In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park. The miniseries was released on May 23, 1989, only about four months before he died in a hit-and-run accident. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. 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. They kicked him out of their house twice. sibling. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. and our The driver of the car, an employee of the nearby tomato-packing company, fled the scene and was later found in Tijuana. "[2] He claimed to have been married three times, but only one record of his marriage is known. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. In February 1980, Parnell decided to capture a new, younger boy. When Stayner failed to return home from school, his parents contacted authorities immediately. Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. Captive Audience tells Steven Stayner's story after he was kidnapped and abused for seven years. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. Like Kay, he urged the jury at Carys trial not to sentence him to death. Stayner later escaped, taking Timmy with him. In 1981, he was convicted of kidnapping both boys and sentenced to seven years of state prison time. Parnell died in 2008 while incarcerated. Although Stayner told the younger boy to go inside by himself and tell the officers he had been kidnapped, White refused to leave Stayner's side. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. He loved his brother. He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. He had reportedly suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts but the cause of his death remains unclear. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Prior to his kidnapping of Stayner, The Famous People reports Parnell had at least two criminal convictions, including armed robbery and the sexual abuse of a young boy. Tragically, the Stayner family would be in for another shock a decade later. Flynn said his sexuality was "constantly under attack.". 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'd bought a brand new white and blue Kawasaki EX-500 motorcycle with money from a miniseries based on his childhood kidnapping, called "I Know My First Name Is Steven." Both men were convicted. After her friends reported her missing, police found signs of a struggle at her cabin and half a mile away, they found her body. Am I wrong? Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Stayner would not reemerge until 1980, when he fled from Parnell to save another kidnapped boy, Timothy White. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Then he took matters into his own hands. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. However, he only served five years of his sentence. 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. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood.". In the time after Stevens disappearance, Del dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. They had two kids, Ashley and Steven Jr., who both appear in Captive Audience. Stevens was aware of Parnell's past and cooperated with police in setting up a sting operation that would lead to his arrest. I returned almost a grown man and yet my parents saw me at first as their 7-year-old, he told Newsweek in 1984. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. "Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, 'Your parents, I just spoke to them. He was sentenced to death in 2002 and remains on death row. In 2004, 72-year-old Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life after an informant told police he expressed interest in buying a four-year-old boy for $500. 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 coroner's spokesman . Cary Stayner was just 11 when his 7-year-old brother, Steven, was abducted by a pedophile. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. And he was 38 when he brutally tortured and murdered 4 females in Yosemite National Parka dream he wanted to fulfill since the age of 7. Kenneth Eugene Parnell was born in Amarillo, Texas[1][2] to Cecil Frederick and Mary Olive (ne Pollard) Parnell, during the region's dust bowl era during the Great Depression. Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. The Stayners were in the news yet again after Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women, including two teenagers. Leave a Comment / Death-Obituary / By Elon. Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, The Subject Of This Netflix True Crime Doc Is Now Guilty Of Murdering His Wife & Son, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Parnell married 15-year old Patsy Jo Dorton in 1949,[7] had a daughter in 1951, and divorced in 1957. 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. "I wa. According to the Los Angeles Times, by 1989 Staynerwas married with two small children and was working at Pizza Hut. Cary Stayner. Steven Gregory Stayner was a well-known kidnapping victim from the United States. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent." "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people. During the penalty phase, Del admitted to having neglected his children after Steven went missing and said regarding Cary, I didnt socialize with him. (Parnell's cabin was, unbeknownst to Stayner, located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) In addition to his fraught life at home and at school, Steven, still just a teenager by this point, also had to face Parnell in court. 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. On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was driving home from work on a California highway after work one rainy evening and got into a deadly collision with a car that turned in front of him. Steven Stayner (Steven Gregory Stayner) was born on 18 April, 1965 in Merced, CA, is an American child kidnapping victim. Parnell posed as Stayner's legal guardian and moved him around the state of California for the next eight years. "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. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. From 2010 to 2014, the number of accident-related . However, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death. 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.". On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled with Timothy. The Stayner family has been shrouded in . Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. 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. According to the Los Angeles Times, she said after his death, "But he's not hurting anymore. "It was a sleety, wintery day," Sean Flynn, a journalist who wrote about both Stayner brothers for Esquire, said. At one point, Steven mentioned in an interview, Ive been talking to reporters for nine years. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. He got on with his life, his sister Cory Stayner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In 2003, he was once again arrested in connection with a kidnapping, when an elderly and sickly Parnell tried to get his caretaker to buy a 4-year-old boy for him in Berkeley, California, the. As reported by The Famous People, both boys were reunited with their parents on May 2, 1980. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. He was arrested again in 2004 for attempting to buy a child, and died in a state prison hospital in California in 2008.). [8] Parnell denied in that same interview having been sexually abused himself, although Mike Echols' book I Know My First Name Is Steven states that he was indeed molested at the age of 13 by a boarder in a rooming house that his mother owned in Bakersfield. 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. Starcasm Staff July 2, 2021 20/20, True Crime. Steven's last name is spelt "Staynor" on the cover but is actually spelt "Stayner." The author also states that Steven was missing for 7 years, then later on in the book he says 9 years. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. #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. Prosecutor Tim Wellman had largely argued his case before the jury by showing a slideshow of Stayner marked "1", then of White marked "2", and a blank screen marked "3" to show the nonexistent child that would have been abducted had police not been notified. The fact that Stayners brother was kidnapped by a pedophile and abused for seven years adds an almost unfathomable dimension to the tragedy that enveloped this family. Nobody can hurt him now. "Steven could have grown up normal happy and healthy and Cary still wouldve been a serial killer. What was his cause of death? He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". Shulze, of Oak Park, California, earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2020 and 2021 cross country seasons, as well as 2021 for track. In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. According to SFGate, his friends and coworkers described him as being impulsive and prone to seemingly abrupt and violent fits of rage. "He literally said, 'I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work the night before the Emmys when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. That's tragic. According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. The kidnappings exacted a heavy toll on the Stayner family. Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Mr. White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in 1980 by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. Within days, he's on 'Good Morning America,'" Flynn said. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. 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. 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. Stayner died at the Merced Community Medical Center at just 24 years old, in what was sadly one of multiple tragedies for him and his family. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. He married Kay about three years later, and the couple went on to have three daughters and two sons. Delbert Stayner passed away in 2013. Cary Stayner is now 57 years old. But in 1980, the Stayners prayers were answered when Steven returned home after a seven-year disappearance. . On March 1, 1980, in Mendocino County, California, he and Timothy White, another of Parnell's victims, managed to flee. I guess seven years changed him, too. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. As Parnell was working the night shift, Stayner fled the home with White in the middle of the night. Is Mayra Rosales Still Alive? Steven Stayners parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. Fortunately, Stevens miraculous return in 1980 led to a happy reunion. Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. [10] Cary Staynar tried to protect his younger brother and looked out for him, according to ABC News. But on Sept. 16, 1989, Stayner died in a motorcycle crash. The Merced Police Department launched an extensive investigation and search effort. In January 2003, Parnell was arrested again after trying to coerce his caregiver's sister, Diane Stevens, into buying him a four-year-old boy for $500. "Still trying to get a real investigation for the death of my son Aaron Carter," she wrote. Stayner, 24, was pronounced dead at Merced Community Medical Center shortly after the 5:30 p.m. accident outside a meat company on Santa Fe Avenue between Merced and Atwater, a coroners spokesman said. Like Steven, Timothy also died very young. As Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, a Hulu docuseries that streams today, shows, the two boys bravely testified against Parnell at his trial. But he was pretty messed up and he never got any counseling. Sure, Ive seen the excuse about alleged car troubles but it sure didnt stop the guy from fleeing the scene. That night, he talked his way into their room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered all three. Parnell was convicted on February 9, 2004, on the charges of attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation, even though no child had been targeted. I was disappointed however on some of the inconsistencies, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Delbert Stayner Cause Of Death Delbert Stayner died on 9 April 2013. He was seven when he was abducted. Our days would be-- just get on our bikes in the morning and go to the park. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times ). His grades faltered, and he dropped out, per the Los Angeles Times. [10] Unfamiliar with the city, Stayner decided the best option was to seek out the local police, who originally considered him a delinquent, until an exhaustive search of missing child posters and a piecemeal interrogation confirmed he was a missing child as well. [6] He escaped from a state institution in Norwalk, but was recaptured. Parnells father, Cecil Frederick, died July 31, 1972 in Denver.[3]. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was held by his abductor until he was 14, when he escaped with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White. He was convicted of kidnapping 7-year-old Steven Stayner in 1972 and keeping him . Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. Parnell posed as Stayner's legal guardian and moved him around the state of California for the next eight years. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. A new Hulu miniseries thoughtfully explores a family's surreal life in the true crime spotlight. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. MERCED . Then-7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school on Highway 140 when Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town. "At some point, Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell," Lunney said. Overnight, Steven Stayner became a national hero, especially as Kenneth Parnell was arrested the very next day March 2, 1980. