Kidnapped | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] it's so powerful to see how my mom handled this situation she's amazing you know and
she's really really strong how often do Residential kidnappings happen here very rare yeah
not very often at all Shauna Hanley is at her home with her daughter Isabella her friend came over just to
come and visit with her we talked for about 5 or 10 minutes and the doorbell rang and so I went to
the door and it's these two men these two individuals essentially present themselves to be delivery men of some
sort Shauna sees them says look I have a friend over now it's not a good time she
goes to close the door on them they force themselves in with guns they started to scream to get the F
on the floor and don't move they handcuffed me in front like this I was just stunned I saw that my mom and her
friend were handcuffed I said I have valuables I have jewelry I have cash I have precious metals I can get you money
didn't interest them at all I said come with me and she went and they came back and asked me and I said
no and they just accepted that and left they put her in the van I'm hooded they hooded me as soon as
I went into the van it was a van that didn't have the windows in the back and it was just a rubber mat without seats
back there and laid me on the floor and then they leave these guys are heading out of town
with SH to handl in the back of that van one of the guys sat on top of me you know so he stayed screaming at me he had
the gun to my head I was trying to pay attention to where we were I could feel when we picked up speed that we had made
a turn I was like oh no my heart sunk I was like we're on an interstate or something and the guy stripped me they
threatened to assault me sexually he put a pill in my mouth and he gave me another I said what are you giving me
and he said don't worry about that and so I guess I started to maybe drift a little and I started
praying so this particular day I got out of work as I was traveling there was a wreck on the interstate I got stopped
behind a white van I could kind of see the the driver of the van was starting to get nervous in the mirror he was
looking at me he decided to get into the shoulder and speed off it didn't sit right with me so I got
in behind him I put my emergency lights sirens on [Music] then I hear sirens and I was like
yeah yeah okay thank you God this is where the vehicle exited it's a dead end to a dirt road which had
been mud cuz it just rained their van got stuck that's when they exited the vehicle and kept
running the siren stopped and I just sunk again and I was like what happened did I imagine the sirens what's going on
and I'm full of anxiety when you approach the van you've got your gun drawn yes sir I opened the
rear door of the van and in the van what I thought was a mannequin moved scared me startled me so I jumped back and I
shut the door said oh my God things aren't always what they seem [Music] [Music]
I didn't know what was going on with my mom there was no one really telling me what was
happening police say the woman was forcefully removed from her home in Lafayette with her childhood home now a
crime scene and her mother Shonda Hanley just abducted by armed Intruders Isabella Cumberland found herself
confused amidst a crowd of investigators and forensic analysts they wanted to go
over the fingerprints on the doors upstairs my phone and it just kind of felt like I was another piece of
evidence Isabella then just 14 years old was trying to process the sight of the violent kidnapping she had just
witnessed at her family's home in Lafayette Louisiana on August 6th 20 2017 as they're driving away with her
did you think that was the last time you'd ever see her I thought there was a chance Lafayette investigators and
Isabella had no idea that about an hour after the kidnapping just across the state near Baton Rouge Chad Martin and
Iberville Paris sheriff's deputy had just pulled over a suspicious white van after a brief Pursuit there were two men
inside when they pulled into this parking spot they got stuck stuck in the mud so the men jump out and they take
off running and right behind us is the inter Coastal Waterway they jump in and disappear and when Martin went to clear
that vehicle he discovered shaa Handley handcuffed and naked in the back she looked at me and I'll never forget this
she said are you the real police or are you the one that's going to kill me and he was like you're safe you're safe just
minutes before before Martin was rushing home for Sunday dinner in his squad car
after clocking out unaware of shonda's kidnapping nearly 60 M away his biggest worry at that time was his wife's wrath
I heard you were habitually late for dinners I had a tendency uh to be late for everything now he had unwittingly
made the rescue of a lifetime what's going to your head I mean you were just trying to pull over a couple of guys who
looked a little susp icious I can't really tell you what was going through my head almost like I went into like
robot mode and I was just trying to get this woman help Shonda told him a harrowing story that the kidnappers had
drugged her and threatened to rape her and kill her if not for Chad Martin oh I would be dead I can't even
imagine but I know it wasn't going to be quick and Swift Martin relayed the news of
shonda's rescue to dispatch and it soon reached Isabella whenever they told me that she was safe I felt this
relief law enforcement began to ask questions who were shonda's kidnappers and why did they abduct her
but for Shonda there was no mystery who was behind it she had said that she believed that her husband is the one
that had paid them to kill her her estranged husband Michael Handley Shonda says that before before
the difficult months leading up to the kidnapping Michael would have been the last person she could have imagined
would harm her they had met in 2005 through friends in Lafayette at a time when both were single parents and
emerging from failed marriages he was really catering and just sweet and compassionate another thing they had in
common both were in recovery for addiction at that time I had been sober for about 18 years oh wow Michael was newly
clean and sober he had about a year the new couple hit it off and a year later they were married in Hawaii
Isabella took an immediate liking to Michael he well was my dad from when I was 2 years old and so that's how I saw
him was really as my dad in 2007 Michael and Shonda found success channeling their experience in recovery into a new
business we're going to provide care and we're going to meet you where you are partnering with a doctor to start a
chain of addiction treatment centers so we wound up opening at one point I think
there were 14 centers throughout the South eight years later they made a decision we sold the company how much
did y'all make on the sale the two of them Michael and his partner we sold the company for $21.5 million
wow yeah but their life as happy millionaires didn't last long say prosecutors Donald kette and Kenny AAR
you know money and free time with someone with an addictive personality isn't a great combination Shonda was
seeing that firsthand with Michael in 2017 less than 2 years after the sale of their company when she found a bottle of
Aderall with Michael handley's name on it so what we believed at our Treatment Center was that
use of something like that amphetamine could open the doors to a world of trouble so when I found the bottle it
terrified me and I can remember telling him this could lead to death this could lead to something devastating and soon
things got even worse when Shonda discovered that Michael was seeing another woman he was having an affair
and all I could think was like I don't even know who this man is is Shonda issued an ultimatum Michael had to go
into treatment but when he refused to get help she made a difficult decision I changed the locks and Michael was locked
out of the house and he started to lose his mind at that point and so after a couple of weeks he
said you're going to regret this and then that turned into I'm telling you it's going to get
bad then hanley's life together was falling apart fast Michael accused Shonda of assaulting him she was charged
but later acquitted by a judge all while Shonda was begging the authorities to see that she was the one in danger if
Michael wasn't apprehended he was going to kill me as Shonda Hanley was recovering in the
hospital investigators were learning the details of her tumultuous past with Michael Handley they knew they had to
find him and the kidnappers fast they started scouring the last place her abductors had been seen this canal
there's a fisherman and he reported these two individuals Waiting by him in the water and one of them pointed a gun
at him and said be cool but as the kidnappers had been swimming towards Freedom the Canal's
unforgiving current had other plans behind me at the inter Coastal Canal is where two bodies were found yesterday
they found them floating in inol Canal drowned dead dead they were later identified as Sylvester bracie and
arcenio Haynes what did you think when you found out they were dead I thought I'm not
going to have to worry about them hurting me as sad as that is while investigators suspected Michael
Handley was responsible for the abduction proving it might have been difficult with their main Witnesses the
kidnappers dead but Handley it seemed had made it kind of easy for them detectives are running the VIN number on
the white van that VIN number leads them to an Enterprise dealership in Batar Rouge said well a few days ago an
individual named lawren Michael Hanley came in and rented the van and then a couple days before that he went to
Barney's police Depot which is a store that carries specifically Police Issue merchandise Handley was seen on store
surveillance cameras as he pulls up and purchas his handcuffs finding evidence allegedly
connecting Hanley to the kidnapping wasn't difficult but finding him turned out to be the challenge I'm asking if
Michael's been apprehended and they they said no and so they said we need to like
lay low for a little while with a fortune at his fingertips investigators feared he could be anywhere and a danger
to Shonda once she was released from the hospital so they came up with a plan of
action we decided on a safe house outside of Lafayette Sid bear a former Louisiana
Sheriff was part of the security detail watching Shonda 24/7 we had a Lafayette sheriff's deputy
in a marked unit on premises no visitors no package deliveries nothing until further notice even in hiding Shonda was
feeling relief that Michael was finally being recognized as a threat after living in constant fear prior to the
kidnapping the terror that I was in for those three months the kidnapping was nothing in comparison the kidnapping in
was a blessing what the kidnapping is what allowed me to get to a place where people were willing to support me in the
beginning how many people believed Shonda not many but Shonda had found a fierce Ally
in Christine Mir her divorce attorney Christine knew all too well what Shonda had
experienced the most dangerous case I have ever heard about let alone been a part of what made it so dangerous
Michael Hanley he was constantly stalking her telling her that he knew where she was
threatening her threatening her daughter with harm Shonda called the police several
times but felt she wasn't taken seriously Christine helped Shonda secure a restraining order but says Michael
found creative ways to make it effectively worthless he disguised his voice he also used an app that picked up
