195
they were discovered by a quarry
security guard, who recognized
them immediately. Thirty-six
hours after the bus was hijacked,
the children were reunited with
their families.
At first, authorities assumed
that the abduction was committed
by known criminals from the area.
They fruitlessly scoured their
records for anyone who might fit
the profile. Ray, who had tried to
remember details of the abduction,
agreed to undergo hypnotism
in order to aid the police effort.
Under hypnosis, he was able to
recall the entire licence plate from
one van and part of the second –
enough to give authorities their first
big break. They soon discovered
that the old Allied removals van
was registered to Fred Woods, the
son of the quarry owner. The
authorities could only guess at
Woods’s motives and accomplices.KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTION
Kidnappers Jim Schoenfeld, Fred
Woods, and Richard Schoenfeld (left to
right) sit together in the courtroom. All
three received life sentences without
parole for 27 counts of kidnapping.Criminally induced
post-traumatic stressAccording to the US’s National
Center for Victims of Crime,
soldiers are not the only
individuals who experience
PTSD. The syndrome is also
seen in victims of civilian
trauma and criminal violence.
Symptoms of PTSD include
flashbacks and nightmares,
lethargy, detachment, anxiety,
and anger. Appeals and parole
hearings can trigger stress
reactions in victims many
years after the crime.
In the case of the
Chowchilla Kidnapping,
parents of the kidnap victims
were reluctant to admit
concerns about their children’s
mental health, so there was a
delay of five months before
they asked for help. A study
conducted with 23 of the
victims a year after the
kidnapping – and again four
years later – found that they
all experienced PTSD. Five
children who narrowly avoided
being kidnapped – because
they had only just been
delivered home before the bus
was attacked – were also
traumatized. Now in their 50s,
many of the victims report
long-term anxiety, depression,
and substance abuse.Flawed plan
Wannabe movie moguls, the three
men had wanted the ransom money
to recoup their losses from a real
estate project. Woods and his
accomplices – Richard and James
Schoenfeld, sons of a wealthy
Menlo Park podiatrist – had
imagined the kidnapping as a
perfect crime, but now it was
falling apart. Learning through
the media that their captives had
escaped, the men decided to run.
Woods flew to Vancouver and
checked into a motel under a false
name. Jim Schoenfeld planned to
drive up and meet him, but his
suspicious behaviour prompted
border guards to deny him entry
into Canada. Rick Schoenfeld,
meanwhile, returned home to
the Bay Area and turned himself
in. Learning that his brother
was in custody, Jim also returned
home and was soon arrested.
Woods, meanwhile, was
arrested in Canada after penning
a letter to a friend back home that
contained his alias. All three men
pleaded guilty to the kidnappings
and were handed life sentences. ■190-195_Chowchilla.indd 195 13/12/2016 10:09