speaker: a at the presesent ti, we know w that therere are 27 pe missing g since abouout 4:15 yesterday y afternoon.n. speaker: s still no brbreak inin that chowowchilla, californiaia, school bus kidnapapping. speakeker: 26 schohoolchildrend theieir bus driviver have vavan. vaninished yesteterday afteren nenear chowchihilla, calififo. speaker:r: presidentnt ford dird the e attorney g general to o ul 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 s sex maniac c on the looo? 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 kd of s story you c could tell. speaker:r: being bururied alive is our w worst fear.r. speaker: the chowchilla kids showed the world what t childhod trauma really does to a person. speaker: my childhood ended july 15, 1976. spspeaker: i w will never r t backck the kid t that i was. that k kid stayed d undergrou. thatat happened d for each and everery one of u us. [mususic playingng] chchowchilla i is in cecentral calilifornia. it was verery small totown us. chowchililla is a plplace whee time c can seem toto stand sti, but t there's alalways sosomething ththat needs toto be planteted or harvd as t the cycle o of life conont. ed b bates: by t the time i was there in 197970, it was m mainly cattle andnd farming.. they had a faiair and a rorod. speakeker: 12:46. ed batates: each y year they had a cattttle drive r right through ththe center o of tow. mike m marshall: m my dad wasa worlrld championon steer wrere. i was raraised rightht, realy to belieieve in god d and cowb. at an early age, i knew i wanted to be a rodeo cowboy like my dad and his friends. jennifer brown hyde: chohowchila was a wowonderful plplace to g grow up. we'd catchch frogs. we'd g go roller s skating dodown the hilills. we'd go play in n the mud in the i irrigation n ditche. ththe town hadad no crime,, no crimeme at all. larrrry park: itit's one off the few w towns in a america that hadad fewer barars than it t had churchches. [chuckles] as a child, gogod was vevery real toto me. spspeaker: by y the power of our living god. larry park: we had angels, demons. i could imagine satan's army. my dad said that we all have a guardian angel that keeps those demons at bay. you imprprint that o on a ththree-year-o-old's brainn and d there's just no doubt. lynda carrejo:o: at the titim, wewe were in s summer schoho. we didid arts andd craftsts, ceramicscs. we g got to go s swimming. i have a large family. i'm third youngest in a family of 11. ththat day, i i had three e sis on the b bus and twowo cousin. we were little innocent children. ed r ray: ok, loload up. chchild: load d up! eded ray: yeahah. chchild: wherere are we going-- - where are e we goin? eded ray: we'r're going hoho. take youou home. lynda a carrejo: e ed ray wawas the driviver that dad. he wasas a local f farmer. larry parkrk: you coululd tell s man n was buckining his own n. yet, he e was so kinind. glen ray: he knew all the kids by first name, knewew most of t their parene. there's nonot one of t them tt didn't w want to hugug his bak when they y got on thehe bus. mikeke marshall:l: i remembebem would comeme get me evevery dy at noon alall summer.. anand the day y before ththe kidnappiping, i got t into my momom's beer d trieied to make e some popcoc, almostst burnt thehe house. she walked in and said, ok, mike, well, your punishment is you're going to have to ridede the bus home tomorrow. [gunilla hutton,n, hot chowcwcha dust] (singing) ) bending over mililes of cotttton finally ruruined my dadaddy's b. as he e overcompenensated-- jennnnifer brownwn hyde: when we loaoaded up on n the bus, i wentnt to the vevery back, o thatat i could b be rowdy anank withth my friendnds. i i was a veryry outgoing,, outspokeken child, and d i was consnstantly getettn trouble onon the bus f for talk. (singing) ) --as he pupulled e through ththat hot chowchillala dust. jennnnifer brownwn hyde: my y br jeff wasas also on t the bus. he was onene year aheaead of mn schoolol, an honororable stude, basically, an all-american kid. lynda a carrejo: j jeff was rit in front of me, by the way. he w was a sweetetheart. hehe was my 1010-year-old d boy. (singiging) --as i i fall in t h that hot c chowchilla a dust. larry y park: as a a child, i was hyhyperactive.e. i i was such a a problem o on t. you couldndn't keep meme in a s. and me b being me, i i forgot to take e my meds ththat day. i wawas moving s seats, bugging ththis person,n, anand hitting g this persosond pulling ththis person'n's hai. my sisteter, andrea,a, was sisitting by m me on the b b. she would d get me to o rela. basically, she was my best friend. lynda carrejo: i remember a lot of the girls had a crush on the 14-year-old cowboy, michael marshall. hehe was definitely a handsomeme 