In December 1968, a crime straight out of a nightmare unfolded in Atlanta, Georgia. Barbara Jane Mackle, a 20-year-old heiress, was kidnapped, drugged, and buried alive in a custom-built fiberglass coffin—with only a small tube for air and limited food and water to keep her alive while her captors demanded ransom.

The plot was masterminded by Gary Steven Krist and his partner, Ruth Eisemann-Schier. But while Krist’s name made headlines, it was Ruth who earned a place in history. When the scheme unraveled and she went on the run, Ruth became the very first woman ever placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

This is the chilling story of the heiress who survived 83 hours underground, the sophisticated capsule designed to hold her, and the nationwide manhunt that made Ruth Eisemann-Schier an infamous name in criminal history.

This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.