Chowchilla Kidnapper Released From Prison

Chowchilla school bus kidnapper Richard Schoenfeld has been released from prison by the California Department of Corrections.

Richard Allen Schoenfeld, 57, the convicted kidnapper who abducted 26 schoolchildren and their school bus driver in 1976 and buried them alive in Livermore, California, was released to an undisclosed location from the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Jill Klinge said that the Chowchilla kidnapping victims "are still affected by the kidnapping on a daily basis," adding that many of the victims still have difficulty sleeping and some of them have led troubled lives over the years.

School bus driver Frank Edward "Ed" Ray, the hero who risked his life rescuing all 26 schoolchildren from imminent death in 1976, was officially awarded by California Governor Jerry Brown for his heroism.

Over the years, the heroic bus driver objected to Richard Schoenfeld ever being released from prison, as he still felt protective of the kidnapped students in the years since their abduction.

Ed Ray died last month, and California still mourns the passing of the officially proclaimed California state hero.

At the same time, Chowchilla kidnapper Richard Allen Schoenfeld is now free to circulate among society, though he will be monitored by GPS surveillance.

1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping Video