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from . Steven Stayner Death Obituary: On April 23rd, 2022 Todeath.net received news about the passing of Steven Stayner through a Social Media post. "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". But tragedy struck in December 1972 when Steven disappeared while returning from school. He wanted the world to take note. And they searched. 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. Marshal from the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 6, 1999 on his way to an arraignment in federal court. The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. Powered by. But Stayner had issues with readjusting to family life, with a tumultuous teenagehood. 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. He had been under hospice care for some time. Shortly after Steven's death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Refocus, and listen as we honor the memory of Steven Stayner, a boy kidnapped in his youth, only to tragically die shortly after escaping captivity. A plaque bearing the names of other missing children in Merced County will later be added.. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. It was also difficult for his parents to adjust to having a teenager after remembering their son as a 7-year-old boy. 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. He was kidnapped when he was a child but was eventually able to escape after seven years. I was surprised that the doc didn't talk much about the Stayner's family own history of abuse (the mitigation specialist talked about it a bit in the Cary episode) but apparently there was an uncle in the family who allegedly molested Cary and was later murdered (idk anything about it) and the Stayner family wouldn't allow Steven to get therapy after he came home to properly deal with his trauma. In a motorcycle accident that occurred on September 16, 1989, in Merced, California, the United States of America, Steven Gregory Stayner was killed. Later that year he married again and had another daughter. "He was very proud of who he was," his wife, Jodi Stayner, said in 1999. [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. Cary was very upset, he said. Stayner was walking home from school December 4, 1972, when the men lured him into their vehicle, saying they had just talked to his parents and they no longer wanted him, ABC reported. He had previously been held hostage by his kidnapper in Mendocino County, California, and Mariposa County, California, both 38 miles (61 kilometers) away. Biography - A Short Wiki He was kidnapped. However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. Steven was 24 years old at the time of death. The Seattle Times reports missing-person fliers were actually sent to schools he attended but no one recognised Steven from the picture. [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. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. The cause of his death is still unknown at this time. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. What Was The Cause Of Death For Steven Stayner? Watch "20/20's" full story, "The Black Sheep," TONIGHT at 9 p.m. Stayner was taken to Catheys Valley. He was spunky. For seven years, as the two moved around Mendocino and Sonoma counties, Stayner was known as Dennis Parnell. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at theCalifornia Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. The boys alerted the police and were finally united with their families. FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. Steven disappeared while returning from school, Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women. Barbara Mathias, Parnell's girlfriend who lived with him and Stayner for some time, was never charged with any violation and cooperated with authorities in Parnell's trials. They no longer want you,'" investigative journalist Pat LaLama said. In 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner was kidnapped by a pedophile named Kenneth Parnell in Merced, California and held captive for the next seven years. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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 Gregory Stayner died in a motorcycle accident on September 16, 1989, in Merced, California, United States. Steven Stayner led a short and tragic life. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. 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". I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" Rowlands said. American crime victim who was kidnapped at age seven and held captive by sex offender Kenneth Parnell for seven years. Sometimes I blame myself. When Parnell kidnapped 5-year-old Timothy White that year, Stayner fled on foot along with the kindergartner and then hitchhiked to safety, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was accused of sexually abusing his daughters, and Rinek wrote sexual abuse went back at least five generations in the family. After that time he was in and out of juvenile custody for car theft and arson.[4][5]. 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. "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. He was 18 when his brother escaped his imprisonment and returned home. 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). I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. "Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. The brother of convicted murderer Cary Stayner was kidnapped as a young child and was missing for seven years. Stayner grew up in Merced, California, near Yosemite National Park. The second man, who was later identified as Kenneth Parnell, offered to give Murphy and Stayner a ride. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. But tragedy would strike Stayner one last time. 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. While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. He'd been convicted in 1951 for molesting a 9-year-old boy in. If youre wondering what happened to him since then, heres what we know. View Entire Post Did Delbert Stayner Molest His Daughters? As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at age 24. Here is all you want to know, and more! Timothy White died of a pulmonary embolism in 2010 at the age of 35. At the time of Stayner's kidnapping, Parnell was employed at the Yosemite Lodge, which according to ABC News, was approximately two hours away from Merced. Find a Grave When Steven didnt make it home from school, his parents sounded the alarm. Steven Stayner was kidnapped when Cary Stayner was 11, Rinek wrote. The Stayners suggested that one park could be called Stayner Park, in memory of Steven. Steven was beaten and plied with drugs and liquor while his captors constantly moved around California. The prosecution successfully argued that sexual aids and pornography found in the apartment, along with Stevens' own testimony, were enough to prove that Parnell's intentions were criminal in nature. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 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. Two men pulled up next to Stayner in a car one day, claiming to be ministers collecting money for their church.