dummy numbers that he used to contact her so there was no proof that it was him that was actually violating the
protective order and he seemed to be tracking shonda's every move he was able to spy on her through her own laptop
computers her alarm system he compromised all of that nothing was out of bounds Michael's Behavior was growing
increasingly erratic even though he was the one to initially file for divorce in
the spring of 2017 he soon changed his mind and Shonda says now he was demanding they reconcile or she'd pay a
humiliating Price He says some of our private videos are going to go out to people in the
community intimate videos intimate videos Shonda struggled over this but knew she couldn't take him back so
videos went out to hundreds of people in the community my cousins uncles administration at the school
political friends neighbors I sat and cried and was sick to my stomach I almost didn't stand up
just when Shonda thought she couldn't take anymore on June 8th 2017 almost 2 months to the day before the kidnapping
Michael Hanley slipped into her house through the garage he was enraged he R of alcohol he
was he was Furious and he had me pinned up against the wall and I screamed Isabella well he put his hand over my
mouth and he pulled out a gun a 9mm a gun he pulls out a handgun and he said if you scream or anybody comes to
interfere I will shoot you both I will kill you both do you understand me Shonda says that after hours saying
anything she could think of to calm him down she finally convinced Michael to leave as soon as he walked out of that
gate I ran in the house bolted the door and I started screaming and crying when Michael left that day after he had
attacked me I was 100% positive he was going to kill me police were called once again but they didn't arrest Michael
Hanley I can see in your eyes that you're getting emotional oh I felt as though I was being told that that I was
lying and that I was making it up this is why women don't report abuse because they fear they will not be
believed how many times had Shonda filed a report against Michael I believe that the actual
reports f were a couple dozen if not more as far as how many times was there an arrest made there wasn't why a lot of
times he was out of state sometimes the investigators felt like they didn't have
enough evidence to actually go forward and get a warrant for the arrest after the kidnapping
investigators were confident that this time they had more than enough evidence to make an arrest but could they find
him in time so somehow Michael is able to track Shonda down to the place that she's seeking
[Music] Refuge does Michael Hanley know that the cops are on to him yes because at some
point he tried to Charter a PR private plane and so the pilot essentially said I am not going to be taking you anywhere
uh because you're a wanted man the pilot reported it to police but Michael was long gone and as he continued to evade
authorities Shonda got a text message from a strange number claiming that Michael had also been kidnapped saying
in part pay the ransom for your husband and pay us 500 large or we will send him
home in pieces a day later friends received a shocking photo of Michael he was nude
handcuffed and seemingly injured and he's got blood on it right it appeared to be from shonda's kidnappers but
investigators knew that couldn't be true we know that obviously wasn't from them
because they're dead at this point so Michael is behind these messages on August 11th 2017 after a
4-day man hun detectives finally cornered the multi-millionaire once accustomed to
private jets in five-star hotels he was in this off-ramp motel in Sidell Louisiana we begin with new information
on the arrest of a Lafayette kidnapping suspect as they took an oddly smiling Michael Handley into custody
investigators began sifting through the nearly $10,000 in cash pizza boxes and illicit drugs finding this to-do list on
it were things like burner phone hair dye cash but it's final task was even more ominous says prosecutor Kenny AAR
since shonda's safe house was just 35 mil away but on the bottom of that list were
the words finish the job and finish the job would mean in our opinion he was going to kill
her with Michael Hanley now in jail Shonda and her security team decided it was finally safe for her to come out of
hiding it was time to go home and that's what she said I just want to go go home
and rebuild my life but with his track record of evading Justice Isabella was skeptical that the worst was behind them
I remember thinking that it was almost pointless that he was being arrested it felt like he had all the power and he
was going to keep all the power Michael Hanley pleaded not guilty to a Litany of charges including
conspiracy to commit second deegree murder and prosecutors got to work building their case against him
anytime you're on our side of the table you start thinking what's the defense going to
be we could not figure out what his defense was going to be there was no question that she was a victim of a
kidnapping but says Kevin stock still the man who Michael Hanley hired to defend him the physical evidence doesn't
prove his client played a part in any of it were the van and the handcuffs enough
to convict him I don't think so that is because stock still says that there is an explanation for everything
it started when Michael hired Sylvester bracie not to kidnap his wife but instead he claims to move some furniture
that was the reason Michael rented the van he says and made no effort to hide it Mr Hanley you know goes into the
Enterprise uh renter car location with his credit card in one hand and dri's license and the other so you thought you
could explain to the jury Hey listen nobody who's actually going to commit this crime is going to go in with their
license and ID and buy it themselves correct it was all innocent enough stock still says until the wbe Mover went
rogue stock still theorizes Sylvester bracie saw Michael's desperation to get his wife back and decided to use it to
his advantage that's when he enlisted arcenio Haynes to help him kidnap Shonda and hold her for ransom so you're
thinking the kidnappers could have wanted to extort Michael to get money from him so they
would have kidnapped his wife potentially and of course he did buy the handcuffs but stock still says he only
used them to Stage that fake kidnapping photo so as he's bound and gagged he's bound with handcuffs it was just the
latest example according to stock still of photos and videos that Michael had been sending to Shonda for months
showing him an emotional distress and in one case apparently beaten up in a misguided attempt to try and win her
back I love you I love you because Michael had he had a proclivity to try and Stage these things
to to get you know sympathy from Shonda but as the defense prepared to argue that the kidnappers acted on their
own Shonda Hanley made a damning discovery while cleaning out a remote Mississippi property they owned starts
getting some of her personal belongings well one of the things that they found was this camera it was a type of camera
called Arlo Michael Handley used it for security when Arlo detects sound in video Arlo starts recording that's right
that's right well it turns out he accidentally turned the camera on himself all put together what did the
camera record I mean hundreds of hours hundreds of hours one of the First videos is from 2
months before the kidnapping Michael is by himself in a hotel room and is apparently talking to himself you see
him moving around and at some point he picks the camera up and he puts it in a back and
you hear him say the words I'm going to kill her I'm going to kill her kill her kill
her prosecutors believe the her he intended to kill was Shonda and that Michael was even
more explicit just days later in a conversation with a friend in the living room of the Mississippi house they're
having beers and they're discussing the issues that he's having with Shonda surrend right yeah she's not going to
and you're not going to the friend later said he didn't recall hearing what Michael said next that's why
she Michael says that's why she's going to have to die so matter of fact in yet another clip from just two
weeks before the kidnapping Michael Hanley is caught with Sylvester bracie at that property planning how it was the
perfect place prosecutor say to bring Shonda to torture her and possibly worse he specifically says it's almost
impossible for anyone to get in here to which bracie responds and it'll be impossible for her to get out
I mean did you think you had a rock solid case before that yes well what' you think after it uh I thought I must
have done something right in the world then in a move no one saw coming that's when go give us the truth the
whole truth nothing but the truth St you got I do Michael Hanley agreed to tell his side of
things what is the strongest piece of evidence against Michael Handley chat now on Facebook and
Twitter while awaiting trial for the kidnapping of his estranged wife Shonda Michael Hanley was held in the Lafayette
Parish Correctional Center but Shonda says even though Michael was behind bars he continued to harass her I've received
a lot of mail letters while he's been incarcerated at numerous calls can't they stop him from calling you I guess
not on top of that Shonda lived in fear that Michael just might get out that's because at one point the defense argued
that Michael was suffering from mental illness and was not guilty by reason of insanity
when Michael was sober he was a fantastic individual you know very talented willing to help people when he
was found at the hotel in Sidell I mean there were drugs there you know there's no question that he was using
again I don't know the level of his responsibility but I think it's a combination of um substance abuse and
some mental illness for prosecutor Kenny AAR however it was a desperate attempt to get
Michael released they did it so that they could get some psychological professionals on the stand to say he
needs to be out of jail and he needs to go to these mental health facilities well we're talking about
mental health facilities that don't have nearly the security that a jail has Michael's defense team submitted mental
health records showing that he suffered from bipolar disorder Complicated by drug addiction
which they say rendered him legally insane during the time leading up to the kidnapping two courta appointed doctors
agreed but the judge ruled that Michael was competent to stand trial and must remain Behind
Bars once they initially failed to get him out they withdrew that play and what did they change it to they just changed
it to regular not guilty while Michael hanley's criminal battle was heating up in March
2018 his divorce from Shonda became G finalized Shonda was awarded all of the assets there was only one problem there
is no money there's no money you know millions of dollars vanish Michael was a very Ecentric person he was obsessed
with the collapse of the American dollar so much of their money was in gold bars
Shonda said she had seen gold before and knew that there was gold somewhere on that property I believe people actually
went out with metal detectors to try to figure out if he stashed it somewhere no
gold was ever recovered so there's all of this money that's unaccounted for but we know it's got to be out there
somewhere on top of being left with nothing Shonda says she suddenly found herself responsible for repaying her now
ex-husband's massive debts how much of a hole did he leave you in 750,000 I can't comprehend how I'm now
in a position where I owe this sort of money Shonda felt like it was a slap in the face after enduring so much but it
