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A MONSTER who kidnapped a bus full of school children before burying them alive in a twisted ransom bid is set to be freed on parole after 46 years.

Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, was part of a sick trio who abducted 26 kids, aged five to 14, and their bus driver in California in 1976 in one of the biggest kidnapping plots in US history.

Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, is set to be released on parole after 46 years
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Frederick Newhall Woods, 70, is set to be released on parole after 46 yearsCredit: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Two Dairyland Union School District students, who were among the 26 school children, and their bus driver who were abducted and buried in a truck underground, walk to the family car clad in blankets after release and early morning arrival in Chowchilla on July 17, 1976
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Two Dairyland Union School District students, who were among the 26 school children, and their bus driver who were abducted and buried in a truck underground, walk to the family car clad in blankets after release and early morning arrival in Chowchilla on July 17, 1976Credit: AP:Associated Press
He and two accomplices hijacked a bus and kidnapped 26 kids and their driver
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He and two accomplices hijacked a bus and kidnapped 26 kids and their driverCredit: ALAMEDA COUNTY D.A.'S OFFICE
The children and driver managed to dig themselves out and escape as their kidnappers slept
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The children and driver managed to dig themselves out and escape as their kidnappers sleptCredit: ALAMEDA COUNTY D.A.'S OFFICE

Woods and his accomplices hijacked the bus in the town of Chowchilla and transferred the youngsters and the driver into vans before driving them 100 miles away to Livermore.

All 27 captives were then buried alive in a quarry owned by Woods' father while the warped kidnappers demanded a $5million ransom in a bid apparently inspired by the movie Dirty Harry.

The terrified children and driver spent 16 hours underground before managing to dig themselves out and escape as the kidnappers slept.

Wood and fellow abductors Richard and James Schoenfeld pleaded guilty to kidnapping and were each handed 27 life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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But the sentence was overturned at an appeals court, allowing the trio to apply for parole.

Richard Schoenfeld was released in 2012, while James Schoenfeld was let go in 2015.

It's understood Woods - the last of the three in prison - first became eligible for parole in 1982.

After his 18th hearing on Friday, he was approved for parole, Joe Orlando of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said, reports

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The prison governor, however, has 30 days to review the decision and refer it to the full board review.

Several of the victims told CNN in 2015 that the ordeal left them suffering life-long anxiety.

Darla Neal, who was ten at the time of the kidnapping, told the outlet: "I'm overwhelmed to the point that I had to leave work.

"I tell myself I should be able to shake this off and deal with it.

"Yet here I am, a mess."

Barbara Parker, 8, get off the bus the that brought the children back home after the Chowchilla kidnapping on July 18, 1976
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Barbara Parker, 8, get off the bus the that brought the children back home after the Chowchilla kidnapping on July 18, 1976Credit: Getty Images - Getty
James Schoenfeld, Frederick Woods, and Richard Schoenfeld all pleaded guilty to kidnapping
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James Schoenfeld, Frederick Woods, and Richard Schoenfeld all pleaded guilty to kidnappingCredit: ALAMEDA COUNTY D.A.'S OFFICE
In this July 17, 1976, photo parents and families of the Dairyland Union School District children and their bus driver who were kidnapped, wait anxiously inside the Chowchilla police station as the students unload from the chartered bus that returned them
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In this July 17, 1976, photo parents and families of the Dairyland Union School District children and their bus driver who were kidnapped, wait anxiously inside the Chowchilla police station as the students unload from the chartered bus that returned themCredit: AP:Associated Press
Woods could be released from prison after his parole was approved
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Woods could be released from prison after his parole was approvedCredit: Getty

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