 2 of 6: the empty bus, stalled leads and the expanding search.

Part 3 of 6: the captives describe the underground prison and their escape.

Part 4 of 6: the perpetrators, preparations and financial plan behind the crime.

Part 5 of 6: survivors describe enduring consequences and their efforts to rebuild their lives.

Part 6 of 6: a survivor reunion and the disputed public recognition of the escape effort.

Bonus, October 2022: survivors respond to Woods’s release; separate from the original six-part narrative.

A conversation with the documentary’s director and a survivor about the kidnapping, remembered experiences and lasting consequences.

Audio edition of CBS’s survivor-centered report on the 27 captives’ escape and its aftermath. Overlaps with the full YouTube report.

A 50th-anniversary account of the disappearance, captivity and escape, published July 16, 2026.