14-year-o-old boy. larry papark: never r heard of . nevever really s seen him bebe. here's's this kid d who comes out of complete obscurityy for r the sole p purpose thahad knew what t was about t to hap. wewe were driviving home.. asas usual, wewe were dropopg kidsds off alongng the way.. wewe're in thehe middle off the orchchards and f fields. we tururn this cororner, anand ed ray s stopped. officer (on tape): i'd like you to tell me in your own wordrds first. when you'r're riding t the bu, just tell l me what yoyou remem. jennnnifer brownwn (on tape): there e was this w white van p d onon the road.d. and thenen-- two guyuys jumpmped out witith guns. anand one toldld him toto open his s door. so he e opened thehe door. and thenen, the guy y got in. he had a p pantyhose over hisis head. he told ededward to gogo to the b back of thehe bus. jenniferer brown hyde: i wawas scared,, so i duckeked under mymy sea. larrrry park: eded ray got u, and d he moved t to the back. i i went back k over to my sisteter, andrea.a. i heldld her hand.d. mimike marshalall: the guy with t the shotgunun-- hehe's staring at me witith his. mimike marshalall (on tapep: theyey told evererybody inin the firstst three seaeato go to the e back of ththe bu, and i wawas in the f fourth se. evererybody was s scared. lyndnda carrejo:o: they keptptr gun pointeted in the d directn of all o of us childldren. soso it was, t the whole t t, poininted at thehe children. jennnnifer brownwn hyde: even morere scary wasas the pantyte that t they had pulleded over theheir face. lalarry park: : they were e t, smashing t their nose e down. theieir eyes werere hollow.. it remininded me of f demons. mike m marshall: a and all of a suddenen, we're drdriving. 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 i can figugure out a w way to interrupt t what's coming to comeme next. and d we drive a a little fufu, then the g guy runs ththe bus intoto a big slolough. lylynda carrejejo: it was a deepep incline.. wewe were joststled alall over thehe place. when we finally stopped, we saw another van. now, t there was a a white van and a a green van.n. larry y park: the e van drove et back to ththe door of f the b. and then, , they had a all te kids on ththe right-hahand sie gogo into the e white van.. jennifer b brown hyde:e: in ththat first g group of chchin was my brorother. he turned d and lookeded at me e down the a aisle. he gave e me that lolook of, you just n need to be e quie. mike m marshall: g going ththrough the e door, there's ananother guy y standg there lilike a statutue, pointingng his gun straightht through.. so youou had to gogo by him. theyey had plywowood all l inside thehe van, so that you couldn't see out or anything. jennifer brown hyde: and then, they backed the second van up to the busus. and the other kids, we gotot in that v van. i was scscared, becacause thee was absosolutely no o communican from t them on whehere we're gg oror what theyey're going g to wiwith us. lalarry park: and then,, they s shut the dodoors. carol marshall: i had fixed michael bacon-and-d-tomato sandwicheses for dinnener. and at a about 4:30,0, i stararted lookining for the e. it d didn't comeme. eded bates: inin 1976, thehe shs officece had one p patrol offir in c chowchilla.a. there wawas only onene little bitty ofoffice and o one phon. when t the call cacame in tht the bubus was missssing, i sa, whwhat do you u mean, missss? how w does a schchool bus, all paininted yellowow, in a s small countnty show u up missing?g? i i put out anan all-popoints bulleletin. cacarol marshahall: i wentnt ae way to t the school,l, looked n every ststreet. i knew s something w was wron. ththe parents s were congrgregg at the police statation. wowoman: we'rere trying too locate 2 26 lost chihildren, along wiwith their d driver. patricia c crews: nevever didi think somemething majojor like s could happppen in chowowchill. jennnnifer brownwn hyde: seeed lilike we werere driven arard for, l like, hoursrs upon hou. larry y park: it w was hot inin that van.n. itit was just t stifling.. jennifer b brown hyhyde: kids g got sick fromom the motioion of the vehicle, a and no foodod, no wa. i jujust felt lilike an animl beining taken toto slaughter. if y you, as a c child, can e throrown into ththe back of f n withouout any comfmforts-- they didn'n't care abobout u. jennnnifer brownwn (on tape)ei toldld a few of f my little e f, anand i told t them, be brbr, bebecause evererything's g gg to be all l right. mike marshshall (on tatape): e thought ththat they mimight be k there, k killing thehe guys in n the bus, becacause we dididn't know w t theyey were doining to 'em.. lynda a carrejo: i i was separd frfrom my threree sisters.. were thehey alive? did ththey get lefeft