wasn't all for not during the settlement negotiations shonda's divorce attorney Christine me had subpoenaed Michael for
a deposition and surprisingly he agreed I mean that's wild it is I can imagine that someone with the arrogance that
Michael Hanley had insisted that he was going to be testify and it was going to be fine cuz he is the smartest person in
the room shonda's divorce attorney and the prosecutors had agreed to cooperate with each other and everyone was
interested in hearing what Michael Hanley had to say it was a risk cuz he might go into
that deposition and say stuff that really jeopardizes his criminal case I've never been more nervous in a
deposition than that one do you swear the testimony God gives the truth the whole truth dressed in a
striped prison uniform Michael answered questions for for 10 hours over 3 days I
was hanging on every question I bet you were yeah it was a chaotic and hectic time I was living out of hotels I've
been moving from hotel to hotel for several months Michael was asked about his relationship with Sylvester bracie
and the reason he rented that van I had hired him to move furniture I rented the
van to make a move to move the furniture he stuck with his original story he said that he had hired Movers
in order to move furniture and they went rogue because they thought he had money
I got a phone call as soon as I answered the phone and I said hello they screamed
um they screamed we've got your mother wife and um I just remember cuz it was like I got punched in the it's like one
of those moments when you go into AO but when pressed about the details of how he first met bracie I don't recall
Michael claimed he couldn't remember much about the weeks leading up to the kidnapping I don't remember I don't know
I don't recall that's why I'm hesitating I don't remember I don't recall I don't
recall I don't recall there are big gaps in my memory I don't know I don't know the reason that I don't recall is
because I was high I was living like a rock star I was on and off medications during this period of time and I was
under the influence of substances mental illness is tough you know but he insisted despite the gaps in
memory there was one thing he knew for certain I would not kidnap my wife he would cry and say that he loved her so
much I don't remember that he was so sorry it was that type of manipulation I have a tremendous
regret during the deposition Christine pulled that Arlo camera recording in which prosecutors believe bracie and
Handley were caught talking about the plot to kidnap Shonda the wife Handley claimed he loved so much I queued up
where One of the kidnappers was telling Michael and you know if she gets out of line I won't hesitate to kill
her and I said what kind of movers tell that to you and his fear was palpable and he said oh I don't know Christine
people tell me all sorts of things Michael Hanley withered under questioning poking holes in his own
defense with his own words the civil attorneys provided us with those deposition transcripts shortly after
receiving them and with the trial date fast approaching Michael's defense attorney feared the worst we were of the
opinion that he ran a significant risk of of a conviction with the walls closing in an
hour before the trial was set to start Michael Handley indicated he was open to a deal he would plead you know to second
degree kidnapping um the minimum sentence would be 15 years the maximum sentence would be 35 years prosecutors
Donnie KET and Kenny AAR say there was a lot to take into consideration the problem with a jury trial is you you
almost never know but I also knew that there's Shonda Hanley there's Isabella you've got victims that have to relive
that moment if you go to trial ultimately the decision to take the deal or go to trial was shaas I was so scared
that if we went to trial that it could work out beautifully for him because Michael always lands on
his feet once Michael's out I'm no longer free see more of the evidence photos at
48 hours.com [Music] in July 2021 all Shonda Handley wanted was for her ex-husband Michael Hanley to
stay behind bars so she agreed to accept his plea of guilty to second degree kidnapping I didn't want to take any
risks I would rather the plea deal than to take the chance and go to trial less than a year later on March
24th 2022 Shonda was in the courtroom to find out what Michael's sentence would be Isabella was there too as was
Michael what was it like to come face to face with him in court it was so surreal
you know and I think honestly for both of us it was this really strong powerful emotion that we both felt but mine was
hatred hoping to help convince the judge to give Michael the maximum sentence Isabella chose to give a victim impact
statement what did you say at the hearing I really kind of told a story about how difficult it really made my
life and how difficult it still makes my life because I didn't think he knew that
it affected me as well as it affected her Shonda also had something she wanted to say to Michael
I told him that he wrecked everything and that he destroyed everything and how could you like we had like a
really we had a good life we had a good family and we we adored each other he was the person I
most admired in this world until then do you think Michael understands his actions
have had an effect on his former wife and stepchild I think think that he does you get to sense the guy's sorry I think
so I think he's capable of remorse yet when it was Michael's turn to speak instead of a tearful apology he gave yet
another new story this time he admitted he did in fact hire the two men to kidnap Shonda but he claimed it was all
fake and staged so that he could swoop in save her and be the hero what he really wanted to do was
emerge as the White Knight who came in and rescued her it was a way for him to try to win her back but he never really
intended to hurt her it was all a big game in the end the judge sided with the prosecution and gave Michael Hanley the
maximum penalty a Lafayette man was sentenced today in the 2017 kidnapping case of his estranged wife Lawrence
Michael Handley received 35 years in prison for the crime 35 years minus five for time served puts him out
when he's 79 79 are you okay with that I'd rather he never get out are you still afraid even
with him behind bars oh yeah that concern is something Isabella shares do you fear for your safety from
Michael Handley yeah I do nothing could stop him I just see him as a a villain not a good person and I'm not sad about
it in my mind he's changed to a completely different person so it doesn't feel like I've lost my dad it
feels like I've lost a stranger the now 20-year-old college junior chooses to focus on the valuable
lesson that she learned from her mother it's so powerful to see how my mom handled
this situation she shown me how she can overcome something so horrible and turn it into something great and become an
even better person out of it welcome welcome to our house I'm glad that um you're here Shonda has found renewed
purpose working with others like her I know the ladies she sold property took out a loan and opened two Sober Living
homes dedicated to helping women get back on their feet we want you to feel comfortable I want you to feel like this
is a safe place where you can start a new it's been really really rewarding and you know from my experiences that
I've had um the challenges that I've had I'm able to show them firsthand that we
get up we keep going we put one foot in front of the other and uh we will persevere an important part of moving
forward for Shonda has been recognizing those who stood by her and while she did
speak on the phone with Chad Martin that officer who saved she we never got the chance to thank him in person until now
when we arranged for them to meet so good to meet you good to see you again yeah I'm looking at you to see if I can
remember I remember I'm really glad that uh I was in the right place at the right
time to help you really glad yeah thank you feel like I owe you everything I guess my greatest
gratitude in you saving my life is that my daughter gets to have her mom and have a good life thank you
give you another hug [Music] wow oh wife disappears she just vanished why was her husband contacting
spellcasters he wrote can you hex to have her hurt enough maybe an accident or broken bone do you think Maya left
that house on her own no no 48 hours Saturday on [Music] CBS [Music] [Music] at 6 years old I had never been in
darkness like that before it was just pitch black like the dark was touching me engulfing me like I
was actually inhaling the darkness Chowchilla in 1976 was a cow toown you could could
drive through the heart of town in about 30 [Music] seconds very close niit Community
everybody looked out for each other people didn't lock their doors there was nothing to
fear I didn't know what fear was I still have a hard time grasping the way that my life changed on July
15th just another average summer day very hot going to summer school and that day we
got to go to the town swimming pool got back on the bus ready to go home the bus
driver was Ed Ray he was a strong Quiet Man everybody liked Edward and respected
him the buses had the windows down the Hot Summer Breeze the kids were laughing and singing Happy
and just glad to be going home what I remember was traveling he just left off two kids all of a sudden
he said what the heck is this and then I can remember the bus stopping at a stop
sign Edward went to go around a white van that was parked in the road and then this man came up with a stocking over
his head with a gun and said open the door the first man came on the bus and he had a gun Ed R said what's going on
and he said shut up and move to the back I remember telling him that if he didn't
get me home on time my dad would be on him like stink on skunk you know I wasn't afraid of anything I didn't know
I needed to be and then another man came on the bus and he had a s double barrel
shotgun the shotgun filled me with Terror the mass men had panty hoose pulled over their face it was a very
distorted look where their eyes were it almost looked Hollow it was like looking
at death one of the kidnappers got into the driver's seat and the bus started moving
again I started to think I wonder where they're taking us 26 school children and their bus
driver have vanished anguished parents President Ford hundreds of searching police are asking the question where are
the [Music] children [Music] [Music] just outside Chowchilla on July 15th 1976 the frightening Journey
began we start driving down the road I was wondering how it was going to feel to die I was too scared to
move 26 terrified children some as young as five were staring down the barrel of a
sought off shotgun three masked men had hijacked the Dairyland Elementary School Bus one
had the shotgun one drove the bus and one followed behind in the white van they'd used to block the
road it's a hard thing to explain cuz I'd never been around guns you only seen bad guys in the movies with stockings on
you know so I knew it wasn't good Edward kept telling us kids just to be quiet sit down do what they
say Edward was speaking in a harsh tone and that normally was not the Edward that we knew and
loved eventually the bus went off the road down into a dry riverbed and into this big Grove of
bamboo that were taller actually than the bus and then as I looked out one of the side
windows I saw that there was another van that was parked there they parked the bus and there was a green van down there
waiting for us even at the age of nine little Jennifer Brown seemed to know the horror of that day should be documented
