Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping | Sneak peek | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] [Music] at six 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 Town you could drive through the heart of town in about 30 seconds
[Music] very close-knit 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 it's 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 [Music] what I remember was her 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 foreign the first man came on the bus and he had a gun Ed Ray 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 sawed off double barrel shotgun
the shotgun filled me with Terror the masked men had pantyhose 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 [Music] 26 school children and their bus driver have vanished anguish parents President
Ford hundreds of searching police are asking the question where are the children

Twenty-six school children were abducted by three men and buried alive in a trailer. Inside their daring escape. "48 Hours" contributor David Begnaud reports Saturday at 10/9c (after NCAA Basketball) on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "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

The episode recounts the 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping and its impact on the community.

Key points

The Day Everything Changed. A summer day turns into a nightmare as a bus is hijacked.
The Bus Hijacking. The bus driver and children face armed kidnappers, leading to a tense situation.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I didn't know what fear was.

Reflecting on childhood innocence before the kidnapping incident

1:18WatchMar 16, 2023

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