National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

15 children disappeared on a school trip 39 years ago, and the bus was never found. Officials guessed everything from a wrong turn to a natural disaster, but no answers emerged. The area near Morning Lake remained untouched—a quiet scar in the town’s memory. Last week, a construction crew uncovered a buried, corroded school bus near an old road. Inside, the bus was intact but empty—dusty seats, mold, a faded lunchbox, and a single small shoe covered in moss. No people were found. A handwritten s