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[musicic playing]] speaker: a at the presesent ti, we know w that therere are 27 pe missing g since abouout 4:15 yesterday y afternoon.n. > at the presentnt time we there are e 27 people e missini since about 4:15 yesterday afternrnoon. speaker:r: presidentnt ford dird the e attorney g general to usel availablble governmement resour. speaeaker: the c california a nl guard jojoined statete and lol police andnd the fbi in a giaiant searchh for r the childrdren and thehe . speakeker: it was s like sosomebody comome down froroms and d just took k them upup off the p planet. wawas it an ououtright kidnappingng, a psychohopath, or sex maniac c on the loooos? speaker: w whoever didid it pt a great dedeal of plananning and effortrt and we might eveven say mononey. there e may never r have been as anguiuishing a mymystery. speaeaker: it's s the worst td of s story you c could tell. speaker:r: being bururied alive is our w worst fear.r. there may never have been an anguishing of mystery. >> it's the worst kind of story you can tell. >> being buried alive is o our worsrst fefear. >> i it showeded thehe wororld chilildhood trauma r really doe a person. . >> my childhood d ended julyly , , 1976. > i will l nenever get back kid that i wasas. that k kid stayed d undergrounu thatat happened d for each and every onone of us. chchowchilla i is in central l californiaia. it was verery small totown us. chowchililla is a plplace whee time c can seem toto stand sti, > coachehella isis in centr californiaia, very smamall town ususa. >> chohowchilla is a placece w titime can seem to s stand stil but there'e's always s somethin that seeeems to neneed to bebe planted or harvesteded as s the cycle ofof life contntinues. >> by the e time i was there in 1970, it was mainly y cattttle farmrming. ththey had a f fair and d a ror eaeach year they had a cattle e drive right througugh the cente of town. >> my dad d was a a world d chc steer wrestlerer that was raise right, really to belieieve in g and cowboy. at an earlrly age e i i knew i to b be a rodeo o cowboyoy liki dad and hihis friends.s. >> c chowchilla a wawas a wowon place to grow up. wewe'd catch f frogs. wewe'd go roroller skating d do hills,s, go play in the mumud, the e irrigationon ditches. . the townwn had no crcrime, no c at a all. > it's one of the few t town america that had fewerer bars s than it had churches. as a child god was very real to me. wewe had angels, demons. i coululd imimagine satatan's a my dad said we all had a guardian angel that keeps s tho demons at t babay. you u imprint that on n a 3-yea- old's brain anand there e isis nono doubt. >> at the time we werere in summmmer school.l. we didid arts and d crafts, ceceramics. we got to go swimming. i have a large family. i'm third youngest in a family of 11. that day i had three sibiblings on the bus and two cousins. we were little innocent children. ed ray: ok, load up. child: load up! ed ray: yeah. child: where are we going-- where are we going? eded ray: we'r're going hoho. take youou home. was ththe driver t tha >> okakay. loadad up. > cant day.y. w we load u up wherere we goioing? >> t take you home. >> e ed ray was s the driver th day. he was a lococal farmer.r. >> youou could telell thisis m bubucking his s own hay, yetet so kinind. >> h he knew allll t the kids b first naname, knknew most t of parerents. ththere's not t a one of them m didn't wanant to hug h his baca whenen they got t on the busus. almostst burnt thehe house. >> the day before the kidnapping i got into my mom's beer a and tried to make some popcororn, almost t burnt the house. she walklked in and d saidid ok mike, wellll, yoyour punisishme you'll havave toto ride e the b home tomororrow. ♪enensated--bendining over mile finally y ruinined my daddddy's ♪ as he overcrcompensateded for educucation lack ♪. >> whehen he openened up, i wew the very b back so that i cocou be r rowdy and talk with my friends.s. i was s a vevery outgoining, outstspoken chilild and d i i w coconstantly g getting in n tro on the busus for talkiking. , a, my brother jeff was also on the bus. he was one year ahead of me in schohool, an h honor roll ststu basically y an allll amerirican >> dououg was right t in froron me. . he was a sweweetheart. he was m my 10-y-year-old boyfriend.d. >> a as a chilild, i was hyperactctive. i i was such a a problblem on t you cocouldn't keep meme in a s me being me, i i fororgot to ta my meds s that day. . i was momoving seatsts, bubuggi thisis person and hitttting tht personon and p pulling this person's hair. my sister andrea w was sitting me on n the bus.s. she would d get meme to relax.x basicacally she wawas my best t friend. . >> i rememember a lot of the girls s had the crush onon the - year-old c cowboy, mikike marsh he was definititely a hahandsom- year-oldld boyoy. >> n never h heard o of him, ne really seen him