While investigators were checking into Parnell's past, the 1951 sodomy conviction came to light, although at the time Stayner insisted that Parnell had not sexually abused him.[11]. He died as a result of catastrophic head injuries he got when his motorcycle collided with a car in a hit-and-run accident while on his way home from work. If you havent got three hours to spare, heres everything you need to know about the horrific story of Steven Stayner. Stayner had a pet dog named Queenie, with whom he formed a close bond, and was permitted to begin drinking and smoking at a young age. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. On Sept. 16, 1989, Steven, then 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident while on his way home from work. English Wikipedia. [16][17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. Parnell was registered as a sex offender when he lured 7-year-old Stayners into his car as the boy walked home from his elementary school in Merced, California. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. Following his brother's death, History reports Cary worked as a handyman at a lodge near Yosemite National Park. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. [9] Weeks afterward, Stayner escaped Parnell's house with White; he later said he did not want the boy to suffer the abuse that he had endured. There, they pretended to be ministers and lured the 7-year-old Stayner into the van by telling him, Your parents no longer want you.. He was kidnapped when he was a child but was eventually able to escape after seven years. FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. The boys alerted the police and were finally united with their families. He later moved with his mother, his two half-sisters, and a half-brother to Bakersfield, California, where his mother operated a boarding lodge. Steven returned to Merced to marry and start a family, becoming a champion for the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. As reported by ABC News, Lori Duke, who went to school with Stayner, but knew him as Dennis Parnell, said, "He had a great personality. Everything has changed. Privacy Policy. In a motorcycle accident that occurred on September 16, 1989, in Merced, California, the United States of America, Steven Gregory Stayner was killed. He had been under hospice care for some time. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. Kidnapping On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, on his way home from school, Stayner was approached by a man named Ervin Edward Murphy, who had met convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell while working at a resort in Yosemite National Park. ? He eventually got a job as a trainee manager at Pizza Hut in Merced, and spent the rest of the time lecturing about stranger danger at local schools. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. Stayner eventually began drinking more heavily, dropped out of high school, and left his parents' home. Against the odds, he flourished there. At the time, Parnell was convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment. Steven Stayner biography timelines. As he never had any rules, he rebelled when his parents forbade him from drinking alcohol and smoking. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. "Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. Stayner had been driving his new Kawaksaki motorcycle when the driver pulled out in front of him on a rain-soaked highway. "For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Parnell died of natural causes on January 21, 2008, at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, while serving a sentence of 25 years to life. ", "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. Hulus Captive Audience delves into a story that is fascinating and horrifying in equal parts. According to the Los Angeles Times, the 14-year-old and 5-year-old boys hitchhiked their way to a police station 40 miles away and told officers what had happened. [3] Parnell was raised mostly without his father, who abandoned the family when Parnell was six. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. "[14], Parnell remained incarcerated until his death, at age 76, on January 21, 2008[15] at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. Like Steven, Timothy also died very young. Stayners captor, Kenneth Parnell, convinced co-worker Ervin Murphy to lure seven-year-old Steven into their van on 4 December 1972, telling the boy: Your parents, I just spoke to them. I guess seven years changed him, too. "As far as I know, hes never talked to anyone about the effect Steven might have had on his crimes. Delbert Stayner Age At The Time Of His Death At the time of Delbert Stayner's death, he was 79 years old. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. A cousin said that Stayner spied on her and his sisters and a neighbor girl, hiding under their beds and secretly videotaping them in the bathroom and bedroom. He later said, I never stopped looking, every time I saw a crowd on TV or a picture of a lot of people in a magazine. Fourteen when he was found. The man's name was Ervin Murphy. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. At his funeral, Timmy White was a pallbearer (via Press Democrat). In 1999 a proposition was put forward to rename several local parks in the Merced area to honour outstanding citizens of the city. Kenneth Parnell is most notoriously known for the kidnapping of, Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Stayner and Parnell pretended to be a son and father (via the Lodi News-Sentinel). According to ABC News, Parnell stopped to make a call from a payphone shortly after Murphy and Steven Stayner got into his car. Cary Stayner was convicted in the 1999 murders of 42-year-old Carole Sund, her 15-year-old daughter Juli, their 16-year-old family. If Steven was my family I would not be satisfied with that joke of a sentence. The now 14-year-old Steven decided to escape with White on 2 March 1980 after witnessing the childs suffering. Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. "Its dark and Timmy can't remember where he lives. Steven was 24 years old at the time of death. Steven Stayner was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was 24 years old FBI/Wikipedia On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work when a car suddenly pulled out of a driveway onto the highway. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. Kenneth Eugene Parnell (September 26, 1931 January 21, 2008) was an American convicted sex offender, child rapist, and kidnapper infamously known for perpetrating the abductions of 7-year-old Steven Stayner and 5-year-old Timothy White in Merced, California. Their return launched Stayner into the spotlight, and he later became the focus of a 1989 television movie titled, I Know My First Name Is Steven. After serving in the Army, Del worked at several sawmills and then moved to be employed in the canning industry. