The following day , Chaney , Schwerner , and Goodman traveled to Neshoba County to investigate the church fire . The trio was arrested following a traffic stop outside Philadelphia , Mississippi , for speeding , escorted to the local jail and held for several hours . As they left town in their car after being released , the trio were followed by law enforcement and others . Before leaving Neshoba County their car was pulled over and they were abducted , driven to another location , and shot at close range . Their bodies were then transported to an earthen dam where they were buried . They were only discovered two months later thanks to a tip-off . During the investigation , it emerged that members of the local White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan , the Neshoba County Sheriff 's Office and the Philadelphia , Mississippi Police Department were involved in the incident . Their arrest , kidnapping , and murder were intended to intimidate the incoming volunteers . Instead , it invigorated the already determined ' outside agitators ' and brought international attention to the state
arrest , kidnapping , and murder
Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner
Council of Federated Organizations