walk over she later made this recording with her mom and there was two guys standing from the bus door to the van
door with guns um with panty H over their head so we wouldn't run out and then see they pulled the van right up to
the um bus door the kidnappers herded the stunned children from the bus into those two Vans we had to jump from the
bus to the van so there um wouldn't see any feet [Music] prints when it was my turn to get on the
van he stopped me he held a shotgun to my stomach I said I was doing what you said and I had to stand there with this
gun in my gut until the one van drove away and they backed the second van up it felt like
forever I thought he was going to shoot me I actually did Jennifer Larry and the rest of the
children followed jod into the second van along with the bus driver ed Ray then the kidnappers closed the
doors it was pitch dark the Vans had been converted into makeshift jail cells by installing wood paneling and even
painting the windows no one could see in or [Music] out the kidnappers sped off with the
children caged in those mobile prisons and I felt like I was an animal going to the slaughter
house around that time Jennifer's mom Joan Brown came home from work the house was empty the children were not there uh
no peanut butter uh on the counter no chairs out there well they just weren't [Music]
there as one hour turned to two worried parents began helping the police retrace
the school bus's route crisscrossing dozens of rural roads where were those children 26 of
them and a bus driver nowhere and then just before Sunset a police pilot spotted the big
bus about 7 mil outside Chowchilla hidden in the dry riverbed you would only see it from the
air Madera County Sheriff Ed Bates rushed to the scene we found a tire impressions in the sand that led
straight to the front door of the bus obviously someone had backed their vehicle up to the doors of the bus
Sheriff Bates was convinced I called the governor I said I need some help down here the children of Chowchilla had
become the victims of a Brazen and bizarre mass kidnapping I had the parents all assembled there in the fire
station well you could just look at their faces and uh the anxiety and the fear was
there I told him I called the FBI all of a sudden I had 30 FBI agents there as Sheriff Bates continued to
widen the investigation the children continued to suffer inside the sweltering pitch black
vans we'd bang on where the driver's panel would be like let us out let us out and they would just say shut up
[Music] and we drove what seemed like for hours upon hours upon hours and I remember that I kept falling
asleep and coming back awake I would dream about being I would dream about being up in
the forest where my family would go camping we all tried to comfort each other and a few of my um little friends
that are five and six that came over and started laying on me and crying and I told him be brave cuz everything's going
to be all right then the van started to slow down the kids could feel it pulling off the
road lurching from side to side on rough terrain before coming to a stop after nearly 12 unbearable
hours they opened up the door and they took EDR out first they shut the doors back and we're like where's Edward now
what what are they doing and I remember they would just grab the first kid that was inside the door they and they just
kept doing that they open the door and they grab somebody else they open up the door they take the next kid out and they
close the doors but when they open the doors you don't see them I thought they were basically killing us each one at a
time I kept scooting to the back of the van and I thought maybe if I just hide in the corner they won't come for
me but they did I didn't know if it was in the desert at at the beach in the side of a mountain I had no
idea where we were I didn't even know if we were in [Music] California after almost 12 hours in
darkness 10-year-old jod Heffington was the last to be taken out of the first fan being the last one you don't know
what's going to happen because you don't see nobody else what happened to them if
you didn't kill them where are they at they had flashlights kind of like shining in their faces and then one
shining on your face and they said what's your name and I actually I have a little bit of a smart ass in me and I
said PUD and Tain ask me again I'll tell you the same I was pissed and I was scared at the same
time they said if you don't tell us your name you're never going to see your mom
and dad again do you understand and they took all my belongings and then they said you're
going to go down in this hole right here the hole led to an old truck trailer buried
underground Ed Ray and the children from the first fan were there there was a table set up in the
back it was surrounded with jugs of drinking water on some of the mattresses they had some cereal a loaf of bread and
some peanut butter in the wheel wells they had cut holes in them for toilets we could hear fans so we knew that there
was some sort of ventilation 14-year-old Michael Marshall was still in the other van with some of
the youngest children the kids got a hold to me and were holding on to me and scared out of
you know we're all just scared of our wits as they did before the kidnappers removed the children one by
one Michael and the youngest 5-year-old Monica artery were the last ones left in
the van it was just me and her not knowing what had happened to the other children or if they were even alive
Michael says he couldn't bear to hand Monica over to the kidnappers so when they open the doors again he went first
I had to take her hands from mine and R and take them apart say be okay and go with them and leave
her that was hard as soon as I got on that ladder and took a step down and I heard the rest of the kids
say smike SMY Michael and and I realized that everybody was alive and to his relief not long after
Monica came climbing down that ladder they were all together again we're okay we're okay we're okay so right now so
far we're all right but the sense of relief was shortlived before I knew it the ladder
was gone they threw a rolled toilet paper down and said we'll be back for you and that was
it the kidnappers then covered the opening with a manhole cover what I remember it just went
dark and you just hear the material getting throwed on us we would been buried alive buried 12T
underground I just remember looking up at that hole I wanted to stay close I wanted to be like right there cuz that
was the way out at Ray and Mike Marshall they looked at every corner every wall for an Escape
Route got underne the manhole cover pushed up on it they couldn't move it so Ed raay determined that it was
time for everyone to get some rest the minutes and hours ticked by it would be silent and then somebody
would bust out crying and oh would just erupt every crying the thing that made me cry
was not being able to say goodbye to my mom and I'm remembering the last time that I saw
her and wishing I could have told her goodbye throughout much of this day parents and other family of the missing
children came to the command of post set up in downtown Chowchilla to try desperately to Fathom some reason out of
this madness Carol Marshall's 14-year-old son Mike was another on the bus any chance at all this could be some
kind of terrible hoax or joke that someone is playing I imagine there's a chance I hope that's all it is it is
believed to be the largest kidnapping in US history so far there's been no word from any
abductors they had been in the ho for almost 12 hours and the conditions were deteriorating we had eaten the
food the fans on the ventilator stopped my little brain started to grasp the concept of we may really not go
home there was this one boy and he kept kicking blocks out from underneath the 4x4 pillars and so the roof of the van
was starting to cave in the seams were breaking dust was flowing through the sides of the van were bowing in children
just screaming and crying we thought if we're going to die we're going to die trying to get out of
here see more photos from the case at 48 hours.com [Music] as a young kid you don't have a lot of
sense of time there was no sunlight so you couldn't tell if it was day or night we were out of food we were out of
water the roof was caving in it just was a desperate situation everybody got the mattresses
and stacked them up as high as we could go right underneath the manhole cover people started standing on each other's
shoulders I was a very tall girl and very strong so they stood on my shoulders when they didn't stand on um
Edwards they took turns pushing up on the manhole cover I'm giving it everything I got and all the kids are
cheering me on you know come on Mike you can do it you can do it then all of a sudden they said it moved it moved but
they were far from being free the kidnappers had put truck batteries and dirt on top of the manhole cover and had
constructed a wooden box around it once the manhole cover was moved that box was
just big enough for Michael to stand [Music] in like Jennifer Michael Marshall made a
recording about his experience box I started hitting and Bing and hitting and Bing he dug until he was exhausted and
then he kept on digging there was no quit in him never knew when we got out there just going to be standing there
with shotguns in our head and stuff so we there pretty [Music] scared then suddenly this Ray of
sunlight this Ray of sunlight came down into the opening it was catching the dust and the dust particles looked like
a bunch of shooting stars there was this airflow that came out of the van and I knew we were
free I need a minute the air and the light there was beaming coming [Music] through Mike Marshall actually Brave
person that he is crawled out of the hole first and I stuck my head out and there was nobody I didn't see anybody
and I can see we were in the Hills he said the coast is clear and so we started taking the little ones and
putting them up there and Mike grabbed them that part was kind of scary too cuz we're out now we don't know who's out
here it was approximately 8:00 p.m. on July 16th they had been in the hole for nearly 16
hours we all just scurried like a bunch of little ice we saw conveyor belts excavators it looked like The
Flintstones and all these men with hard hats came to us and looked at us like who are
you the kidnappers had buried them in a rock quarry in Livermore California 100 Mil away from
Chowchilla when police arrived as evidence they took photos of every [Music] child an alamia County Jail
bus came and it was like yeah they put us back on a bus then they transported them to the closest place that could
hold them the Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center a local jail I remember going in in the bus and
you could see the prison wife and you thought well they're taking us into jail they took us into what looked like
classrooms they brought us apples and soda they had these everall and all us little kids got into them and we had to
roll the pants up about 10 feet and then we rolled the arms up and we were all sitting there some of them didn't roll
our arms up we sitting there flapping our arms we said hey we can fly over the next few hours Ed Ray and the
children were examined by doctors they were also questioned by police each one of us was interrogated by ourselves to
tell our story how do you describe somebody that has panty hose over their face after 4 hours of questioning they
were finally allowed to go home they put us on a Greyhound escorted us back to chap
Chilla it was time for Mom and Dad I just wanted my Mom and Dad it was 4:00 a.m.