before. here's thihis kid d whwho cocom of completete obobscurity fofor solele purpose t that god d knk wawas about toto happen. ff al. >> we werere driving homome. as u usual, we were e droppipin off f along the e way.y. we're e in the middldle of the orchards and fields. we turn ththis cornener anand t the spot. . >> i'd l like for yoyou to tell in your r owown words fifirst w you're rididing ththe bus,s, j tell me whwhat y you rememember >> there w was this s white van the e road andnd then two guys jumped o out with gunsns. and d onone of t them toldld us ththe door. so we openened the doooor. to the b back of thehe bus. then thehe g guy g got in. he had pananty hose e ovover hi head. he told ededward to gogo to tht baback of the bus. > i was scarered. so i ducucked under r my seat. mymy sister, a and >> ed d ray got rerea. to t the back. i went b back over to my sisist andrdrea. i heheld her hanand. >> the guyuy with the shshotgun scscared m me with his gun. >> they told eveverybody in n t first threree seats to go o to backck of the bubus. i was in t the fourtrth seatat. everybybody was scscared. > they kept theheir gun poio inin the direcection of all l o chchildren. so it was s the whwhole time pointed d at the children. lalarry park: : they were e t, smashing t their nose e down. >> even n more scaryry was the pantnty hose thahat theyey had over t their face. >> t they were tigight, smasash theieir nose d down. ththeir eyes w were hollow. it remindeded me of dedemons. i'm m trying to o figure out what's's going on.n. if i c can figure e out ththe why, thehen maybe > all of a sudden we're driving.g. i'm trtrying to figugure out wh going onon, ifif i c can figuru the e why to maybe i i can figu out a a way toto interruptpt w gogoing to comome next. we drive a little further r and the e guy ruruns t the bus intn slew. wewe were joststled alall over thehe place. >> it was a deep inclinene. we w were jojostled all overer plplace. whwhen we finally y stopop, we anotother van. now therere was a a whwhite van the e greeeen van. > the v van droveve right ba the door of ththe bubus and the ththey hadad all the kids s on riright-hand s side go into the whwhite van. >> in that first groupup o of childrdren was m my brotheher. he t turned anand lolooked at t the aiaisle. hehe gave meme t that lolook of just n need to be e quiet. >> goingng through t the door, there wawas another guguy stand therere like a statutue pointin his gun straight through. they had to go by him. they had plywood all inside the van so you couldn't see out or anything. we got in n th >> andndat van. then theyey b b secocond van up to the bus. ththe other kids, , we g got in van. i was scscared becauause theher absosolutely no o communicatati fromom them on w where we'e're or whahat they'r're goining tot wiwith us. >> andnd then ththey shut ththe doors.s. carol marshall: i had fixed michael bacon-and-tomato sandwiches for dinner. and at a about 4:30,0, i stararted lookining for the e. i had fixed michael l bacon and tomatoto sandwichehes for didinner. atat about 4:30 i started d lol fofor the bus. it didn't t come. > at 191976 the s sheriff's had one patrol officerer in chowowchilla. there was s only onene little b offifice and o one phone w when call camame inin thahat the bus missing.g. i saidid what do youou mean, missing? how doeses a school bus all painted yeyellow in a smalall county s show up m missing? i put out an all poioints bulllletin. > i w went all l the e way t school, lolooked d down everery streetet. i knew somethihing w was w wron ththe parents s were c congrega at thehe police station. >> w we are trying t to locatet lostst childreren along withth driver. >> never did i think something major like this cocould happene chowowchilla. jennnnifer brownwn hyde: seeed lilike we werere driven arard for, l like, hoursrs upon hou. l like we were driven a around for likeke hour upon h hours. > it was hot t in thahat van it w was just t stififling. > kids got t sick from m the motion of f ththe vehihicle and food, nono water. i just felt like a an animalal beining taken toto s slaughter. if you as a a child d can n be into the bacack of a vanan with any y comfororts, they didn't c abouout us. > i told a a few of my littt frieiends, i t told ththem be b bebecause evererything's g goin be all rigight. 