In 1976, in the Central Valley town of Chowchilla, 26 children and their school bus driver were kidnapped by three masked men and held captive for twenty-eight hours until they managed to free themselves and escape. Although no one was physically harmed, the incident took a severe emotional toll on the children and would go on to influence how we address childhood trauma. A new CNN documentary takes a fresh look at the event, getting first hand accounts from the survivors and recreating the harrowing ordeal. We’ll speak with the film’s director and one of the survivors about the impact of the kidnapping and its aftermath.
'Chowchilla' Reexamines Harrowing 1976 School Bus Kidnapping
The Dairyland Union School bus from which 26 elementary school children and their bus driver were kidnapped near Chowchilla, California, July 16th 1976. The empty bus, camouflaged with foliage, was found abandoned. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann/Getty Images)
Guests:
Paul Solet, director, "Chowchilla"
Jennifer Brown Hyde, kidnapping survivor, subject of "Chowchilla"
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