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61 km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with . Steven Stayner, who as a child was kidnaped from his Merced home and held captive until he escaped seven years later, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident, a coroners spokesman said. You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.". Parnell was sentenced to 20 months in prison for Steven's. Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner, SF Gate reported in 2008. He had previously been held hostage by his kidnapper in Mendocino County, California, and Mariposa County, California, both 38 miles (61 kilometers) away. Did Delbert Stayner Molest His Daughters? Stayner waited until Parnell had gone to his night shift job as a clerk at a local motel on March 1, 1980 and, carrying White on his back, hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah. Steven Stayner was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped in California in 1972 (via theLos Angeles Times). molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner. Cary Staynar tried to protect his younger brother and looked out for him, according to ABC News. After White had been with Stayner and his captors for 16 days, Stayner realized he needed to save White from the same abuse he had endured (via the Los Angeles Times). Parnell posed as Stayner's legal guardian and moved him around the state of California for the next eight years. Murphy had befriended serial paedophile Kenneth Parnell, and the two were in cahoots. "They call [Merced] the gateway to Yosemite," said Ted Rowlands, a former reporter who covered Cary Stayners story at KNTV for the San Francisco Bay area. In 1989, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. According to People Magazine, on September 16, 1989, Steven was heading home on his motorcycle from his job delivering pizza when a "car pulled out of the driveway of a migrant-labor camp along the highway." Steven was only 24 but was married with two children: Ashley (3) and Steven Jr. (2). Am I wrong? Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. MERCED . I suspect this death is what caused Cary to snap, too, so theres more lives ruined because of the hit and run driver. sibling. When Stayner was 14, Parnell kidnaped another boy, 5-year-old Timmy White. He was 79 years old, and from what we can tell, the cause of death has not been made public. Steven Stayner testifies about his abduction in 1972 by Kenneth Parnell and his seven years in captivity in this 1981 photo. Stayner once told press that he vigilantly watched his kids, and they werent even allowed out on the porch unless they were in sight of him or their mom. He was not wearing a helmet, and. Jeff Rinek, at the time an FBI agent handling Cary Stayners case, said the search for the women was the "largest ever mounted in Yosemite at any time." Stayner became known as a hero and inspired a television miniseries, I Know My First Name is Steven.. #truecrime #PodernFamily #perspective #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/IItIDruGTI, It Could Always Be Worse (@alwaysbeworse) March 21, 2018, Steven Stayner was only 7 years old when he was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell and Ervin Murphy, according to ABC News. Cookie Notice Five months passed without another killing, and the community surrounding Yosemite was lulled into a sense of calm especially when the FBI announced that those they believed responsible for the murders were in custody. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents and asked that a $250,000 reward for information go to his family, Rinek wrote. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. Parnell went on to tell Stayner that his parents couldn't afford to keep him any more, that a judge had given Parnell legal custody of him, and that his new name was "Dennis". But tragedy struck in December 1972 when Steven disappeared while returning from school. The officers soon realized that both of the boys had actually been kidnapped, and the one identifying himself as Dennis Parnell was actually Steven Stayner. While Parnell was working as a night security guard, the children hitch-hiked to Ukiah, California, Timothys home town. Stayner was taken to Catheys Valley. To me thats guilt plain and simple. I never recognized either one of them.". Police first arrested convicted pedophile, Kenneth E. Parnel immediately and went to work tracking down Ervin Murphy according to Lodi News-Sentinel, who had only been involved in the kidnapping before going his own way. [10] Release Date! Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse, Lori Duke, Stayners high school girlfriend, told ABC News. He got on with his life, his sister Cory Stayner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Steven Gregory Stayner Sr (18 Apr 1965 - 16 Sep 1989) 0 references . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Instead, he tried to make the best of it. While imprisoned for this charge, his second wife filed for divorce. . He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to research conducted by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and ranked in the top nine leading causes of death for people between the ages of 10 and 64, as well as . Steven and Timmy. Stayner would not reemerge until 1980, when he fled from Parnell to save another kidnapped boy, Timothy White. He was 79 years old, and from what we can tell, the cause of death has not been made public. ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. The second man, who was later identified as Kenneth Parnell, offered to give Murphy and Stayner a ride. [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. However, he only served five years of his sentence. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in a vile act that would shake the family forever. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Later that year he married again and had another daughter. Surrounded by TV cameras, Steven Stayner, right foreground, and and his brother Delbert Stayner are shown walking toward their Merced County, Calif., home, March 2, 1980, as Steven was reunited with his family following a 7-year kidnap ordeal. The story of steven stayner and timothy white Birth and family Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. ***WARNING: Captive Audience spoilers ahead***. Her father is abduction-victim-turned-hero Steven . He is now 59 and on death row in San Quentin State Prison, according to his prison records. Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Director Jessica Dimmock also brought in Corin Nemec and Todd Andrews, who portrayed Stayner and his brother Cary respectively in TV mini-series I Know My First Name Is Steven, to read interview transcripts. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. Steven Stayner's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Apr 18, 1965 Death Date September 16, 1989 Age of Death 24 years Cause of Death Traffic Collision The Steven Stayner died at the age of 24. Steven Stayner led a short and tragic life. Then-7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school on Highway 140 when Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town. In addition to assisting in the production of a miniseries based on his experience, Stayner became an advocate for preventing child abduction and helping victims of abuse. Read More: Where is Kay Stayner Now? Stayner's wife, Jodi, who The Spokesman-Review reported married Steven when she was 16, said he was her first love and the couple met in high school. Nobody can hurt him now. Hulus latest documentary, Captive Audience, revisits the tragic story of Steven Stayner in 1972 what happened to the young boy and where is the perpetrator now? According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. But things changed when the kidnapper brought in another child to live with them when Stayner was 14. Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. Sure, Ive seen the excuse about alleged car troubles but it sure didnt stop the guy from fleeing the scene. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. He was popular for being a Person. in 2004. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. Cary Stayner is shown in a 1979 Merced High School yearbook photo. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. Steven Gregory Stayner died in a motorcycle accident on September 16, 1989, in Merced, California, United States. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Storypremiered on Thursday (21 April) and features interviews with Stayners mother and, as he survived the terrible ordeal, his son and daughter. Birthday: April 18, 1965. They kicked him out of their house twice. He also felt more directly responsible. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven. On the show, Kay mentioned that Del would often drive around looking for freshly dug ground because he thought Steven was dead. But Cary Stayner also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. The Seattle Times reports missing-person fliers were actually sent to schools he attended but no one recognised Steven from the picture. Steven went on to marry Jody Edmondson in 1985 aged 20 and they welcomed two children, Ashley and Steven Jr, who Stayner was naturally very protective over. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. He was a child who was being abused. On July 24, 1999, Cary confessed to killing four women, who had all been guests at the lodge where he was employed. "He paid a local kid to ride with him to the little town of Ukiah, California, puts this high school kid out on the street to go find him a boy, and he finds 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school," Flynn said. Hulus latest three-part documentary recalls the devastating kidnapping of Steven Stayner, a seven-year-old boy living in Merced, California. When Steven Stayner returned home, all he really knew about himself was his first name he wasn't even sure how his last name was spelled. Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. "Steven was a national hero. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. He was arrested again in 2004 for attempting to buy a child, and died in a state prison hospital in California in 2008.). He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. After convincing the boy his parents did not want him anymore, he changed his name to Dennis Parnell. "You have one brother who's been subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances he's a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. "There wasnt really much time for us to speculate on whether this was related, I mean it quickly became related," said Des Kidd, former medical director at Yosemite who participated in search and rescue. And he wanted the same treatment. Stayner had been at Cedar Lodge for two years when Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and her friend Silvina Pelosso came to stay one night in February 1999. Parnell claimed to have married a third and final time in 1968,[8] but no records were ever found to substantiate this. On March 1, 1980, in Mendocino County, California, he and Timothy White, another of Parnell's victims, managed to flee. But on Sept. 16, 1989, Stayner died in a motorcycle crash. Thankfully, they were unable to follow through with the kidnapping attempt. Two men pulled up next to Stayner in a car one day, claiming to be ministers collecting money for their church. Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. His grades faltered, and he dropped out, per the Los Angeles Times. Parnell was convicted of two counts of kidnaping and sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison in February, 1982, after an 18-day trial in Hayward. In 1972, Parnell kidnapped 7-year-old Steven Stayner of. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Starcasm Staff July 2, 2021 20/20, True Crime. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. The miniseries was released on May 23, 1989, only about four months before he died in a hit-and-run accident. The driver was later caught (per LA Times). 0 references. In addition to believing his parents no longer wanted him, The Famous People reports Stayner was simply unsure how to get out of the situation he was in. Cary Stayner. He found someone else to help him find another boy, only this time he was caught and he was sent to prison again -- where he died in 2008.". Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. According to Diane Stevens' testimony, Parnell requested that the child have a "clean" rectum, indicating sexual intentions. imported from Wikimedia project. As he gets older, he realizes that he needs to try to make an escape and get back home. After he was brought in for questioning, he confessed to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. The Stayner family, made up of the two brothers, their three sisters and parents Kay and Delbert, lived in the secluded farming town of Merced, California, surrounded by almond groves and peach orchards, in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. Then, Del served in the US Army for four years until 1957 as a Staff Sergeant. "Whatever demons were clamoring around in his head, by being naked, by smoking pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed," LaLama said. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. SPONSORED LINKS Reviews TV Preview Lists Movie Explainers TV Explainers Anime Timmy White, 5, sits on the lap of Steven Stayner, 14, during a news conference Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park. During the penalty phase, Del admitted to having neglected his children after Steven went missing and said regarding Cary, I didnt socialize with him. Date of Death: September 16, 1989. Cary was very upset, he said. "His idea of serenity was to maybe smoke a little pot and to sunbathe naked.".