The tale of a woman being buried alive and seemingly left for dead is both shocking and inspiring given her survival.
Such an ordeal is unimaginable for most, yet for Barbara Jane Mackle, a 20-year-old heiress, it became a grim reality.
Poised to inherit her family’s Florida housing empire, Mackle’s life took a dramatic turn in 1968.
As a student at Emory University, she became ill during class. Her mother collected her early before the Christmas holiday to bring her home, as reported by Time.
Barbara and her mother, Jane, arranged to stay at a motel overnight before continuing their journey.
However, a knock at their door at 4 am altered their future.
Two individuals stood outside, including someone posing as a detective, claiming Mackle’s boyfriend, Stewart Woodward, suffered a car accident.
According to Coastal Breeze News, when Jane opened the door, they encountered a masked man with a shotgun and a woman in a ski mask who forced their way in.
Jane was subdued with chloroform and tied up.
Barbara was taken by car but managed to free herself and alert the police 30 miles north of Atlanta.
Her captors were revealed to be Gary Steven Krist and Ruth Eisemann-Schier, intent on burying her alive for ransom.
Two decades later, Krist’s ex-parole officer, Tommy Morris, told UPI they didn’t bury her for the $500,000 ransom demanded from the Mackle family, but for the thrill of keeping her alive underground.
The ransom was demanded from the heirs of Deltona Corp, valued at $65 million, and the plan proceeded.
In Gwinnett County, she was placed in a ‘coffin-like box’ with air tubes, food, water, and sedatives.
She was buried a foot-and-a-half deep for three days until discovered by the FBI.
“He was looking for a rich, tough-minded female,” Morris revealed to UPI.
“Someone who could endure the ordeal of being buried alive. Barbara Jane Mackle fit that description.”
But her spirit remained strong.
Mackle documented her ordeal, as reported by UPI and ABC News: “The sound of the dirt grew distant. Eventually, I heard nothing above. I screamed for a long time after that.”
To persevere, she envisioned Christmas mornings with her family.
While her captors obtained the $500,000 ransom from her family, this ultimately led to them revealing her location to the FBI, facilitating her rescue.
The FBI captured the duo, and later arrested Krist on a speedboat near Florida, purchased with ransom money.
Eisemann-Schier was detained months later after providing fingerprints to a new employer at an Oklahoma hospital.
Reports state she was deported back to Honduras, while Krist received a life sentence.