What is barbara jane mackle?

Barbara Jane Mackle was the victim of a highly publicized kidnapping case in 1968. At the time, she was a 20-year-old Emory University student, and the daughter of Robert Mackle, a wealthy real estate developer in Florida.

The kidnapping took place on December 17, 1968, in Decatur, Georgia. Two kidnappers, Gary Steven Krist and his accomplice Ruth Eisemann-Schier, posed as police officers and abducted Barbara from a motel room where she was staying with her mother. They demanded a $500,000 ransom from the Mackle family.

Barbara was buried alive in a ventilated box in an isolated area near Atlanta, Georgia. Remarkably, she was rescued after having been in captivity for about 83 hours, when the FBI and local authorities managed to trace and apprehend her kidnappers. Barbara was slightly dehydrated but otherwise unharmed.

Gary Krist was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison, but he was paroled in 1979. Ruth Eisemann-Schier became the first woman to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and she was caught in 1969. After serving her prison sentence, she was deported to her native Honduras.

The case drew significant media attention at the time due to its dramatic and daring nature, and it highlighted issues around wealth, privilege, and crime in America. Barbara Mackle later co-authored a book titled "83 Hours Till Dawn" detailing her harrowing experience.