'em.. >> we ththought thatat they mig be back ththere killining the g in the b bus becausese we didid know what t they werere doing t themem. >> i w was separatated from my three sisisters. were they y alive? did they get left t behind? >> andrerea and i were togetheh i totook herer hanand. therere was some security y the >> we e prayed. we sang "if you'rere hapappy a you knowow it clap your hahands nonobody clapppped their h hand ththey wouldn'n't lelet usus us rerestroom. i held mysyself all daday. i wawas in tears because i i wa phphysical pain. edward wasas very quieiet. i ththink he comprprehended tha this wasas a serious s situatio >> thehe k kids were askining m questitions when thehey were go to s see their mamamas a and d and i think k thatat t they beb that i wouldld t tell themem t trututh. i totold them yes, you will and didn't lie. i i dididn't tell them whahat lifetitime it mighght be. dad, r > we were l lookingoberert g everywhehere. >> m my dad, robert gottscschal wawas well knonown as s a local avaviator and d he a approach d search. >> i remember r going ouout fly in the airplanane out over theh ash slslew looking for thehe bu > dad took k frfriends to th down herere to thehe s south an is the o one thahat spspotted i itit w was d difficult to see e the groundnd because t the slel had d quite a a bibit of treese >> they knew somomething was teterribly wrongng at thatat po when thehey found the e emempty >> i c couldn't undersrstand it i actualally lookeked up in the sky,y, ufos, whahat? wherere are the e kids? whwhere's michchael? > this was a major case. . i calllled goverernor jerry y b office. i i said, "i want t every state agency that t has s cars and ra in m my office."." he s said, "you u gogot it." inin the meantimime they setet roadadblocks. and hours s and hours.s. >> we wewere driving around for seememed like hohours and houru hours s until theyey finally stopped.d. >> and s started heaearing sawi and hahammering. mimike marshalall: and thehen, f a sudddden, the dodoor flies o. >> a and then n all of a sudded door flilies opepen. >> t they totook ed ray out fif > andnd t they grababbed ono kids. dodoor flies s shut agagain. > few minuteses wouould g go they'd'd reaeach in, grarab ano kid. > i felt hehelpless. that to me was onene of the scariest because now we're goining to f find out whwhat's on. >> w when you openened t the do what d did you seeee? >> i s saw it was s kind of lik tetent, but itit had thrhree si and it had a roof on it. >> they y had built thisis struructure and d covered itit someme kind of a tarp p and tht had backed t the van underernea the ststructure anand so it waw enclososed. >> t they askeked meme my name. i i couldn't't pronounce m my r i was larry y polk and that't's theyey wrorote i it downwn. >> thehey asked me my name and agage and d ththey took my shih so a at thatat pointnt it was j in my y pipink fuzzy swimsmsuit > they tookok m my white e l pupurse which h hahad my little address s book and i thought ar you giving these guys who o are popointing g guns at you your r address s anand phone number wh they canan g get t the rest t o fafamily? > finally c came dodown t to this little e monica and she wa 4 yearars old. hardest papart thahat ststicks my head d was i had to eitheher hand h her over to t them or le her ththere and i cocouldn't ha her over. . >> they y escorted m me to w wh ththere was a hole in n the gro withth a a ladadder comiming ou i lookeded down ththe ladder a could see e ed ray. ththe kidnappepers gave e him m flasashlight. i did not t want to gogo d down therere. i knknew if i wewent down that hole, , i was nenever comingng ouout. timeme froze. then ed raray grabs mymy ankle says, "comome outside.e. it wilill be okay.y." and i climbed down i into there jennifer brown hyde: inside this hole that we were in, we w were in thehe dark agai. yoyou couldn't't really cocompd at that t point wherere you we. insiside this hohole thahat wewere in, we were in the darkr again.n. you cocouldn't reaeally comprer atat that t point wherere you w i found d my brother. . so i knew that he was alive.e. my sisters were therere. >> w when they let monicica com dodown, i was s relieved. . >> some e of thehe youounger ch were whihimpering and d crcryin i i remember j jody huffingtgto one of t the o older g girls wh tried to k keep ththe younger r calm somomewhat anand composede some people just h had t that persrsonality ofof an older sis figure that was there e toto he >> i i look k around. there are e sosome mattresesses some blanknkets. fofor to us use the rerestroom, they h had cut outut holes. >> w we were okakay at leaeast nonow. we'r're okay. we're all l alalive. wewe're all back togetheher. >> s suddenly they drop like a manhole cocover over the hole.e >> that's when we started hearing ththat dirt t and we we being g covered upup, buried a yoyou know. geororge osterkakamp: i was a younung news dirirector at k , the publicic televisioion stat. me to o me on a wiwire >> i m machine. was a youngng n at kqed, the public televivisio ststation. so i news s ofof t the kidnappi cacame to me on a wiwire machin i rerealized that this was a bi story, w was probablbly the sto of thehe decade, possibly y the storory of the c century. for parerents. it wasas a great story f for repoporters, a terriblble evene parents. >> good d evening. there mamay never have beeeen a ananguishing a a mystery. . >> it was s covered eveverywher >> the b bus has b been found. there arare