behind? larry y park: andrdrea and d i were togogether. i tookok her hand.d. there wawas some sececurity th. jennifer b brown hyde:e: we pra. wewe sang, "ifif you're hahappd you knowow it, clap p your han" nobody clalapped theirir hand. lylynda carrejejo: they wowout lelet us use t the restrooo. i held m myself all l day. i was inin tears, bebecause i i was in phyhysical paini. edwaward was verery quiet. i i think he c comprehendededt this was a a serious s situati. mike m marshall: t the kids were asksking me queuestions. one was, a are they gogoing o see their r mommies anand dadd? and d i think ththat they bebed that i wouould tell ththem the trututh. i told thehem, yes, yoyou wil. and i dididn't lie.. i i didn't telell them whaht lifefetime it mimight be. [sirens blblaring] ed b bates: we w were looking for r 'em everywywhere. dan n gudgel: mymy dad, r robert gudgdgel, was wellll known ass a local l aviator. anand he approroached dan n rt here to auaugment the e searc. dan n lawrence: : i remembererg off flyingng in the aiairplanet overer the [? asash ?] sloug, lookoking for ththe bus. dadan gudgel: : dad took [? brenda'a's ?] slougugh down e to thehe south, anand dad is the one ththat spotteded it. it w was difficucult to see from t the ground,d, becaususe the slououghs had quite a a bit of trerees. patricia c crews: theyey knew something g was terribibly wrwrong at thahat point whwn theyey found thehe empty bus. carol mamarshall: ii couldn't't understanand it. i i actually l looked up i in t. ufosos? what?? where are e the kids?? where'e's michael?l? ed bates: : this was a a major . i calllled governonor jerrrry brown's s office. i sasaid i want t every state agencycy that has s cars and r s in my ofoffice. he said,d, you got it. in t the meantimime, we set up roaoadblocks. mikeke marshall:l: we were driving g around foror-- seseemed like e hours and hours s and hours.s. untitil they fininally stoppp. larry y park: and d started hearing g sawing andnd hammeri. [sawining, hammeriring] mimike marshalall: and thehen, f a sudddden, the dodoor flies o. larry parkrk: they tooook ed r ray out firirst. mike marshshall: and t then, ththey grab onone of the k k. the door f flies shut t agai. jennifer b brown hyde:e: a few miminutes woululd go by. theyey'd reach in and grab another kid. mike mararshall: i f felt helpl. that, toto me, was one of t the scariesest, becacause now, w we're goingno fifind out whahat's going g . offificer (on tatape): when ny opopened the d doors, whatatd you sesee? jenniferer brown (onon tape):i saw it w was kind ofof like a t, but itit had threeee sides, and it h had [? roofofing. ?] larry y park: theyey had bubuilt this s structure and coverered it withh some k kind of a t tarp. anand they hadad backed ththen underneathth the strucucture, anand so it wawas enclosede. theyey asked me e my name. i couldndn't pronoununce my r, so i wasas "lae-wee e powk," and thatat's how they wrotete it down.. jennififer brown h hyde: they asked d me my nameme and my a, and they t took my shihirt. so at thatat point, itit was jt me andnd my pink f fuzzy swims. lynda a carrejo: t they took y pursrse, white l leather puru, whwhich had a a little addddres. and i ththought, arere you givg thesese guys whoho are pointng gunsns at you yoyour addresssd phonone number w where they y ct the rest o of your famamily? mimike marshalall: finanally, came e down to m me and thisis little momo. and she wawas four yeaears ol. hardest papart that sticks o out in my h head wawas i had toto either hand herer over to t them or l leave her t there. and i i couldn't h hand her ov. larry papark: they escorteded me to whehere there e was a holele in the grd wiwith a laddeder coming o o. i lolooked down n the ladder, and i i could see e ed ray. ththe kidnappepers gave him one e flashlightht. i i did not wawant to go d down. i knewew if i wentnt down thata, i was nevever coming b back o. timeme froze. and then, , ed ray grarabs my anankle and sasays, come o on i. it'll bebe ok. and i climimbed down i into th. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? did we peak your interest? