In July of 1976, three men kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, California. They were driven for 11 hours, then forced into a truck that had been buried underground.
If the kidnappers’ intent was to remain tight-lipped in order to keep the kids relatively calm, it worked. But once the children were led out of the vans and saw what was happening, several of them began to scream. One by one, they were led to a hole in the ground and ordered to descend a ladder. Below ground in the quarry was a moving van with an open hatch on top. It was buried in the Woods quarry so that the captives would be unable to pierce the metal walls of the cargo area and to keep it hidden from view. To the kids, however, it was nothing more than an oversized tomb.
The men demanded the names of the kids, along with their addresses, phone numbers, and a small article of clothing, like a piece of a shirt or, in Mike Marshall’s case, a cap. Under protest, they went inside, where they were confronted with mattresses and a paltry amount of food and water. When all of them, along with Ray, were inside, the men pulled up the ladder and dragged a steel plate over the opening, weighing it down with heavy tractor batteries. This was covered with plywood and dirt, which only added to the anxiety of the occupants.
There was only enough food inside for one meal. Then the ventilation system stopped working. Then the roof started to sag. Meanwhile, the kidnappers were having trouble making a ransom demand. Read the story of the Chowchilla kidnappings at Mental Floss, including some recent updates.