when the bus arrived at last it had been almost 36 hours since their traumatic ordeal
began the scene was like a mob scene news cameras and TV lights everybody started um saying are
you all right Jennifer and all this stuff I said yeah I'm fine then whenever we got into this room I found my mom and
my dad we pulled up to CH chill and I was asleep so when I got off the bus I started taking pictures of me and I'm
like how you doing what was [Applause] like they just let us off the bus with all these people and you didn't know
where your parents were this man carried me off the bus and he put me in my mom's
arms and I said hi Mom and fell asleep on her shoulder I felt I felt like I was finally
safe nothing was ever the same nothing was ever the same after that we had no idea what our kids have been
through none whatsoever how does it feel to be a big movie star I don't know i' never been a movie star before for
9-year-old Jennifer Brown the experience has allowed her to still see the world with compassion why do you suppose that
they would do something like that I don't know they didn't have enough love she had horrible
nightmares she would run screaming into our bedroom room and she wasn't even awake and she would tell us later that
she dreamt that they were lined up and shot one night I was dreaming that I was falling down this hole and I was trying
to get out I started screaming for my mom mom came in and all I could do was cry and all she could do was hold
[Music] me today in this rock quarry they Unearthed the truck that was prison and
very nearly a tomb for 26 children and their school bus driver unearthing the h who and why of all this is much
harder in the days following the kids's Escape investigators searched the rock quarry and the van that had been their
underground tomb hoping they would find clues that would lead them to the kidnappers they looked to see who would
have keys to the quy in order to have access to bury this moving container undetected you would have to have access
assistant district attorney Jill kingy Fred Woods had keys to that quarry 24-year-old Frederick New Hall Woods the
son of the owner of the Quarry immediately became a person of interest they looked at The Ledger surveillance
tapes and started to put put it all together at that point security guards told investigators
they had seen three young men digging a large hole in the Quarry months before the
kidnapping one of them they said was Fred Woods and Woods had a record 2 years earlier he had been
charged with Grand Theft Auto arrested with him were two of his friends James shenfeld Fred's partner in
a used car business and James's younger brother Richard all three were from wealthy
families who lived in San Francisco's nicest suburbs they escaped with a fine and probation they're young they're
wealthy I think it added a component of Fascination to the story because it was so unlikely that three
men such as these would commit such a atrocious crime investigators executed a warrant to search Fred Woods's father's
estate for the last two days the woods estate has looked like an armed Camp dozens of officers looking for anything
what they found there was a treasure Trove of evidence we were able to recover one of the guns that was used
during this kidnapping this crime was planned out for a year and a half in intricate
detail you actually have a document labeled plan and it sets out the way they were going to commit the kidnapping
and then they on the right hand side put how they would compensate or deal with what could go wrong they also recovered
the draft of a ransom note the draft of the ransom note says $2.5 million but in
actuality they were going to ask for $5 million from the state of California but the kidnappers were never
able to deliver their demand when they tried to call the Chowchilla Police Department because of the number of
calls that were coming in worldwide the phone lines were jammed they couldn't get through so they took a nap and by
the time they woke up they saw in the news that the kids had been found so they were never able to request their
anom and so the search is on Nationwide for these three men in their arrest warrants were issued Richard shenfeld
turned himself in Fred woods and James shenfeld fled California but not for long James shenfeld was
captured at dawn today police say he ran hard all over the western United States
but he did not run well Frederick Woods was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police this
afternoon just across the Washington state border in Vancouver I remember being physically
ill when I actually saw him after that you kind of did have a sense of you can breathe they're behind bars
so what drove these young men seemingly well off to kidnap young children for money James shenfeld eventually said
despite their parents' wealth he and Fred Woods were in serious debt he would later tell the parole board we needed
multiple victims to get multiple millions and we picked children because children are precious the state would be
willing to pay ransom for them and they don't fight back I think that the two shelts did it just on pure persuasion by
Fred Woods Fred Woods in my own personal opinion and I have a master's degree I think he was a sociopath some might call
him a psychopath with the overwhelming evidence against them woods and the show andells pleaded guilty to 27 counts of
kidnapping for ransom and robbery but they refused to plead guilty to8 counts of bodily harm those charges would send
them to prison for life without the possibility of parole so 16 months after their
abduction Jennifer Michael jod and some of the other children face the kidnappers in court you're in this
little box and they're there looking at you just glaring at you and staring you down they testified that in addition to
the emotional trauma they had suffered physical wounds like cuts and bruises and I looked over at them and I just
broke down that was the first time I cried so they allowed my father to come sit by me and that made
me feel a lot safer the kidnappers were sitting to my left at a table I remember giving my dad
my gum because I told him I was going to spit my gum at him you say they would give you this funny look what did that
make you feel scared I did my testimony I answered my question questions and I left that courtroom with my head held
high and there was no way that I was going to let them see me cry a California judge today impose mandatory
life prison sentences without parole on those three young men who kidnapped 26 chachilla I remember thinking they're
going to go to jail they're not going to do this to anybody else that's all that
I need to know with the kidnapper sentenced to prison for the rest of their lives the
survivors thought their nightmare was finally over bye but it was just beginning bye Jennifer
bye see more photos from the case at 48 hours.com just 5 weeks after being buried alive the gutsy children of
Chowchilla and their bus driver ed Ray were hailed as Heroes there was even a trip to
Disneyland everyone thought that was great because the good memories of Disneyland would overshadow the bad
memories of the kidnapping but it wasn't that simple in a way you try to be normal but when you've gone through
something that's so traumatic is it's hard to go back and be a normal kid again sometimes it's like life is an act
you try to be good for everybody else so they don't worry but they worry anyway so I advise everybody else not to
do it that way the Survivor struggled to move forward but just four years after the
kidnappings a critical Turning Point the kidnappers lawyers appealed the finding
of bodily harm prosecutor Jill clingy and the appell at court overturned it and while acknowledging the heric nature
of the crime stated that the injury suffered did not rise to the level of bodily harm under the
law so Fred woods and the shanfeld brothers were resentenced to life with the possibility of parole they would get
a parole hearing every one or two years I felt like I had been betrayed by the just
system just 6 years after the kidnappings the parade of parole hearings began every time one of the
kidnappers came up for parole it triggered all their fears and Trauma the hearings took place inside the prison
they sit in the same room and it's not a large room with the kidnapper the first
time I was terrified for all three kidnappers there had been more than 60 parole hearings to date jod heing and
went to nearly all of them it just seems like every 3 years I go and I go three times every time it's excruciating and
the aftermath is um never good Jody and the other survivors watched helplessly as Richard shenfeld was the first to be
granted Parole in June 2012 36 years after the kidnappings 3 years later James shenfeld was paroled too as far as
I know they have not been in any kind of trouble the same could not be said for Fred
Woods he repeatedly broke prison rules he was caught with pornography and cell phones hello my name is jod madano I was
Jody Heffington in 2018 48 Hours was at Fred Woods's 15th parole hearing and recorded audio of Jody's testimony to
listen to him talk about his poor childhood um I don't know if I want to laugh cry cuss him or what because um
where did my childhood go like I told him Mr Woods you're not a kidnapper you're a thief you're a thief
of lives not just the the kids that were in the bus but they stole our family's lives and
what we all had before that after that hearing Woods was again denied parole it was 28 hours of Terror that
will always be with Michael Jennifer jod and Larry all who have managed to find ways to get on with living healing
continues if you allow it Larry Park who spent his 20s and 30s abusing drugs now owns a handyman
business and volunteers as a pastor at a local church his nightmares have finally
stopped and he is sober I have 9 years sober his sobriety was motivated by an epiphany about the kidnappers my
resentment for them was killing me one night I was laying ined de and I said God help me to forgive
them Larry met the men shook their hands and did forgive them here he is with Richard shenfeld it changed my
life something washed over me and there was peace like I had never known and I knew that day that I would
be okay Jennifer Brown Hyde a wife mother and executive assistant says it took her
decades before she could even sleep without a nightlight and I've had family and
church family and co-workers that have piece by piece helped put me back together and I want people to know that
that little girl that was kidnapped and buried alive has managed to live a Wonderful Life
Michael Marshall had lost his way after the kidnapping I went to bed at 18 drunk
and hung over and blacked out and woke up about 48 you know with a hangover blurry he is sober and has found
happiness as a father and a long-distance trucker he tries not to think about those
