Morbid Podcast: "Episode Revisit: The Schoolbus Kidnapping of 1976"

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Episode Date: December 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this emotionally charged Mini Morbid, Ash and Alaina revisit the 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping—a harrowing true crime case where 26 young children and their bus driver were abducted at gunpoint and buried alive in a moving van. Despite the nightmarish nature of the story, the hosts assure listeners of its happy ending, balancing their hallmark blend of dark humor and heartfelt empathy. This episode is both a chilling recount of a historical crime and a tribute to the incredible bravery and resilience of the victims.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene

• The case takes place in Chowchilla, California on July 15, 1976.
• 26 children, ages 5 to 14, were heading home on Ed Ray's bus after summer school.
• Host Alaina gives credit for the episode suggestion to a listener named Thomas.

Quote:

“Let me preface this ... I debated whether to preface this story with it having a happy ending or not ahead of time. I’m gonna preface it with it has a happy ending because kind of needs to be prefaced that way.”
— Elena, [08:33]

2. The Kidnapping

• The bus is stopped by a white van blocking a rural road.
• Bus driver Ed Ray, a beloved figure among the kids, kindly offers help, but is ambushed by three young men with sawed-off shotguns wearing pantyhose as masks.
• The children and driver are forced at gunpoint onto separate blacked-out vans, pre-rigged by the kidnappers for abduction.

Quote:

“Three men with pantyhose over their heads jumped on the bus with guns—sawed-off shotguns—pointed at this kind man in a bus full of essentially babies.”
— Elena, [12:17]

• The children endure 11 hours in stifling vans with no water or bathroom access, riding through 100-degree Californian heat.

3. Buried Alive

• The group is eventually herded into a buried moving van at a remote California quarry owned by one of the kidnapper’s families.
• They are sealed in with a manhole cover, truck batteries, and dirt.
• Inside, they find minimal food and makeshift toilets; the ventilation system fails, causing panic and near-suffocation.

Notable Survivor Perspective:

"As a six year old, the only way that I can describe this darkness in the van is that it was trying to get me."
— Survivor Larry Park, via Elena, [16:37]

• The oldest child, Michael Marshall (14), and Ed Ray coordinate a daring escape, stacking mattresses to reach the exit. The children cheer them on in a moment of collective hope.

Quote:

"If we're going to die, we're going to die trying to get out of here."
— Survivor Jennifer Brown Hyde, via Elena, [31:28]

4. Rescue and Aftermath

• The entire group escapes after 16 hours underground, crawling into a quarry where a worker greets them with:

“The world’s been looking for you.”
— Elena recounting, [35:32]

• The police take the children and Ed to the local jail for safety, where they are reunited with their families. None of the 27 victims are physically harmed beyond exhaustion and dehydration.
• Ed Ray is celebrated as a hero, remaining close to many of the children for the rest of his life.

5. Apprehension of Kidnappers

• The three kidnappers: Fred Woods, James Schoenfeld, and Richard Schoenfeld are all from wealthy families.
• They planned the ransom scheme for over a year, motivated by greed and a desire to extort $5 million, believing that “multiple victims” (i.e., children) meant “multiple millions.”
• All three are apprehended, tried, and sentenced to life in prison, although two (James and Richard) are later paroled due to legal technicalities. Fred, the ringleader, remains imprisoned due to continued misconduct.

Quote:

"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. They're vulnerable. And they will mind you."
— Kidnapper James Schoenfeld at parole hearing, via Elena, [48:45]

6. Trauma, Recovery, and Legacy

• The children struggle for years with PTSD, nightmares, and phobias as described by psychiatrist Dr. Lenore Terr in her book Too Scared to Cry.
• Many survivors overcome trauma and choose to forgive their kidnappers; some, like Larry Park, even meet them and find closure.
• Ed Ray’s bravery is honored with a local holiday and citations for heroism. He passed away surrounded by many of the rescued children, who continued to regard him as a father figure.

Quote:

"He was just one of those guys who just ... kids were his world. And he felt like he had a duty to protect kids."
— Elena, [55:16]

• The original bus and the buried van now reside in a museum, with survivors leaving messages of gratitude to Ed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Monica, age 5, to a kidnapper:
  "Are you the Easter Bunny?" (the kidnappers' pantyhose masks resemble bunny ears)
  — Elena recounting, [15:36]

• Survivor Larry Park (age 6 at the time), upon rescue:
  "His mom picked him up in her arms ... and he said, 'I just said, hi, Mom,' and put my head on her shoulder and fell asleep because he was six."
  — Elena, [39:35]

• On Ed Ray’s legacy:
  "His own kids said he just loved kids his whole life. ... They said a lot of those children that he saved were there by his side when he passed away.”
  — Elena, [56:32]

• On the horror of defense lawyering for the kidnappers:
  “How do you lay your head on the pillow ... defending someone like that?”
  — Ash, [45:44]

• Host Commentary (on learning of the case):
  “Thank you, Thomas, for sending that to us. I can’t believe I’d never heard of that case before.”
  — Ash, [58:09]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [08:33] – Warning it has a happy ending
• [10:01] – Initial overview of the abduction
• [12:17] – Gunmen board the bus
• [15:36] – Easter Bunny quote and childlike innocence
• [16:37] – Survivor Larry Park describes “darkness”
• [23:09] – Older children and Ed try to console younger ones
• [31:28] – Decision to attempt escape
• [35:32] – Quarry worker: “The world’s been looking for you.”
• [41:18] – Police close in on kidnappers at the rock quarry
• [48:45] – Parole hearing and rationale for targeting children
• [53:23] – Psychiatrist Dr. Lenore Terr on survivors’ PTSD
• [56:32] – Ed Ray’s final years and his bond with the children

Episode Tone & Style

• True crime storytelling laced with the hosts’ characteristic irreverent humor and personal tangents.
• Deep empathy for victim experience, especially as both have young children.
• Outrage at the perpetrators and those who attempted to mitigate their responsibility.
• Emphasis on survival, healing, and the importance of community and heroism.

Closing Thoughts

Ash and Alaina bring heart, humor, and humanity to a case defined by both cruelty and hope—spotlighting the heroism of Ed Ray, the resilience of the child survivors, and the senselessness of the criminals’ greed. The episode not only informs but deeply moves, encouraging new generations to honor the courage that carried 27 people through the “lighthearted nightmare” of Chowchilla.

Memorable Sign-off:

“We hope you keep it weird. ... But not so weird that you go to the store and you buy some nylons and you put them over your head ... and just maybe wait until your trust fund hits and stop kidnapping people ... Fred, Red and Poop, those are your names.”
— Elena and Ash, [60:00]

For further reading:

• Book: Too Scared to Cry by Dr. Lenore Terr
• The bus and van can be visited at the LeGrand equipment museum, with survivor tributes on display.