The Strangest Mass Kidnapping in History... The 1976 Chowchilla Incident

In the summer of 1976, a man named Ed Ray drove a bus full of Dairyland Elementary School students home from a school-sponsored summer trip to the Chowchilla Fairgrounds swimming pool. The hot, California weather and the glow of the early evening had the entire group in good spirits. They couldn’t have known that evil was afoot and within 12 hours the entire bus full of children, and Ed himself, would be abducted and buried alive in a rock quarry 100 miles from their home. Now, 18 years after that terrifying day, we look back on the case and examine the harrowing aftermath of the largest kidnappings in US history. Timestamps: Trailer - 00:00 Intro - 00:56 Introduction to Case - 01:24 NCMEC Charity - 06:37 Start of Case - 07:49 The Kidnapping - 10:31 The Hole - 22:17 The Kids Escape - 28:08 The Immediate Aftermath - 40:07 Identifying The Suspects - 42:43 Smalls AD - 51:42 Identifying The Suspects Continued - 54:22 Executing The Search Warrant - 56:21 Beginning of The Trial - 01:01:43 Hello Fresh AD - 01:12:19 The Appeals - 01:14:55 The Death of Jodi Heffington - 01:18:46 The Prolonged Aftermath - 01:20:15 Apostrophe AD - 01:31:13 The Legacy of Ed Ray - 01:33:04 Final Thoughts - 01:38:55 Outro - 01:44:42 Support our Sponsors! Apostrophe: https://www.apostrophe.com/milehigher Hello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/milehigherfree Smalls: https://www.smalls.com/milehigher NCMEC x Kendall Rae Donation link: https://give.missingkids.org/kendallrae Charity Merch for NCMEC: https://bit.ly/3R6eTj0 Mile Higher Merch: milehigher.shop Check out our vlog channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Kendaily Check out our other podcasts! The Sesh https://bit.ly/3Mtoz4X Lights Out https://bit.ly/3n3Gaoe Planet Sleep https://linktr.ee/planetsleep Higher Love Wellness Co https://higherlovewellness.com/ Get 10% Off by entering code: homies Higher Love Wellness IG: @higherlovewellnessco Higher Love Wellness TW: @higherlovecbd Join our official FB group! https://bit.ly/3kQbAxg Join our Discord community, it’s free! https://discord.gg/hZ356G9 MHP YouTube: http://bit.ly/2qaDWGf Are You Subscribed On Apple Podcast & Spotify?! Support MHP by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcast :) https://apple.co/2H4kh58 MHP Topic Request Form: https://forms.gle/gUeTEzL9QEh4Hqz88 Merch designer application: https://forms.gle/ha2ErBnv1gK4rj2Y6 You can follow us on all the things: @milehigherpod Twitter: http://twitter.com/milehigherpod Instagram: http://instagram.com/milehigherpod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MileHigher Hosts: Kendall: @kendallraeonyt IG: http://instagram.com/kendallraeonyt TW: https://twitter.com/kendallraeonyt YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/kendallsplace Josh: @milehigherjosh IG: http://instagram.com/milehigherjosh TW: https://twitter.com/milehigherjosh Producer: Janelle: @janelle_fields_ IG: https://www.instagram.com/janelle_fie... TW: https://twitter.com/janelle_fields_ Editors: James: @jamesd.gutierrez IG: https://bit.ly/3MLG6rd Podcast sponsor inquires: [email protected] ✉ Send Us Mail & Fan Art ✉ Kendall Rae & Josh Thomas 8547 E Arapahoe Rd Ste J # 233 Greenwood Village, CO 80112 Music By: Mile Higher Boys YT: https://bit.ly/2Q7N5QO Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0F4ik... The creator hosts a documentary series for educational purposes (EDSA). These include authoritative sources such as interviews, newspaper articles and TV news reporting meant to educate and memorialize notable cases in our history. Videos come with an editorial and artistic value. 1976 Bus Kidnapping | Chowchilla, CA. (n.d.). Www.cityofchowchilla.org. https://www.cityofchowchilla.org/300/1976-Bus-Kidnapping 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping. (2021, November 19). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Chowchilla_kidnapping After Children on School Bus Were Kidnapped and Buried Underground, 14-Year-Old Miraculously Led Escape. (n.d.). Peoplemag. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://people.com/chowchilla-cnn-documentary-hero-teenager-saved-schoolmates-8410479