kidnappers what they put my mom and dad through through is something I cannot [Music]
forgive Jody Heffington never left the Chowchilla area she opened her own hair salon and raised a
son but she struggled to find peace of mind how that day of affected me has affected
me every day in some way or another I think it made me not a good daughter not a good
sister not a good Aunt especially not a good mother and probably not a a good friend I try to be those things but it
seems like it um it just took something from me that I can't ever get back and I can't tear it
down no matter how hard I try and no matter what I [Music] do a young mother found dead in her car
where's the gun sir it's right here in her hand it appears she took her own life but could she have shot herself
twice it just seems like something out of a movie instead of real life 48 hours Saturday on CBS and stream on Paramount
[Music] Plus on behalf of the state of Wisconsin I am so proud to present our hometown
hero award to miss Jamie Claus it's amazing it's amazing and and she is an extraordinary child and I
cannot wait to see what she becomes she's I hope she has a chance to be a kid [Music]
again for 88 days I have stood before you and said we would work tires s to bring Jamie Claus
home today I can report we have done just that 13-year-old Jamie Claus who disappeared the day her parents were
murdered in October has been found and she is alive and she is [Music] safe I was crying and talking and he's
like what is wrong I go Jam's phone it's unbelievable it is miraculous Jamie is the hero in this
case there's no question about it she's the one that helped us break the case it's amazing the will of that
13-year-old girl to survive and Escape I was finishing my walk right at the end of my driveway and Jamie was coming
towards me she just said I'm lost I don't know where I am I knew she needed help so I knew I need to get her out of
the cold I knew I need to get her to a safe place hi I have um a young lady at my house right now and she says her name
is Jamie cloth okay have you seen her photo ma'am yes it is her I 100% think it as her okay I've got multiple
deputies headed out there just hearing the story My Heart's beating a little faster just because I
can't imagine what it was like for this young girl who's gone through who knows what to finally see somebody that can
help her whatever it took I was not going to let anything happen to her the sheriff showed up and they gave us that
news and we cried in happy tears and cried this is truly a community a country coming together for one purpose
solving this is the will of a 13-year-old girl solving this case and coming home and saying enough is
enough think of the positive impact this child has already made on our world the
talk of Hope the talk of love the talk of Faith the talk of family Jamie has already made such an impression on this
world this is the suspect he targeted Jamie Jake Patterson is a 21-year-old male with no criminal history this guy
tried to do his best to beat us and he just didn't Mr Patterson will never terrorize her
again he's not sorry for kidnapping Jamie and murdering her parents he's sorry that he got caught exhibit 7 your
honor shows where the defendant confined jimie for 88 days this was her prison there grown people I think that would
have been paralyzed in fear in fear yes yes we don't know what she went through but to beat him in his own game and to
survive and get out of there I mean [Music] wow two innocent people were murdered
and a young girl taken after 88 days in captivity that young lady found her way to Freedom
ladies and gentlemen that young lady Jamie Claus is with us here today last month Jamie Claus appeared in
public for the first time since her kidnapping Wisconsin state representative ROM Quinn on behalf of
the state of Wisconsin I am so proud to present our hometown hero award to miss Jamie
Claus Jamie looked out over the chamber her family by her side her Aunt Jennifer
Smith speaking for her entire family I have to say that Jamie is totally deserving of the Hero part of this award
her courage her bravery and her spirit are things that Inspire us and make us stronger and better just like you we
want Jamie to know how much we love her thank you Jamie Claus went missing in the early
hours of October 15 2018 when a man the family did not know pulled into their driveway Jaime's Father Jim was murdered
shot at Point Blank Range at the front door her mother Denise barricaded herself with jimie in the bathroom and
called 911 Baron County Sheriff Chris fitzer described the call which was recently
released the 911 call is very inaudible 911 where you can't hear words you hear yelling or maybe a
scream and it ends by getting hung up by the time police arrived Denise Claus had also been shot to death in
front of her daughter the killer drove away with 13-year-old Jamie in the trunk of his car the time from the 911 call
until our deputies arrive is less than four minutes the timing is just it has to be perfect on his part so we think
this was well planned out we are asking for about 2,000 volunteers to walk specific areas there was a massive
surch but no one had seen any trace of jam Claus until January 10th 2019 it was a little after 4:00 in the
afternoon I was at the end of my driveway and then I saw a young woman who appeared to be in distress all I
knew is whoever this child is she's in trouble what did you see that made you think she was in trouble well because it
was 19 or 20° outside and I she only had a sweatshirt on and maybe some black leggings did you recognize her right
away right away because her pictures are everywhere yeah and she just sort of fell into me and said I'm Jamie and I
said I know Jeanie Nutter was out walking her dog that afternoon on a remote Road in the Tiny Town of Gordon
Wisconsin that's about an hour north of Jaime's home this girl whatever it took for her to get out of that house I was
not going to let anything happen to her as fate would have it jeie is a retired trauma counselor she focused on getting
Jamie to safety and keeping her calm I just kept saying don't worry Jamie everything's going to be all right
you're going to be fine you know just hang on to me because we were walking on like three Ines of glare
eyes jimie immediately told jeie who had been holding her captive the man who killed her parents
his name was Jake Patterson so she named him right then yeah she named him right
away jeie was afraid to take Jaimie back to her cabin knowing Patterson's property with these two two cabins
touches the back of her land Jamie even asked me do you live around here and I said no I'm just walking my dog because
I didn't want her to know that I didn't think our cabin was safe you stay calm I
was not calm inside so I did not want her to know that in fact she was terrified Patterson might find them out
on that road did you start to get concerned that maybe Mr Patterson is following her that was my head you know
I just wanted us to be moving moving in a direction to safety cuz literally that word was going through my
head safety safety safety luckily Genie found Neighbors at home one of the few families who live here year
round Kristen and Peter kazinski she just opened the door and said this is Jamie call 911 right now
Douglas County 911 I have um a young lady at my house right now and she says her name is Jamie
clth I mean we've been seeing her for so long Billboards commercials all this stuff and it was like I was seeing a
ghost in front of me Peter loaded a gun and went to the front door I was pleading with the person on the line
saying this is not fake this is real Kristen is the neighbor that walked her up is she still there Kristen passed
the phone to jeie ma'am so how did she come up upon your cabin I was walking my dog and she was walking towards me
crying saying you got to help me you got to help me and she said I am Jamie class
yes she said he killed my parents I want to go home help me as the minutes tick by Genie told
police all she could about Jaime's capture his name is D Patterson do we know what type of vehicle or if he works
anywhere does he work he doesn't work and I asked her what kind of car it was the red he used
to be in the military and did she say he's gone right now yes and she doesn't know where he when or what he does he
might come yep so if the cops could get here soon would I have I have many deputies had it that way I'm going to
keep you on the line okay Peter and Kristen's two young children were also home they were telling us to get away
from the windows and get the kids downstairs so that the kids were pretty freaked
out 20 minutes into that phone call their fears were mounting are they close we're nervous
they're close hang on a second and then finally 29 minutes into the call they're in the house the cops
are in the house police arrived oh they're in there with you yes came in at long last Jamie Claus was safe after the
brutal murder of her parents after 88 days in Captain ity and after her incredible
Escape there was at least for the moment relief I didn't believe she was alive I
can't imagine the par I mean the parents aren't gone but they still have family but I don't know it just it just gets to
me when I talk about [Music] it sheriff's deputy secured jimie and went looking for Patterson
and they found him just 11 minutes later driving around looking for Jamie it was less than an hour since
Jamie found Jeanie on that road honestly I feel privileged that I had this little piece of you know the
puzzle of finding Jamie and I just happened to be a social worker I happened to be there at that time sounds
like it was meant to be Genie Nutter if Jamie hadn't escaped when she did if she had not met jeie things could
have ended very differently I think it was God it was it was none no doing of any
man that did this it I mean our neighbor was late doing things walking her dog late I happen to be home
everything happened I mean you nobody could have planned this it happened for a reason whatever happened that day it
started with Jamie what 13-year-old has it in them to endure what she has and then find the courage and just to get
out for her Aunt Jennifer back at home those last hours waiting for Jamie were perhaps the longest it's driving me
crazy I just got to see her I just got to give her that hug [Music] I was crying and talking and he's like
what is wrong I go Jamie's found dad she's found she's safe and he just started crying and crying and he's just
like oh my gosh I can't believe it this was a new they had all been waiting for those three long months we
spoke to some of Jamie Claus's family just days after her Escape it was the most
amazing fabulous thing in the world Len Claus is Jaime's Aunt we've all been wearing Jamie bracelets um you know
bring Jamie home and we all took them off and threw them in the kitchen it was like we you know we've got or we don't
