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Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

Published October 28, 2026Updated October 28, 2026
Nov 1, 1975

A furniture trailer is acquired before the kidnapping

Woods acquired a Fruehauf furniture trailer in November 1975. It was buried at the Livermore quarry and fitted with a roof entrance and ventilation equipment before the kidnapping.

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  1. The appellate record places Woods’s acquisition of the Fruehauf furniture van in November 1975.
  2. The trailer was buried at the quarry operated by Woods’s father; a roof entry, ventilation hoses and battery-powered fans were installed.
  3. Mattresses, water containers and limited food were placed inside. The roof entrance could be sealed from outside.
Jul 15, 1976

Masked gunmen stop the school bus

At about 4 p.m., a van blocked Ed Ray’s route on a rural road north of Chowchilla. Armed men seized the driver and the 26 children still on board.

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  1. A van obstructed the roadway as Ray drove pupils home after the summer-school outing.
  2. A masked gunman ordered Ray to open the door; armed men boarded and took control.
  3. The captors drove the occupied school bus away from the road to a dry drainage area.
Jul 15, 1976

The bus is concealed and the captives split between vans

At a dry slough, the kidnappers hid the yellow bus under vegetation. Ray and the children were transferred into two vehicles for a prolonged journey.

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  1. The bus was driven to a dry drainage area where another van had been positioned.
  2. Ray and about 15 children were crowded into the green former prisoner-transport van; the others entered the white van.
  3. Richard drove the green van, Woods the white van, and James followed in a spare vehicle, according to the appellate record.
  4. The kidnappers covered the abandoned school bus with vegetation before leaving in the vans.
Jul 15, 1976

An empty bus turns the disappearance into a hostage search

The hidden bus was found without its occupants. Families and investigators had no immediate way to locate the children, who were being driven toward Livermore.

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  1. Parents raised the alarm when the children failed to arrive home.
  2. Searchers located the abandoned bus in the drainage area, but none of the 27 captives was there.
  3. Local authorities were joined by the FBI and National Guard as the disappearance drew national attention.
Jul 16, 1976

The hostages reach the quarry before dawn

After roughly 11 hours in the vans, the captives arrived near Livermore at about 3:30 a.m. They waited while the kidnappers prepared the buried trailer.

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  1. The green van reached the California Rock & Gravel quarry, a business operated by Woods’s father.
  2. The captives remained crowded inside while ventilation equipment was activated and food awaited.
  3. Under a canopy concealing the surroundings, Ray descended through a roof opening and helped children down a ladder.
  4. The abductors recorded children’s names and ages and took personal items that could be used to establish possession of the hostages.
Jul 16, 1976

A weighted roof opening traps 27 people underground

The kidnappers sealed the furniture trailer with a steel plate, heavy batteries, plywood and earth. The captives faced cramped conditions, darkness and uncertainty about release.

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  1. The children found mattresses, blankets, water containers and a limited supply of dry food.
  2. The captors said confinement would last 24 to 48 hours, then blocked the roof opening from above.
  3. Ventilation hoses supplied air to the trailer, which also contained improvised toilets. Witnesses later described crowding, breathing difficulties and fear.
  4. Some children experienced fainting, nosebleeds and stomach distress. These symptoms later became central to the sentencing litigation.
Jul 16, 1976

Ray and older pupils break through the blocked exit

Around 8 p.m., after approximately 16 hours underground, the captives escaped through the roof. Ray and older children, including Michael Marshall, worked to overcome the barriers.

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  1. Mattresses were stacked to create a platform high enough to reach the roof opening.
  2. Ray and older boys worked at the metal covering and heavy weights that secured the hatch.
  3. Marshall helped clear the obstruction above the hatch and dig a route to the surface.
  4. The smaller children were helped through the opening until every captive was out.
  5. The group reached quarry personnel, who alerted authorities.
Jul 17, 1976

The survivors return to their families before dawn

After medical checks at the Santa Rita facility, the children and Ray were brought back to Chowchilla under police escort.

