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20-Year-Old Heiress Kidnapped and Buried Alive for 80 Hours. FBI Rescue Her From 'Tomb'.

The duo chose the remote area of Gwinnett County in Georgia and placed Barbara Jane Mackle in a "coffin-like box" with two flexible air tubes, water, and food.

BY SOMDATTA MAITY

PUBLISHED NOV 6, 2024

Copy of a snapshot of kidnap victim Barbara Jane Mackle. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by Bettmann)

Not many in the world can say that they were buried alive and somehow made it out to tell the tale. A 20-year-old heiress from Florida went through this harrowing experience in 1968, when a duo kidnapped her from a motel room, PEOPLE reported. Barbara Jane Mackle through those excruciating hours beneath the ground, kept her family in focus. Eventually, her ordeal ended when the FBI arrived to rescue her.

Focus on bunch of several fresh white roses lying on top of closed lid of wooden coffin standing in front of camera at modern graveyard (Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by shironosov) — A bunch of several fresh white roses lying on top of a wooden coffin.
(Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by shironosov)

Barbara Jane Mackle was a student at Emory University during the time of the kidnapping, UNILAD reported. She was in line to inherit her family’s Florida housing development company. Just before the Christmas break, Mackle called on her mother to take her from the campus. She was feeling sick and wanted to spend time at home. Her mother, Jane Mackle, arrived and they booked a room at a local inn. At 4 a.m., they heard a knock on the door, which forever changed their lives.

On the other side were Gary Steven Krist, an escaped convict, and Ruth Eisemann-Schier, a graduate student studying marine biology, PEOPLE reported. One of them claimed, that he was a detective and was there because Barbara Mackle's then-boyfriend had gotten into an accident.

Jane Mackle opened the door and was ambushed by both of them. They rendered the mother unconscious with chloroform and then bound her hands and feet. Barbara Mackle was grabbed by the duo, and stuffed into a car.

By the time Jane Mackle managed to free herself and contact the police, the kidnappers had taken Barbara Jane Mackle 30 miles north of Atlanta, PEOPLE reported. They were going to bury her alive.

The duo chose the remote area of Gwinnett County in Georgia and placed the student in a "coffin-like box" with two flexible air tubes as well as, an allotment of food, water, and sedatives. The heiress was buried a foot-and-a-half under the soil. She remained there for three-and-a-half days, and the only thing that kept her going was the manifestation, that she would be with her family during Christmas.

Krist and Eisemann-Schier demanded a ransom of $500,000 from the Mackle family, TIME reported. Robert Mackle, the patriarch of the family attempted two times to pass off the money to the kidnappers. First, at Biscayne Bay, where a resident phoned the authorities after seeing a suspicious car. On seeing the police, the kidnappers ran from there leaving everything, even the money.

The second attempt was made at an unspecified location. This time, the kidnappers received the money, and the authorities waited for them to give Barbara Jane Mackle's whereabouts. FBI received a call, in which the perpetrators gave them rough coordinates of the victim, and they rushed to the location.

(Original Caption) Norcross, Georgia: This is a view (made December 21st) of the grave-like hole in which Emory University co-ed Barbara Jane Mackle, 20, daughter of a wealthy Florida real estate developer, was buried alive after ransom of $500,000 was pail. She lost ten pounds during the 80 hours she was — A view of the grave-like hole in which Emory University co-ed Barbara Jane Mackle, was buried alive, Norcross, Georgia. (Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by Bettmann / Contributor)

After around 80 hours under the ground, Barbara Jane Mackle was brought out by authorities, TIME reported. She was reported to be in good condition and was sent to her distraught parents at Coral Gables.

On being asked how she withstood the torment of being in the soil for so long, the girl said, that she never gave up on being alive, ABC News reported. "I screamed and screamed," she recalled. "The sound of the dirt got farther and farther away. Finally, I couldn't hear anything above. I screamed for a long time after that."

According to her family, Barbara Jane Mackle recuperated well after the ordeal, PEOPLE reported. She went on to get married and have a family in Atlanta.

(Original Caption) Decatur, Georgia: Bearded Gary Steven Krist is escorted from elevator by DeKalb deputy sheriff en route from courtroom to jail here after Krist had been found guilty for his part in the kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle. An all male jury recommended mercy meaning an automatic life sentence and Judge H.O. Herbert immediately sentenced the 24 year old bearded convict to life in prison. (Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by Bettmann / Contributor) — Bearded Gary Steven Krist was found guilty of his part in the kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle. (Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by Bettmann / Contributor)

FBI after the rescue started investigating the clues, they had retrieved from the site of the first unsuccessful ransom delivery, PEOPLE reported. The car abandoned by the kidnappers at the site, helped police discover an alias Krist was using at that time, "George D. Deacon."

Further investigation revealed that the identity was being used by an escaped convict. He was soon arrested off the coast of Florida in a speed boat he purchased with some of the ransom money. Months later, Eisemann-Schier was taken into custody after she gave her fingerprints for a background check at a prospective workplace.

Ruth Eisemann-Schier was deported back to her native country while Krist was sentenced to life in prison, PEOPLE reported. He got out on parole, a decade later. At present, he is allegedly working as a licensed general practitioner in Indiana.