In 1976, Frederick Newhall Woods IV and brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld kidnapped a school bus driver and 26 children, then buried them alive in a moving van trailer in a quarry. He said, Oh, yeah, I've cracked down on a couple of trespassers with a shotgun. I thought, well, what's with this guy. He wanted to really control. Six months after the mass abduction, Bay Area psychiatrist Lenore Terr had gone to Chowchilla to help with a noted rise in nightmares and phobias that were being experienced by the children; Terr conducted interviews with all but one of the children, also performing follow-up interviews three to four years afterward. Ray and Michael Marshall, aged 14 at the time, managed to find an escape for the group, which finally led to the apprehension of the three kidnappers, Frederick Newhall Woods IV, the quarry owners son, and his two friends, James, and Richard Schoenfeld. Less than a week later, Frederick Woods was captured in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and James Schoenfeld was captured in Menlo Park, California. On July 29, fourteen days after the mass abduction, Frederick and James were both arrested when they were recognized by several civilians. Wedging a wooden beam through a small gap between the hole and the metal lid, they were able to move the lid, allowing Ray to reach up and pull down a heavy industrial battery that was used to weigh down the lid. He has married three times during the period of his incarceration, and he has also purchased a mansion nearby. Scrawled above it are the words, Our first baby. What is lynching and what is the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill? Mass Abductors I knew it.'. Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, was one of three men who kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, a small city in Northern California's Madera County, more than 45 years ago.. A van reportedly blocked the road ahead of the bus, with three armed men jumping out and confronting the driver. I full take responsibility for this heinous act.. Frederick Newhall Woods is ready to go free - Wikipedia Frederick Newhall Woods was 24 years old when he committed the crime. They will mind.. California law forbids the release of school records, but Mr. Woods reportedly did not do well in school, did not care for it. ', She added:'He's not someone who should be released. Frederick Newhall Woods, now a bit frail, had been incarcerated 43 years for helping commit one of California's most shocking crimes. However, he was merely denied entry again, and James went back to Idaho, where he abandoned the car in Coeur d'Alene the next day and purchased a truck that he drove back to Washington. Mr. It surprised me how much [money] he made, but it was a lot, the youth said. Survivor Larry Park told CBS News that Ray and Mike Marshall, one of the oldest students among the kidnapping victims, stacked the mattresses left in the trailer for them high up until they were right underneath the manhole cover at the top. Frederick Newhall Woods IV and Richard and James Schoenfeld were soon . His parole hearing in March of 2022 was held at the California Men's Colony, a state prison. It was at the Woods estate, called The Hawthorries, in wealthy Portola Valley, that the authorities found a draft of the kidnapping ransom note demanding $5 million from an undesignated source. Natasha Anderson For Dailymail.Com, Last kidnapper who hijacked school bus and kept 26 kids 'buried alive' in underground bunker could soon be set free, Man, 70, who masterminded hijacking school bus full of children for $5 million ransom in 1976 after being inspired by 'Dirty Harry' will be paroled: Kids and driver were buried in ventilated underground bunker and dug themselves out. While underground, Ray and one of the elder students were able to dig their way out of the truck. So, where are they now? By 7:30 p.m., an all-points bulletin was broadcast while numerous people, including the parents of the missing children, initiated a widespread search. Jerry Brown paroled James Schoenfeld in 2015. The ones he sold he made a lot ontwo or three hundred dollars for a junker, up into the thousands.. For a grueling 16 hours, the bus driver and one of the oldest students worked tirelessly to free themselves and the other children from the makeshift prison before they ran out of air or the roof of the truck collapsed in on them from the weight of the dirt above. A panel of two commissioners with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Friday recommended parole for Frederick Newhall Woods, one of three men who hijacked a school bus with 26 children aboard in Chowchilla, Calif. on July 15, 1976. Male (all three) To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The panel's proposed parole decision will become final within 120 days. Woods and the Schoenfelds wanted a $5m ransom for the safe return of the children to their families, but their plan quickly went awry. Richard and James's father worked as a podiatrist, while Frederick's father was a businessman who owned and managed a multitude