no signs of f vivio and therere are only hororrifie guesses asas to o whatat may ha hahappened. >> but leded thehe n newscasts. >> stillll no break k inin that chowchilla school bus kidndnapping. >> it was s internatioionally cocovered, butut i in the early hours, of f course, nonobody kn anythingng. >> thehere are lots ofof theheo asas to why. >> can y you tell me what ththe theoriries are? we have no theorieies atat alll >> whahat would you say about t possibible motiveses, thenen? >> hadad you evever seseen any follllowing the e bubus before? >> no. >> do yoyou haveve anyny idea w might have done e ththat? >> n no. >> d did youou s see anything g the e bus let t you off? >> n no. >> t there were e peopople call withth c conspiracy y ththeorie i rememberer talkiking to one person going on and on about the son n of sam. >> m must have r received atat 1,000 calllls thinking it was t zodiac killer or moon up in n oregon. >> in ththe last few yeaears we become usesed to tererrorist activity i in this couountry ununfortunatelely. >> i is it a pololitical act, d yoyou think? >> that't's speculatation, s si yourur guess is s as good d as at this popoint. jenniferer brown hydyde: you cd hear t these, likeke, exhaust t. anand if you w went to the sid, you u could feelel air cominin. >> you c could hear these like exexhaust fansns and i if you w the sides, y you could feel l a comiming in, not air condiditio air, but warm m air circrculati >> to me therere wasas just ver littlele air, very hard d to breathe. >> afterer so many hours it t j becomes s desperate.e. >> ed d ray anand mike marshsha totook the f flashlight t anand starteted lookoking around, , e crack anand every crcrevice. they're lolooking at the walls. they're lolooking atat t the cr in the ceieiling. > the only y way to getet ou to g go ththrough the top. alall the e lilittle kids stara sayiying t try a and move it. theyey d didn't wawant b becaus thoughght we'd get h hurt if th caughtht us tryiying t to get o >> we beggeded edward d please you've g got to trtry. we'r're going g to die in n heh you'u've got to get t us out. >> ed ray put hihis handnds up. ed ray i is a a stout man, but, man, it t was nonot moving. >> then the e batterieies on whatatever fanans they hadad go they just t stopped. herselelf, prayingng. >> i remember r andreaea was sisitting by h herself prarayin >> e ed raray got us a all to c dodown. he h had allll 26 of us tatake s >> i donon't know if it was tht heat, , but i kept goioing back camping g trips thatat i i had with m my family. . i could d see the wawater. i cocould see usus gathering aroundnd the campfpfire. waititing for ththat m monster i i could see us gatathering ar the e campfire. . i could d smell the e smoke. lelenore c. teterr: in thehe , hallucinatations were e attribd toto viruses, , head injurur. bebefore chowcwchilla > in wewere attributeted to virusese hehead injurieies, but w what h been knownwn beforore chowchili that pure fright, getting scareded to deatath, could make hallucinatate. >> o one little e child saw w r ththrough the e ceiling of theh hole, , right throrough all the rocks anand the dirt t that hah been p piled on anand saw w the of kidnapperers sleepingng abob ththem. thatat was a complete mirage an that c came from beieing trauaumatized. >> when n i wokeke up, someteth wawas wrong. a a little "krkr-krrck," l like. dirt was coming in, dust. >> i it made like lilittle soun like thahat. whatat's going o on? >> t the o only thing holding t roof in placace were f four by fofours, one on ththe ceilining thenen a post holding g it up. you coululd hear t the screechc of thehe metal and thehe roof j gave. . a carrejejo: i thougug weteterrifying. . there wawas dust andnd dirt tha was flflying everyrywhere. thought t we werere going g tot right there. that's when we thought we would smother to death. lynda carrejo: and then, it finally stopped. but anyone that touched that beam-- the sand would trickle in. then it finally stopped, but anyonene that touched that beam, ththe sasand would trickl in. so w we couldn't't move. we had to o stay p put wherevev were at.t. we knenew we wouldn'n't lalast longer in n there. >> good d evening. the cacalifornia national l gua today y joined state andnd loco polilice and the fbi in a a gia search foror 26 californrnia chilildren. ththere are no r real clues.s. only a an eeeerie silence in a frigightening anand bibizarre c > throughouout much of f thi parentnts and other familyly of mimissing chchildren came to t commmmand postst set up p in chowowchilla. >> there was 100 peoplple waiti for woword and i it was scary. >> my husband bob was in canada at the calgary stampede. he w was practicically in teara tryingng to get hohome. i was s abable t to sleep p for whwhile, but a as soon as s i o my e eyes, it was like a tonon bricks h hit me. >> all we e can do is joinin wi the fafamilies a and loved o on thth