He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, by 1989 Staynerwas married with two small children and was working at Pizza Hut. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. You have the other brother who's left at home. 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. 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. Cary Stayner is now 57 years old. He was not wearing a helmet, and. Stayner went to the police station and told them what happened to him, which included the line that later became the title of his movie: I know my first name is Steven. (Parnell was later convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, but only served five years. 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. ", The Tragedy Of Steven Stayner's 1989 Death Explained. A third brother, Cary Stayner, is seen in a ball cap in the background between his brothers Steven and Delbert. "There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. His high school girlfriend said he later told her what happened. In February 1980, Parnell kidnapped his next victim, five-year-old Timothy White. There was out and out fury over the sentence," Flynn said. 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 . Stayner later escaped, taking Timmy with him. He was 18 when his brother escaped his imprisonment and returned home. The Famous People reports Parnell then took the boy to a remote cabin near Catheys Valley, California. 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. Marshal from the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 6, 1999 on his way to an arraignment in federal court. Like Kay, he urged the jury at Carys trial not to sentence him to death. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. However, he only served five years of his sentence. My dad said he didnt need any. The press also hounded him constantly, and during Parnells trial he was bullied at school over questions of his sexuality. The contrast between the two brothers is "surreal," Flynn said. If youre wondering what happened to him since then, heres what we know. "[14], Parnell remained incarcerated until his death, at age 76, on January 21, 2008[15] at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. If Steven was my family I would not be satisfied with that joke of a sentence. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. As Steven got older and entered puberty, Parnell's sexual interest in Stayner waned and Parnell sought a new boy to "build his family". Stayner recently talked candidly with reporters of his life with Parnell, who alternately molested him and passed him off as his son. The cause of his death is still unknown at this time. Unfortunately, less than a decade after his incredible escape, Steven Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24, leaving behind a wife and two children. Carey Stayner is currently sitting on death row in San Quentin. However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. 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. 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. I never recognized either one of them.". 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. Like Steven, Timothy also died very young. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. Steven was never able to open up about the sexual abuse he suffered and get help. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Stayner and White were not Parnell's only victims. 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. 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. Would I have been better off if I didnt?. 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. [8], More than a decade after the sodomy case, Parnell was convicted of armed robbery in Utah. You know what I mean? Stevens high-school girlfriend, who knew him as Dennis, told ABC News he told her he wasnt going to let that child go through what I had already been through, adding if he didnt take care of it now, it will just get worse. Cary was very upset, he said. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. His parents had different expectations. In February 1980, Parnell brought home a 5-year-old White, who, like Stayner, had been walking home from school. His life with Parnell lacked discipline he'd even been allowed to drink and smoke. Delbert Stayner Age At The Time Of His Death At the time of Delbert Stayner's death, he was 79 years old. "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". Stayner was terribly concerned about White's welfare and immediately began planning to get the 5-year-old away from Parnell and return him home to his parents. Date of Death: September 16, 1989. Del died at his home in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. This poor family! Her father is abduction-victim-turned-hero Steven . [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. cause of death. The Stayner family has been shrouded in . As Parnell was working the night shift, Stayner fled the home with White in the middle of the night. 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. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. 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 Associated Press reported in 2004. Witnesses later recognized the alleged driver of the automobile. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "I wa. Parnells father, Cecil Frederick, died July 31, 1972 in Denver.[3]. If you havent got three hours to spare, heres everything you need to know about the horrific story of Steven Stayner. They no longer want you.. 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.. On December 4, 1972, Parnell abducted seven-year-old Merced resident Steven Stayner with the help of Edward Ervin Murphy, a co-worker at the Yosemite Lodge, where Parnell worked as a night auditor. Steven Stayner Death - Obituary, Cause Of Death. His grades faltered, and he dropped out, per the Los Angeles Times. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. As he was not wearing a helmet, he suffered massive head trauma, which led to his death less than one hour after the accident occurred. Later that year he married again and had another daughter. He also conscripted Stayner into aiding him in kidnappings, but Stayner had always failed to grab the targeted child to the point Parnell stopped using Stayner as an accomplice, berating him for being an "incompetent". Release Date! However, Crime Investigation reports Stayner sabotaged Parnell's efforts, as he did not want another boy to suffer through the abuse he had endured. 