of businesses, including a rock quarry located in Livermore, California. We needed multiple victims to get multiple millions, and we picked children because they are precious, James Schoenfeld said at a 2015 parole hearing. During the hearing, Woods provided an apology to the victims. Once they found themselves above ground, Ray and the children walked to the quarry's guard station near the Shadow Cliffs East Bay National Park where authorities were called. He was always swaggering, she said. Like his accomplices, he received 27 life sentences without the possibility of parole. He was 57 at the time. Frederick Newhall Woods was 24 years old at the time of the 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping. Though none of the victims of the kidnapping sustained life-threatening physical injuries, the psychological effects of being taken hostage at gunpoint and then kept underground for nearly 20 hours have been harrowing for many. but he didn't tell me until he got mad at me when we broke up., The young woman said that they seldom went out on dates, and that Fred Woods was very thrifty, but in odd ways. He'd buy things he didn't needflashlight batteries, maybebecause they were cheap. First, jammed phone lines meant that the kidnappers couldnt communicate their ransom demand. Authorities issued an all-points bulletin for young Woods and his two friends, James Schoenfeld, 24 and his brother, Richard Schoenfeld, 22, sons of a wealthy podiatrist. Frederick and James panicked and fled northward in a car, while Richard decided to return home to confess to committing the mass abduction to his parents. No. Eighteen months after the mass abduction, one of the older male victims shot a Japanese tourist with a BB gun when the tourist's car broke down in front of his home. His father. As a youngster, little is known of Fred Woods. PLEASE NOTE ORDERS MAY TAKE LONGER TO SHIP AT THIS TIME. James Schoenfeld once told parole officials that he envied friends who had 'his-and-hers Ferraris.' Inside the prison bunker, Ray and Marshall worked quickly to find a way out. Ive had a character change since then. At trial, all three men pleaded guilty to kidnapping for ransom and robbery, and they were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. of Mutual Victims Six days later, his older brother, James, and the third kidnapper, Frederick Newhall Woods, both 24, were captured -- Woods in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Schoenfeld in Menlo Park. Woods appeared via video on Friday before the panel where his attorney, Dominique Banos, said his client has not faced any disciplinary actions since 2019. 'He's ruined the lives of dozens of these kids - they still struggle, a lot of them, with the aftereffects of this. Frederick Newhall Woods did not have the same success with the parole board. Richard Schoenfeld turned himself in to authorities eight days after the kidnapping; his brother was captured in Menlo Park, California, not far from the quarry; and Frederick Newhall Woods was arrested in Vancouver, Canada, after fleeing the country. Frantic parents, school officials and police . "I tell myself I should be able to shake this off and deal with it. Ahead of the 48 Hours episode about this infamous Chowchilla Kidnapping, heres what you need to know about where the kidnappers are today. The three men were arrested in the weeks following the kidnapping and were initially sentenced to life in prison without parole, but an appeals court later changed the sentences to make the trio eligible for parole. And they dont fight back. While executing a search warrant at the Woods estate, investigators found a gun used in the abduction, a draft of a ransom note, and even a document titled plan. But Woods and his two suspected accomplices, brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld, were nowhere to be found. A local NBC affiliate reported at the time of James parole that he would join Richard in caring for their elderly mother at her home in Mountain View, California. His trust fund helped settle the civil lawsuit brought by the kidnapping victims. A school bus carrying 26 students mysteriously vanished on the way back from a summer field trip, and three wealthy young men were the top suspects. And they dont fight back. The thing that made me cry was not being able to say goodbye to my mom. 01:30 GMT 30 Mar 2022 We needed multiple victims to get multiple millions, and we picked children because children are precious, Schoenfeld said. TruTV states that they were in their early- to mid-20s at the time of the mass abduction, which would place their approximate time of birth at around that decade, Real Criminals Referenced in Season Eight, Wikipedia's article on the mass abduction, TruTV Crime Library articles on the mass abduction, Section on the Chowchilla city website that describes the mass abduction. He came home and told me about it and was all excited. Woods has spent the vast majority of his life in prison, where his disciplinary record reportedly includes citations for running an unauthorised gold mine, a car dealership, and a Christmas tree farm. In 1993, a made-for-TV movie based on a book written about the crime was made, and Frederick sued the filmmakers, feeling that the character portrayed in the movie was extremely biased, but the lawsuit was eventually dismissed. They were good kids., See the article in its original context from. I asked him if he felt funny, finding a dead man. At the time of his release, his lawyer said to People Magazine, It was long overdue, and I think there is solid evidence that he isnt dangerous, and California has no interest in keeping him in prison. So, where are they now? That, plus the fact that Frederick's father owned the rock quarry where the hostages were discovered, placed suspicion on him. 