have to wear our bracelets and you just feel lighter you just feel so unbelievable so you get the news that
everybody has been praying for hoping for longing for for the past 88 days tell us how you each heard that you the
news that she was okay dad had to call my neighbor and she comes screaming in my door Jam's Aunt Sue Allard I'll never
ever forget her screaming Sue Sue they found Jamie and her cousin Lindsay Smith then my brother called me and he's just
screaming on the phone we have Jamie we're getting Jamie home and I burst into tears I'm so excited it's like
you're covered in Goosebumps you're so excited you can't breathe you can't think you can't it's just
incredible Jennifer Smith is not just Jaime's Aunt I was her daycare provider that's why this has been so hard on me I
watched her every day for 12 years Jennifer was living as they all were with the unbearable mix of pain and
hope ever since that terrible October night my heart was shattered left a hole in our heart and we just wanted to find
her and we I just had hope that she was alive out there somewhere and we get her
home you know we went to day 88 and normally when these type of stories come they do not have this
ending yeah please help us understand how you all all of you say we never gave up hope never we had this little girl
that we couldn't find we kind of said okay as horrible as that is we got to put it here and we got to find
her Jamie spent the first night after her Escape in the hospital the next day Jennifer and her
husband Bob could finally bring Jamie home I get to reunite with her today it's driving me crazy I need to see
her first inside the door waiting was Jim's grandfather Grandpa Rod first Grandpa R was in there at the end of the
hallway crying before she even come in the door but he got to be the first one to hug her so her grandfather it was
just so good just to really see her you know and just to give her a hug she had you know I said a couple things to her
quietly and she had a little giggle and I mean it's like you want to record it and take it with you but even as their
eyes filled with happy tears there hung the shadow of their loss of Jaime's parents Jim and Denise have you had time
to grieve really no no no all we've done is search for Jamie My Hope for Jamie is
that um she will recover and we will get through this together we will grieve together cuz we have not grieved as a
family for my sister and brother-in-law and we will grieve together for her mom and
dad Jamie is Jim and Denise Claus's only child they were people of Faith who worked side by side for 27 years at the
jny O Turkey plant here in Baron and they doted on Jamie known for her love of volleyball ice skating and her dog
Molly Jamie was Jim and denisa's life oh man they everything they did that they worked for Jamie y for
Jamie Jamie will now be living with her Uncle Bob and Aunt Jennifer I will never
take her mom's place her mom will always be her mom and I'll let her know that I
will be her aunt but yet I'll be like a mom to her the thing I wanted wanted to express to her immediately and we all do
is the pride we have in her for doing this for getting out for making it for the power that she has you know I mean
that she took the power away from this man that she did this are you all surprised by the strength because we
keep hearing her described as shy and quiet I am I'm you are I am I I think there was the power of God behind it all
these people in this whole nation um the prayers that were said she's a Survivor
yes she's our little Survivor now the long road of healing lies in front of this family and a set
of hard truths they will have to face together so there are many questions and I know you want answers everybody wants
answers how will you go about getting the answers to all of the questions that so many people have and yourself
included in due time we can't we have to take Little Steps J when she's ready to
talk she will we ask her can we hug you we ask her you know we're just not going
to take her and you know be gentle with her one question her family could not help asking themselves since the day
jimie was taken was why why this crime this family this child nothing made sense it still doesn't yeah it still
doesn't there's a lot of still lot of questions why with Jaime's cap doe in court they
were about to get some [Music] answers hear more from close family friends on how they're helping jamy heel
on Facebook at 48 [Music] Hours tonight's 48 hours will continue [Music] when Jake Patterson was pulled over by
police on January 10th looking for Jaimie in that red car he told deputies he knew why they were stopping him
saying quote I did it we're still in the active uh stages of the investigation we're
still serving the search War all right 4 days later on Monday January 14th Patterson appeared in court by video
phone to be charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping uh Mr Wright the
state's recommendation regarding bail state is asking the court to set cash bail in the amount of $5
million by this time Patterson had given a detailed confession that he was going
to shoot anyone inside that home including children because he could not leave behind any eyewitnesses details that
didn't help his defense I will set bail at $5 million back in Patterson's hometown of
Gordon Wisconsin the community was in shock you can't believe it your own neighbor you know doing something like
that and here she's been in this house all this time and we had no idea whatsoever Daphne ronning lived next
door to Jake Patterson who is the youngest of three siblings we see him all the time working in the yard working
on cars they were typical teenagers typical kids when Patterson's parents divorced
in 2008 he and his brother continued to live with their father in the family cabin
eventually he would live there alone over the past few years Daphne saw less and less of Jake I haven't seen him in
quite a while Kristen cazinska who made the 911 call after Jim's Escape had been
Patterson's Middle School teacher this wasn't a kid that I ever would have thought would be involved in something
like this he graduated high school in 2015 voted the most quiet person in his class in this photo he sits removed from
his classmates in a corner by himself it is up to you yes sir After High School Patterson enlisted in the Marine Corps
but he was dismissed after 5 weeks of basic training he returned home to Wisconsin and had two very short live
jobs there were no other Clues as to why he decided to commit these violent crimes why why did Mr Patterson pick
Jamie why did he feel he had to kill her parents uh those are really key questions that we want to address uh
during this investigation after two months in the baron County Jail Patterson pleaded
guilty to all charges how do you plead guilty Mr Patterson do you understand that by
pleading guilty you give up your right to a trial yes two weeks ago on May 24th jimie
Claus's friends and family packed the courtroom on the day of Jake Patterson's sentencing waiting for answers and
Justice investigators learn had plans to kidnap multiple girls and kill multiple families Baron County
district attorney Brian Wright explained how Patterson targeted Jamie he had been
thinking about kidnapping a girl for several months and was just waiting for the right opportunity in early October
2018 the defendant got a job working at Saputo cheese as he was driving to work on the morning of his first day he saw
jimie getting on the school bus that stopped in front of the CLA home his thoughts immediately turned to how he
could kidnap her Patterson made elaborate plans to take her and avoid detection he prepared himself
to try to beat the forensics of of law enforcement things like he cut his hair all off um so that he wouldn't leave
trace evidence of his hair that night he wore steel toe boots a black ski mask two pairs of gloves he
brought with him a knife black gorilla tape a flashlight and his father's 12 gauge Mossberg shotgun that was later
recovered from the defendants residence in Gordon attorney Wright told the court
what Jaimie endured for almost three months of captivity jimie went into survival mode he kept her in constant
fear by yelling at her and threatening her he physically hit her with a curtain rod exhibit seven your honor shows where
the defendant confine Jamie for 88 days this was her prison no bathroom breaks no movement no sound out of her
for up to 12 hours at a time those were the defendants rules rules she better follow or something really bad would
happen to her patter also addressed the court I would do like absolutely anything to take back what I
did you know I'm just so sorry that's the prosecutor wasn't buying it he's not sorry for kidnapping
Jamie and murdering her parents he's sorry that he got caught but the most powerful statement came from Jamie
herself read by her courta apppp appointed lawyer Chris gramstrup judge this is the statement of Jamie Claus
okay last October Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me but there are some things that Jake
Patterson can never take from me he can't take my freedom he thought that he could own me
but he was wrong I was smarter I watched his routine and I took back my freedom he thought that he could
make me like him but he was wrong Jake Patterson will never have any power over me I feel like I have some power over
him because I get to tell the judge what I think should happen to him for 88 days
he tried to steal me and he didn't care who he hurt or who he killed to do that he should stay locked up
forever thank you the judge had the last word not only were you danger to the Claus family you
are in extreme danger to the public in general he sentenced Patterson to two consecutive life sentences for the two
murders and 40 more years for kidnapping district attorney Brian Wright I hope the result in this case
will give Jamie some measure of comfort in knowing that Mr patter will never terrorize her again on behalf of Jamie I
would like to thank everyone involved in helping us through this very difficult time today was a very important step in
the process of helping Jamie to move forward Jamie will very likely have more to say in the future but we are grateful
for you allowing her to do that on her own terms thank you to that 13-year-old girl
Jamie who led us with her strength and the will to not give up your smile is now contagious across the
world see the evidence photos presented in court at 48 [Music] hours.com tonight's 48 hours will
continue [Music] when we were confirmed it was her uh you know my leg started to shake man it was
it was awesome when the news first spread that Jamie Claus was alive and safe 88 days of holding on to the faith
that our authorities would never give up and they certainly did not thoughts turned to another celebrated
case and when we hear that you know a Jamie has been found how wonderful what another miracle Ed smart knows the
