Skip to content

Nightmare in Chowchilla

July 16, 2026 · 41 min

Show notes

A school bus never makes it home. Twenty-six children and their driver disappear without a trace, sending a small California town, and the nation, into panic. On the 50th anniversary of the Chowchilla kidnapping, we revisit the crime everyone remembers... and the story almost no one knows.

Subscribe to The Binge today to get this episode ad-free and unlock 60+ true crime series instantly. Subscribe directly at GetTheBinge.com — or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, tap "Subscribe" at the top of the show page.

For important links from the episode, check out our source material here. 

Remember "The Fake Stalker?" The unbelievable story of a pregnant newlywed who claimed her husband's ex was stalking her is the subject of Netflix's upcoming documentary A Toxic Love Story. Jonathan Hirsch will be sitting down with Michelle Hadley herself next week—and Patreon subscribers can submit questions for the interview here.

Follow Crime Scene on socials! 

Instagram: @thebingecrimescene | @thebingetruecrime 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebingecrimescene

Crime Scene is hosted by Jonathan Hirsch and Cooper Moll. 

Instagram: @thisisjonathanhirsch | @bycoopermoll

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All episodes of Crime Scene

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.