'I believe you have served enough time for the crime you committed,' Park said Friday, before adding: 'I'm concerned about the addiction you may have about money.'. I tell myself I should be able to shake this off and deal with it, Ms Neal said. Ed Ray and the children escaped from the buried moving truck after 16 hours. gas and land His friends say Woods never hurt for money. According to the Associated Press, the men had kidnapped the children because they were deeply in debt and planned to ask for a hefty ransom. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) The next evening, James arrived at the U.S.-Canadian border in Idaho and tried to get in, using a false story, but was denied entry, and he instead went to Spokane, Washington. However, 36 years later, in 2012, Richard was the first of the trio to be granted parole. He was bitter about it, about the way his marriage had broken up, said a 20yearold woman who was Fred Woods's girlfriend until about 10 months ago, when she broke off her relationship with him. He'd mention the trips they'd taken to Baja, California. The former wife, Mrs. Padgett, said in an interview in Georgia that during the time she lived with Mr. Woods at the estate, he kept a pistol in a small portable safe, along with personal and financial records and some cash. He was always alone in them and his parents were always together., Others who knew Mr. Woods casuallya service station attendant where he had his cars certified for sale, a former high school classmate and a neighbor who saw him occasionally also agreed with the description of him as a loner, the kind of guy who didn't seem to want to make friends., In contrast with this picture of Mr. Woods is the description by acquaintances of the Schoenfeld brothers. Currently, Frederick is 68 years old. In October 2019, Woods was denied parole for the 17th time. While behind bars, he continues to run his businesses and grows richer by the day. The authorities only discovered the businesses when a workers compensation lawsuit was filed against him. The young Schoenfeld is also sought in the kidnapping. During that time, the younger Woods, in partnership with 24yearold James Leonard Schoenfeld, the son of Dr. John B. Schoenfeld, a podiatrist of nearby Atherton, restored the vehicles they bought and sold them in a business venture in which they employed parttime mechanics. His accomplices, brothers Richard and James Schoenfeld, were freed years ago. Chowchilla bus kidnapper Fred Woods, 70, has been approved for parole - CNN. Three young men from extremely wealthy families had meticulously planned and carried out the kidnapping all so they could demand a $5 million ransom to pay off their debts. Woods also married three times while in prison. His parents often . In response, James drove back to the Bay Area, unsure of what to do, while Frederick wrote a letter to a friend, but the friend turned the letter in to the FBI. "Now I fully understand the terror and trauma I caused. If were going to die, were going to die trying to get out of here, she remembered Ray and Marshall saying. Public DomainFrederick Newhall Woods IV, James Schoenfeld, and Richard Schoenfeld planned the Chowchilla kidnapping for over a year. Frederick has been called the mastermind of the kidnapping, and like his accomplices, he received 27 life sentences without the possibility of parole. When Frederick Newhall Woods and two other gunmen hijacked the school bus in Chowchilla, California, it was considered the biggest kidnapping in US history. But opposing Woods's release were survivors Jennifer Brown Hyde and Laura Yazzi Fanning; Matthew Medrano, son of survivor Jodi Heffington Medrano who has since died; and Carol Marshall, mother of survivor Michael Marshall, and Lynda Carrejo. Most of her short marriage with Mr. Woods was not happy, Mrs. Padgett said. His parents, Fred and Harriet. Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, was one of three men who kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, a small city in Northern California's Madera County, more than 45 years ago. One of the three boarded the bus, masked, armed with a shotgun, and carrying nylon stocking, boarded the bus when Ray opened the door, having already noticed his items and hoping to engage in a peaceful negotiation. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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