193
Buried alive
Finally, in the early hours of 16 July,
the vans came to a halt at a rock
quarry in Livermore, about 160 km
(100 miles) from Chowchilla. The
abductors took the names of their
captives and an item of clothing
from each, then made them climb
into an old Allied Van Lines
removal van that was buried
beneath the ground.
Ventilated by two tubes, the
van was equipped with a few dirty
mattresses and box springs. The
only food provided – cereal, peanut
butter, bread, and water – wasbarely enough for one meal. Once
all the captives were inside, the
kidnappers closed the opening in
the van’s roof, plunging the interior
into darkness. They shovelled dirt
over the roof, burying their
hostages alive. The victims
huddled together in the darkness
of their metal box, the California
heat making the smell of vomit and
filth unbearable.
When the bus failed to arrive
back at Dairyland Elementary
School, parents began to call the
school. Assuming the bus had
broken down, school officials ❯❯See also: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping 178–85 ■ The Kidnapping of Natascha Kampusch 196–97
■ The Zodiac Killer 288–89 ■ The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt 324–25KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTION
It was like a grave, dark.
Everyone had messed their
pants, sweaty little bodies
in 43°C (110°F).
Lynda Carrejo LabendeiraEscape tools
The captives were able to stack the
mattreses to reach the van’s roof
opening and use a wooden beam to
lever the van’s metal lid open.Mail slip
In a letter sent from his
hideout in Canada,
Woods revealed his alias
to a friend, who gave the
letter to the police.Burial site
The removal van was
buried at a stone quarry
owned and operated by
Woods’s father.Vehicle registration
The Allied removal van
used to imprison the 27
victims was registered in
the name of kidnapper
Fred Woods.Licence plates
The kidnappers failed
to conceal or switch
the licence plates on
the kidnap vehicles. The
bus driver remembered
them under hypnosis.Chowchilla kidnapping mistakes
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