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  1. Authorities took the escapees to the nearby Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center for assessment.
  2. A police-escorted bus returned the group to Chowchilla shortly before dawn on July 17.
Jul 1, 1976

The buried trailer and ransom draft lead toward Woods

Investigators excavated the trailer and searched the Woods family estate. They recovered a draft $5 million ransom demand and sought Woods and the Schoenfeld brothers.

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  1. The exposed trailer and its acquisition history gave investigators a traceable physical object.
  2. The quarry’s ownership directed attention to the Woods family and the absent younger Woods.
  3. A search of the family estate produced the rough ransom draft described in the municipal history.
  4. Authorities issued warrants for Woods and the Schoenfeld brothers and expanded the search for them.
Jul 23, 1976

Richard Schoenfeld surrenders in Oakland

Accompanied by his father and an attorney, Richard gave himself up. The other two suspects remained sought.

Jul 29, 1976

Fred Woods is arrested in Vancouver

Woods was captured in Vancouver, British Columbia, while collecting a general-delivery package, according to contemporary retrospective reporting.

Jul 29, 1976

James Schoenfeld is arrested near Menlo Park

James was taken into custody in Menlo Park, California, reportedly while preparing to surrender.

Aug 25, 1976

The grand jury charges all three men

The Madera County indictment charged each defendant with 27 ransom-kidnapping counts and 18 robbery counts. Five kidnapping counts alleged bodily harm.

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  1. The 27 kidnapping counts represented the 26 children and their driver.
  2. The bodily-harm allegations concerned Ray and four named children, and carried potential parole consequences.
Nov 1, 1976

Proceedings are moved out of Madera County

A venue change transferred the case to Alameda County. The city history dates the removal order November 5 and assignment November 10.

Jul 25, 1977

All three plead guilty to 27 kidnapping counts

The defendants admitted kidnapping for ransom while reserving a separate contest over bodily harm. The robbery counts were dropped.

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  1. Each defendant withdrew the earlier not-guilty pleas and admitted all 27 kidnapping counts.
  2. The admissions did not resolve the disputed sentence-enhancing bodily-harm allegations.
  3. A separate hearing before a judge addressed the disputed bodily-harm allegations.
Dec 15, 1977

The judge finds bodily harm on three counts

The trial judge found bodily harm as to Jennifer Brown, Jodi Heffington and Rebecca Reynolds, but not Ray or Cynthia Van Hoff. This would trigger no-parole terms.

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  1. The hearing examined physical symptoms and medical evidence from confinement and escape.
  2. The judge accepted the children’s accounts and treated their suffering as sufficient for the enhanced penalty.
Feb 17, 1978

Concurrent life terms include no-parole sentences

Each defendant received life imprisonment on all 27 kidnapping counts, with no possibility of parole on the three bodily-harm counts. The terms ran concurrently.

Nov 4, 1980

Appeal removes parole ineligibility, not the convictions

The Court of Appeal struck the bodily-harm findings and corresponding no-parole terms. It affirmed the kidnapping convictions and life sentences.

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  1. The court addressed the statutory meaning of bodily harm needed for the aggravated penalty.
  2. It held that the proved injuries did not satisfy that legal standard, and removed the parole bar.
  3. The life sentences remained in force, with the defendants now eligible for parole consideration.
Feb 28, 2012

Richard wins a release-date challenge

An unpublished appellate decision struck improper additions to Richard’s calculated confinement period. The ruling followed an earlier finding that he was suitable for parole.

Jun 1, 2012

Richard Schoenfeld is paroled

Richard became the first of the three kidnappers released on parole, after more than three decades in prison.

Aug 1, 2015

James Schoenfeld is released on parole

James Schoenfeld was released on parole in August 2015, following an initial parole grant in April.

Aug 1, 2022

Final parole approval for Woods divides survivors

The final approval process cleared the way for the last imprisoned kidnapper’s release. Survivors expressed different views, including support from Larry Park and opposition from Jennifer Brown Hyde.

View sequence of events
  1. A panel recommended Woods for parole in March 2022.
  2. The full-board review affirmed the grant in August; contemporary reporting announced that he would be released.
  3. Some survivors emphasized forgiveness while others described continuing harm and opposed release.