anguish of waiting for a child to come home you know night after night you just want to wake up and this is a bad dream
and it's going away it was 2002 when Ed's 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth Smart was snatched from her Utah bedroom
it was one of the most publicized and memorable child of uction we have not given up on you Elizabeth we're going to
find you it took 9 months of searching and sorrow before the smart family could celebrate Elizabeth's safe return they
took me to this room and when they opened the door and she was there I just I couldn't believe it I I just couldn't
believe it Elizabeth had been abducted by this man Brian David Mitchell Whom The Smarts briefly hired to do work in
their home Mitchell and his wife held Elizabeth captive hiding and disguised Mitchell is now serving a life
sentence his wife was released after 15 years today Elizabeth Smart is 31 she has three children is a network news
commentator and has authored two books these stories are indelible and while rare still too frequent for those
involved there was the case of John Paul Getty III the grandson of oil tycoon J Paul
Getty who was kidnapped in 1973 at the age of 16 the story was told in the movie all the money in the world I start
paying ransoms I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren held by the mafia in Italy his ear was chopped off eventually a
ransom was paid and he was released 5 months later Mom Dad I'm okay I just hope that you'll do what
they say Dad and just do it quickly in 1974 19-year-old newspaper Heir Patty Hurst was kidnapped by the California
radical terrorist group The symbionese Liberation Army I have chosen to stay and
fight a year and a half later after being involved in a bank robbery she was found during an FBI raid her first
served a 2-year prison sentence as questions swirled about whether she had willingly committed violent acts I'm a
soldier in the People's Army or was brainwashed I think about you know what it was that I had to do in order to
survive it's amazing what people can do to you today she's a philanthropist mother and
grandmother another missing child made news in 1991 11-year-old old JC Dugard was
abducted on her way to school in California she was hidden for nearly 2 decades by a couple Philip and Nancy
guito Philip gito was a registered sex offender JC lived behind a series of fences and Tents even giving birth to
two children fathered by her abductor in this ramshackle backyard compound Dugard was found when she was
29 when a campus police officer noticed gito acting strangely she now heads a foundation for families in trauma when
Jamie Claus escaped ji sent her a message writing the road ahead will have many ups and downs allow yourself to
grieve and move forward October 6 202 was a Sunday it was about 1:00 in the afternoon Shawn
was bored and and uh asked if he could go out to play he wanted to ride his bike to his friend's house something
that we had let him do you know hundreds maybe thousands of times before to me he was just my sweet little
boy the parents of Shawn Hornbeck also know the pain of waiting after a child goes missing Shawn was 11 when he
vanished in Missouri in 2002 it would take 4 and 1/2 years before Shawn's parents learned what happened I didn't
didn't really know it was behind me next thing you know I was in the ditch that's when he picked me up tied
my hands behind my back and put me in the truck he had the gun he had the power a random stranger a child predator
named Mike delin abducted Shawn the thing that sticks out the most is he said you were just in the wrong place at
the wrong time Sean's nightmare came to an end when delin kidnapped another boy this time
from a school bus stop a witness helped law enforcement track down the vehicle delin drove which led them to find both
boys at Devin's apartment and then the parents who didn't know if they'd ever see their son
again laid eyes on Shawn and that was just the most wonderful feeling that you could have and then it was like the
Waterworks were just on there there was no off button on it it's like a water man
broke since then Shawn has mostly stayed out of the spotlight he was last reported to be working in a factory with
hopes of obtaining a college degree in criminal law of course it's too soon to know how
Jamie Claus will now move on unlike these other cases her parents weren't there to welcome her home I think it's
going to be hard not having her parents there but but making the connection she can and
finding the love and support from the community and the town of Baron has been giving Jamie exactly
[Music] that [Music] is small and tight-knit they never gave up on Jamie Claus and now that she's
safely home they're still coming together to show their support this community just if it wasn't close before
it is now my heart is just in a new place last month the town held a fundraiser for Jamie and her family in
the high school gym we at a beautiful benefit for the CL Family School Superintendent Diane tremble just a lot
of beauty and love wrapped around this event people's True Colors show in these times a lot of love in this town a lot
of love in this town the town of Baron showed the world the true meaning of community starting the day Jamie
disappeared day one the town was left reeling in shock and horror I've been doing this for over 20 years and it's a
crime scene like we rarely see it's going to take a toll on our people law enforcement launched a
massive search we all have the same goal in mind and that is to bring Jamie home the
entire Community joined in prayer fear and hope we will overcome the world began to learn a
little bit about the eighth grader who disappeared Without a Trace jimie wrote on one of her assignments in response to
the question what would you do if you were given a million dollars she said feed the hungry and give the rest of the
poor time was of the essence every second counts in this case more than 100 officers combed
through neighborhoods and searched for Clues over 200 tips came flooding in J's Amber Alert web page got 30,000 hits and
friends like Melissa salmonson organized a prayer vigil everyone's feeling very helpless right now and being able to
pray together and just feel like maybe those prayers are helping in some [Music]
way 4 days in the sheriff asked for 100 volunteers to search the area 300 people showed
up if you find something of Interest let your team leader know the sheriff called
upon more citizens to join in the investigation we are asking for about 2,000 volunteers to walk specific areas
in or around the crime scene to help with our investigation they came in droves they swarmed the area in line
formation through the woods across the streams and into the corn fields I believe she's still alive I
believe she's still out there and the hope is what we're riding on and that's what we're going to go
[Music] with but in the middle of all this Hope Came a solemn reminder of what was
lost two people who were deeply loved Jim and Denise Jim's parents why why they're normal people They go to work
they go home they're they're about their families As Time passed the leads dried
up and the cold reality set [Music] in investigators who had set up shop in the command center started leaving town
you know we were averaging sometimes between 100 to 250 a day now we're down to that 25ish range so we need to scale
back the operation itself life for the most part went back to normal but the people of Baron never
forgot Jamie Claus on day 77 people of all ages and walks of life called upon the spirit of
Christmas to bring Jamie home the Sport's been overwhelming Jam's uncle my Closs addressed the crowd our
families like you just we just want Jamie home that wish came [Music] true that was a pretty great hug uh when
you got to tell the aunt she's coming home my phone does not stop ringing if it's not somebody calling me it's
somebody sending send me a message all good things but everybody's just so happy and excited that she's been found
cuz she's got a whole huge family out there besides [Music] us she's loved by [Music]
everybody what's your message the best thing that we can all do to help Jamie to help this family at this time keep
her in your prayers because she's got a long road you know she's got a lot of stuff to deal with patience love and mhm
keeping her making sure she's feeling safe yeah and kindness just be kind don't be nosy just be
kind Jaime's powerful statement read by her lawyer at the sentencing shows she is taking back her life Jake Patterson
can never take away my courage I was Brave and he was not he can never take away my
spirit he can't can't stop me from being happy and moving forward with my life I will go on to do great things in
my life and he will not friends say jimie is doing very well since coming home she is seeing family
and friends and has started therapy Can't Get Enough NCIS walk the streets with real agents
joh pek was a stellar Marine on the cases they can't forget this is one of the worst cases I've ever seen Newly
Weds murdered the Killer's identities almost as shocking as the crime this is my son piece of him is finally home
Wednesday this is terrifying this is a senseless murder this is not a minor point this is really a who done it this
is a heavy gun this is hate this is real this is crazy this is the Moment of Truth this is terrifying this is exactly
what I tried to stop CVS news original [Music] reporting

"48 Hours" reports on kidnapping cases in this YouTube marathon, featuring "The Kidnapping of Schanda Handley," "Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping," and "Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero."

00:00 The Kidnapping of Schanda Handley 41:51 Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping 1:23:27 Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Shonda Hanley was kidnapped by armed intruders; her estranged husband was implicated in the crime, leading to her rescue and his arrest.

Key points

The Discovery. Police discover Shonda Handley handcuffed in a van after a harrowing kidnapping.
A Blessing in Disguise. Shonda reflects on her kidnapping as a turning point for support and safety.
Michael's Chilling Confession. Michael Hanley records himself saying he will kill Shonda, revealing his intentions.
The Courtroom Confrontation. Shonda confronts Michael in court, expressing her pain and anger.
The Dark Hours. The children endure nearly 12 hours of captivity in darkness and fear.
A Ray of Hope. After 16 hours underground, the children finally see sunlight and feel free.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I thought I'm not going to have to worry about them hurting me.

Isabella's reaction to the kidnappers' deaths.

12:29WatchMar 16, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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