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). Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. Captive Audience tells Steven Stayner's story after he was kidnapped and abused for seven years. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. On March 1, 1980, Stayner waited until Parnell was at work and fled with White 40 miles back to Ukiah. 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. He had been under hospice care for some time. By this point, Cary Stayner was suffering. But on Sept. 16, 1989, Stayner died in a motorcycle crash. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. Steven and Timmy. In the years after Steven vanished, Del spent considerable time looking for anything that would lead him to his son. Steven was beaten and plied with drugs and liquor while his captors constantly moved around California. [13] Parnell was, by this time, 71 years old and suffering from diabetes and emphysema, as well as other ailments brought on by an earlier stroke, requiring near 24-hour-a-day nursing care in his cluttered apartment in the 2600 block of Mathews Street in Berkeley. In addition to the molestation, Stayner later claimed that Parnell's attitude altered from severe beatings to sometimes "spoiling" him. Sure, Ive seen the excuse about alleged car troubles but it sure didnt stop the guy from fleeing the scene. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. At his funeral, Timmy White was a pallbearer (via Press Democrat). On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, Steven was walking home from school in Merced, a city in California, when a man handing out religious pamphlets approached him. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. But Cary Stayner also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. "Parnell wanted another kid that he could sexually assault.". As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Stayner left a substantial amount of evidence in and around Armstrongs cottage, but police initially started searching for him because his vehicle had been seen near her place and they thought he would be a "natural witness to interview," Rinek said. Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. He briefly attended counseling but instead considered talking to reporters as his form of therapy. He is now 59 and on death row in San Quentin State Prison, according to his prison records. Steven Stayner captured the heart of a nation when he helped another child escape from a pedophile, after enduring years of abuse and not wanting to see the child experience the same fate. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. Three weeks before Christmas 1972, the course of Steven Stayner's life would change forever. He was charged and convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment, sentenced to seven years in prison. Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions - which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. But tragedy struck in December 1972 when Steven disappeared while returning from school. 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. in 2004. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. While working at the Yosemite Lodge, Kenneth Parnell befriended his coworker Ervin Murphy. Stevens sister, Cory, later said that he never went to therapy or counseling because their father didnt think he needed it. "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. 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. He was in the background always.". 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. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Star Original Captive Audience - A Real American Horror Story aired on Hulu with all 3 episodes available immediately on the release date of April 21, 2022.[18]. He was quoted after his "rescue" saying he blames himself and doesn't understand why his dad doesn't hug him anymore. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. Jan. 23, 2008. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Cary Stayner worked at Cedar Lodge for two years before he killed guests Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. 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." 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. . But things changed when the kidnapper brought in another child to live with them when Stayner was 14. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. "He was just very well grounded, for a person that had gone through what he had gone through.". 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. He also began manipulating the boy into believing his parents did not want him anymore, as they could not afford to financially support him. He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. 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 said, 'I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Former reporter Ted Rowlands said, "Stayner had a new father figure who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist.". Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim. In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. 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. According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had . However, he only served five years of his sentence. In February 1980, Parnell decided to capture a new, younger boy. Cary's defense team argued that he suffered from mental illness, in part from the trauma he suffered when Steven was kidnapped. The Big Conn | Official Trailer | Apple TV+, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M88ZzxKyrTg/hqdefault.jpg. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people. Its a good substitute.. He's free. Steven Stayner was kidnapped when Cary Stayner was 11, Rinek wrote. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. After serving in the Army, Del worked at several sawmills and then moved to be employed in the canning industry. In the time after Stevens disappearance, Del dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. 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.
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