Chowchilla Survivor Jodi Heffington Tells Her Story Before Passing Away: Obituary: All the people who were taken in the Chowchilla abduction of 1976 were fortunate to make it through alive.
We want to share with you the story of Jodi Heffington and what happened to her during the Chowchilla Kidnapping in 1976. CBS News recorded her recollections of the event in 2021 a few months before she passed away and we are sharing them now.
But the story Jodi Heffington shared about her experience during the 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping was kept secret until recently because CBS News was worried about safety risks.
Jodi Heffington: What Happened to Her?
Jodi spent many years after the kidnapping focusing on her hobbies and career. She enjoyed going to church raising pigs for competitions on her family’s farm and becoming a skilled cosmetologist.
Jodi also experienced the love of a child when she had her son Matthew. They both like to make people laugh and share the same happy and friendly nature.
Unfortunately, Jodi Heffington-Medrano also known as Nina Jo didn’t have enough time to make peace with her past before she died on January 30th, 2021. We don’t know how Jodi Heffington-Medrano died. She was 55 years old when she passed away but the cause of her death is unknown.
Fourteen months after Jodi Heffington-Medrano passed away Fred Woods one of the people who kidnapped her in 1976 had his 18th parole hearing and was granted parole. After Jodi Heffington-Medrano passed away her son Matthew Medrano wants to make sure that people remember his mom’s story and what happened to her.
Matthew Medrano wrote a letter to a TV show called “48 Hours”. He wants the show to share his mom Jodi’s story which can help other girls who have been through difficult situations. He thinks his mom’s story can inspire others and show the importance of being brave and honest.
Jodi Heffington, a Chowchilla kidnapping survivor shares her story before she passed away.
Let’s talk about the 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping known as one of the biggest kidnappings in America. Jodi Heffington was only 10 years old when it happened. She was on the bus with a group of other children who were also taken. In the summer of 1976 three rich young boys kidnapped a school bus with lots of children in a small town called Chowchilla California.
In 1976 a scary thing happened to a school bus in Chowchilla California. There were 26 kids on the bus who were between 5 and 14 years old and their driver. They were coming back from their summer activities when three young guys from rich families stopped the bus with guns. It was very scary for them.
Jodi Heffington talked to “48 Hours” about the Chowchilla Kidnapping in the episode “Remembering the Chowchilla Kidnapping.” She explained that during the incident someone with a mask and gun approached the bus she was on and demanded the door be opened.
During the interview with “48 Hours” Jodi Heffington explained that a masked person with a gun came up to her school bus. She knew it was serious because she had never seen a gun before. The person then pointed the gun at her stomach which made her very afraid.
Then the kidnappers took the scared children and their bus driver Ed Ray in two hidden vehicles for over 100 miles before dropping them off one by one. Heffington remembered the kidnapping and how the kidnappers took each child out of the bus one by one. She was scared and thought they might kill them. But instead, the kidnappers put all the kids and the bus driver in an underground truck in a big hole.
The kids and their bus driver were in a scary situation when they were trapped underground. They felt like they were in prison. But they didn’t give up hope. After being underground for almost 16 hours they managed to escape by digging their way out. It was a big surprise that they all made it out safely.