'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAkpIc/wD/xAAhEAACAQMDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACBAMBBRMAERIGIjFBQv/aAAgBAQABPwDrggtdnQfCLhKDsGLEX3jkrkLfyWn7io28yxIoXOaQpC7/AHWu+v/EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADMv/aAAgBAgEBPwBEn//EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEM//aAAgBAwEBPwB2p//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The upcoming episode of CBS 48 Hours will revisit the 2017 kidnapping of Schanda Handley from her Lafayette, Louisiana home. Handley's horrific abduction took place while her 14-year-old daughter was present in the house.
Handley has narrated her brush with death and has also opened up about her belief that her estranged husband, Lawrence Michael Handley, was involved in the abduction. Her beliefs were proven true.
CBS 48 Hours' latest episode, titled The Kidnapping of Schanda Handley, will air on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 10 pm ET. The synopsis of the episode reads:
"A daughter watches in horror as her mother is kidnapped from their home by intruders posing as deliverymen. CBS Mornings lead national correspondent David Begnaud reports for 48 Hours."
Surveillance footage, video recordings, and physical evidence proved that Lawrence, Schanda's estranged millionaire husband, was the mastermind behind her abduction. The rental agreement for the van, which was used during the abduction, was also an essential piece of evidence in the case.
Schanda Handley's estranged husband, Lawrence, hired two men to kindnap his wife
The mother-of-one, Schanda Handley, was kidnapped from her Louisiana home on August 6, 2017, by two men pretending to be delivery personnel. The men reportedly held her at gunpoint as she tried to reason with them and even offered them valuables.
However, the men cuffed and shoved her into the back of their windowless white van. Schanda was rescued by an off-duty officer who became suspicious and followed them until the former's rescue.
The investigation into Schanda's abduction revealed a detailed plan orchestrated by her estranged husband Lawrence. Schanda had previously expressed concerns about him and even had a restraining order against him.
Deputy Chad Martin rescued Schanda and seized the abandoned van. A background check on the same revealed that it was rented under Lawrence's name nearly a day before the abduction from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Police later found that Handley had hired two rural Mississippi men to abduct his former wife. Additionally, surveillance footage revealed that he had also purchased handcuffs to restrain Handley from a police supply store.
After accumulating evidence to build a case against Michael, authorities detained him at a Super 8 motel in Slidell, Louisiana after a four-day long manhunt. They also discovered illegal drugs, over $10,000 in cash, and burner phones in the motel room. They even discovered a to-do list that suggested that the man was on the run.
Schanda Handley found incriminating video evidence against her husband
Schanda also found incriminating evidence after Michael's arrest while clearing up a home they owned in Mississippi. She discovered an Arlo security camera that Michael used for security purposes.
Months of footage showed Michael discussing the kidnapping, right from setting its groundwork to putting their plan in action. Michael was even caught on camera declaring that his wife needed to die.
In a video captured just two weeks before the kidnapping, Michael was seen discussing the abduction with Sylvester Bracey in the living room of the home. Bracey was one of the two kidnappers who took Schanda.
Prosecutor Kenny Hebert, who saw the footage, reportedly said,
"[Michael Handley] specifically says, 'It's almost impossible for anyone to get in here. To which Bracey responds, 'And it'll be impossible for her to get out.'"
In July 2021, Michael Handley entered a guilty plea to two charges of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of attempted second-degree kidnapping. The maximum punishment permitted by his plea agreement of 35 years of hard labor with credit for time served was handed down to Handley in March 2022.
Schanda Handley's abduction case is set to air on CBS 48 Hours on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
