056 | Buried Alive: Barbara Jane Mackle
In December 1968, 20-year-old college student and heiress Barbara Jane Mackle was kidnapped from an Atlanta motel by Gary Steven Krist and Ruth Eisemann-Schier. Krist and Eisemann-Schier, posing as law enforcement officers, abducted Mackle and buried her alive in a ventilated fiberglass box in a remote area of Georgia. The kidnappers demanded a $500,000 ransom from Mackle's wealthy father, which was eventually paid.
After more than three days underground, Mackle was rescued by the FBI, suffering from dehydration but otherwise unharmed. Krist was captured, sentenced to life in prison, but was released on parole after ten years. Eisemann-Schier was arrested months later, served four years in prison, and was deported to her native Honduras. Despite the traumatic experience, Mackle went on to live a relatively private life, marrying and becoming a mother.
SOURCES:
ABC News. (n.d.). Kidnap victim found alive after 83 hours underground. https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91055&page=1
Associated Press. (1968, December 20). Kidnaped coed found alive; FBI rescues girl buried in box. The New York Times. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/12/20/76947092.html
Associated Press. (1968, December 23). Krist is caught, admits role in Mackle kidnap. The Miami Herald.
Eisemann-Schier, R., & Krist, G. S. (as told to Miller, G.). (1971). 83 hours till dawn. Doubleday.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1969). FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: January 1969 Edition. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/fbi-law-enforcement-bulletin-january-1969
Gentry, C. (2009, March 1). Dr. Evil: Gary Krist’s long, twisted history of crime. Miami New Times. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/dr-evil-gary-krist-long-twisted-history-of-crime-6362850
Investigation Discovery. (n.d.). Barbara Mackle: The heiress who was kidnapped & buried alive for 3 days. https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/barbara-mackle-the-heiress-who-was-kidnapped-buried-alive-for-3-days
Miller, G. (1968, December 17). Father pleads for daughter’s return. The Miami Herald.
Nash, J. R. (1990). Encyclopedia of world crime: Criminal justice, criminology, and law enforcement (Vol. 3). CrimeBooks, Inc.
People Staff. (1989, April 24). The Mackle kidnapping revisited: Barbara survived a terrifying 83 hours in a box. People. https://people.com/archive/the-mackle-kidnapping-vol-31-no-16/
Time Staff. (1969, January 3). Crime: The girl in the box. TIME Magazine. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900661,00.html
United Press International. (1969, March 6). Ruth Eisemann-Schier captured in Oklahoma hospital job bid. Chicago Tribune.
Urquhart, A., & Kelley, A. (Hosts). (2024, September 5). The kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle (Episode 597) [Audio podcast episode]. In Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. Wondery. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kidnapping-of-barbara-jane-mackle/id1379959217?i=1000666271689
