Buried Alive - The Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Esther Ludlow

True Crime, Crime, Truecrime, Criminology, History, Criminals

4.6 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the summer of 1976, a small town in California was shaken to its core when 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver were abducted in broad daylight. The hijackers drove them to a remote rock quarry, where they were forced into a buried moving van—essentially a mass grave beneath six feet of earth. But an extraordinary act of bravery and resilience led by one victim - a 14-year-old boy - resulted in a daring escape after 36 terrifying hours underground. In this episode, we revisit the Chowchilla school bus kidnapping, uncover the twisted motives behind the ransom plot, and explore the lasting trauma carried by its survivors to this day.

Sources:

Once Upon a Crime Podcast - Season 2, Episode 84 - Last Stop: The Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping. https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep84-last-stop-the-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping/

Chowchilla, CNN Films/HBO Max Originals, 2023. https://www.hbo.com/movies/chowchilla

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.
0:07.4	It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.
0:19.0	Thank you for joining you for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime.
0:22.6	In this week's episode, we're revisiting a case I covered in season two of the podcast,
0:27.6	the Chautila school bus kidnapping.
0:30.6	Since I wrote that episode in 2018, new information has come to light,
0:35.6	including a documentary with eyewitness accounts revealing
0:38.4	details of the case not heard before.
0:41.8	In the summer of 1976, a small town in California was shaken to its core when 26 school
0:47.6	children and their bus driver were abducted in broad daylight.
0:52.0	The hijackers drove them to a remote rock quarry, where they were forced
0:55.5	into a buried moving van, essentially a mass grave beneath six feet of earth. But an extraordinary
1:01.6	act of bravery and resilience, led by one victim, a 14-year-old boy, resulted in a daring escape
1:08.0	after 36 terrifying hours underground. In this episode, we revisit the Chow Chilis School Best Kidnapping,
1:14.6	uncover the twisted motives behind the ransom plot,
1:17.6	and explore the lasting trauma carried by its survivors to this day.
1:21.6	If you missed this story on Once Upon a Crime,
1:24.6	you will learn about one of the most bizarre crime plots I've
1:27.8	ever encountered, one that resonated with me long after I finished the original episode.
1:33.3	If you listen to my episode in season two, you'll learn new details, including updated stories
1:38.6	of the children who survived two terrifying days buried underground.
1:42.7	You won't want to miss it. This is Buried Alive, the Chow Chila school bus kidnapping.
	...

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