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible, it's happening. i'm free to explore. i'm free to learn. i'm free to forge my own path. contra costa college is free for full-time students, which makes you free to explore all the incredible opportunities unleashed by higher learning. start your future and apply today at contracosta.edu/free 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. i found mymy brother, , so i knewew that he w was alive.. lynda carrrrejo: my sisters s were therere. mike mararshall: whehen they let monicaca come downwn, i was relilieved. jennififer brown h hyde: some of the y younger chihildren were whimpmpering and d cryin. i rememberer jodi heffffingtn was one ofof the olderer girs who trieied to keepp the younunger kids cacalm, somewhwhat, and cocomp. some peoplple just had that p personalityty of an n older-sistster figure that wasas there to o help. larrrry park: i i look aroun. ththere are sosome mattresess anand some blalankets. for us t to use the e restroo, they had cut out h holes. mike m marshall: b but we were ok, a at least fofor no. we'r're ok. we're e all alive.e. we'r're all backck together. larry parkrk: suddenlyly, thy dropped, l like, a mananhole cr over the h hole. mimike marshalall: that's s n wewe started h hearing thahat . you u know, pshhhhh. wewe were beining covered d , buriried alive, , you know.. [dirirt falling]g] geororge osterkakamp: i was a younung news dirirector at k , the publicic televisioion stat. so the n news of thehe kidnappg cameme to me on n a wire macac. i realalized that t this was s a big storory. itit was probabably the ststof the decadede, possiblyly the sy of t the centuryry. itit was a grereat story f r repoporters, a t terrible evet for parerents. reporter: : good evenining. there e may never r have been as anguiuishing a mymystery. gegeorge ostererkamp: it was coverered everywhehere. rereporter: ththe bus hahas been fouound. there arare no signsns of viole, anand there arare only hororrd guesesses as to o what mamay have hapappened. george oststerkamp: itit led ththe newscaststs-- reporter: : still no b break inin that chowowchilla, califofornia, schohool bus kikidnapping.. geororge osterkakamp: it was internatationally cocovered. but in t those earlyly hours,f coursese, nobody k knew anythi. reporter: there e are lots of theorories as to o why. leroroy tatum: y you tell me what t the theorieies are. i willll select onone. we have e no theorieies at al. reporter: : what wouldld you y about the e possible m motive t? do you havave a ththeory as toto what-- ed bates: : no, i realally don. i i don't realally have ono. reportrter: sandy y zylstra ws the e last childld to be letef the e bus beforere it disapppp. had you evever seen anany cas following g the bus bebefore? sandy y zylstra: n no. reporterer: do you h have any idea whoho might havave done t? sasandy zylstrtra: no. repoporter: did d you see anang after the e bus let yoyou of? sasandy zylstrtra: no. patricia c crews: therere werere people cacalling in with conspspiracy theoeories. i rememember talkiking to one en going on a and on abouout the n of sam. ed b bates: must have receceivet least 1,1,000 calls s thinkingt was ththe zodiac k killer or moon upup in oregonon. womaman: i mean,n, in ththe last fewew years, we've bebecome used d to terrot actitivity in ththis country. unfortunatately so. reporterer: [inaudibible] popolitical acact? robert g gebhardt: t that's speculatioion, sir. yoyour guess i is as goodd as minine at this s point. jenniferer brown hydyde: you cd hear t these, likeke, exhaust t. anand if you w went to thehe s, you coululd feel airir coming . not t air-condititioned air, but wawarm air cirirculating. mimike marshalall: to me, , te was just v very littlele air. very harard to breatathe. jenniferer brown hydyde: afteter so many y hours, it jusust becomes s desperat. larry y park: ed r ray and mie marsrshall took k the flashlht and rereally startrted lookining around.. evevery crack k and every y cre- they'r're looking g at the wal. they're lolooking at t the cracacks in the e ceiling. mike mararshall (on n tape): oy way y we could g get out wasaso ththrough the e top. all the lilittle kids,s, they s started sayaying, try and momove it. edward dididn't want to, becacause he thouought we'd g get hurt ifify caught us s trying to o get o. lynda a carrejo: w we begged edward, , please tryry. you'veve got to trtry. we'r're going toto die in heh. yoyou've got t to get us o o. larry papark: ed rayay put hihis hands upup, and d he pushed d on it a l little bit.t. ed rayay is a stouout man, bt man, it was not moving. jennifer b brown hyde:e: and t, the babatteries onon whatever s ththey had goioing-- ththey just ststopped. larry y park: i reremember anda wawas sitting g by herselelf, prayingng. ed r ray got us s all to calalm. he h had all 26 6 of us takeke . i i don't knowow if it wasas th. but t i kept goioing backck to campining trips thatat i had hadad with my f f. i cocould see ththe water. waiting g for that m monster f. i cocould see usus gathering aroundnd the campfpfire. i could smsmell the smsmoke. lelenore c. teterr: in thehe , hallucinatations were e attribd toto viruses, , head injurur. but whwhat hadn't t been knowown before c chowchillaa is that pupure fright,t, getting g scared to o death, cocould make y you halluci