"There's a big part of me that still wonders if he still thinks of those two little girls that adored him so much because we think about him all the time, and I wonder if he still thinks about us.". Cary Stayner became a lost soul. In 2010, Timothy White died at the age of 35 from a pulmonary embolism. But at the same time, I still have a hard time looking at him as a monster. Lori, his wife, poses with him at their Sierra foothill home in East Sacramento town of Rescue. Her decapitated body was found Thursday, July 22, 1999 near Crane Creek which runs behind the house. Anyone who owned a television in the '80s will recognize the name Steven Stayner. But the night before the Emmys, Steven's life was tragically cut short on his way home from work, on the motorcycle that he used his Hollywood money to buy. Lenna, who asked that ABC News withhold her last name, said he also taught the two how to dive. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. Thanks again for the important writing Lily! Reporter Mike Moffitt has been writing and editing stories for newspapers and news websites for more than 25 years. Cary spent the '90s bouncing from one handyman job to another. "Kind of hard to do that when you got the cameras everywhere though.". Months later, a fourth woman was murdered and decapitated in the park, leading authorities to believe they had a serial killer on their hands. The murders were all over the news and remained unsolved in July, when 25-year-old Joie Armstrong was found headless in a creek. "Cary was unwell since he was a toddler, as far as I know," Cory says. I love stories like this! "He was a good dad, he was a good family man," Jody remembers. Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Growing up, brothers Cary and Steven Stayner shared a home . I loved Cary. When Rinek took Cary Stayner's confession it should have been the highlight of his career. Steven's daughter Ashley Stayner, now 36, is also a prominent participant, and the one member of the Stayner family who has spoken to the media following the documentary's release. "He was just our friend. But this was something, totally different," says Jody. He became a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy in 2005. He was given a new identity . He was sentenced to death in December 2002 and remains on death row. Click here to make sure you get the news. "It affects every aspect of your life," Kay recalls in the show. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2009 - 2023 The Excitant Group, LLC. Because last week Ash and new co-host Ali talked about the story of Steven Stayner, who was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped by 2 men while he was walking home from school. During that time, Delbert and Kay struggled to move on without answers about what happened to their son. She lived just inside the park in a cabin with a garden she tended, where she stowed a bronze hand-fill bathtub outside so she could bathe in creek water under the stars. He stayed away from most of the other kids.". "That's what was making people start talking about it with Steven, all his interviews and this movie. [2] In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of four women. One brother was lauded as a hero, the other branded a monster. Steven Stayner, 14, is flanked by his father, Delbert (left) during a press conference after Steven and a young boy escaped from a sexual predator on Valentine's Day 1980 in Ukiah, Calif. Anybody and everybody who met him will tell you that.". Whatever damage that had [been] inflicted on Cary, I think he kept to himself. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. "We figured he would be a cartoonist by now," Shertz said. In February of 1999, three women whod been staying at Cedar Lodge while traveling in Yosemite were found murdered: 42-year-old Carole Sund, Caroles fifteen-year-old daughter Juli Sund and their family friend, sixteen-year-old Silvina Pelosso. But when authorities went to Cedar Lodge to conduct interviews and spoke to handyman Cary Stayner, they were unaware he was the killer. He was killed in a hit-and-run crash, at the age of 24. However, they ran out of time. Bafflingly, she was given a reunion with Steven, apparently became friends with Stevens Mom, testified against Parnell and claimed she had no idea he wasnt Stevens own kid. MORE: Low-key Cary Stayner took back seat to kidnapped brother. The 14-year-old was an instant hero, and later the subject of the NBC miniseries "I Know My First Name Is Steven.". But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. I always thought it odd recall it whenever it comes up of course you now tell me it was a massive hit and seen by many. Cary then spent the next few hours sexually assaulting Juli. Joie was super headstrong and ambitious and was a Yellowstone Institute naturalist. Her mother was a waitress at the California lodge in 1998 and Stayner lived in an apartment above the restaurant. He bound and duct-taped her before strangling her. Steven Stayner's childhood abductionand reappearance seven years latercaptivated the nation. Tragedy struck the Stayner family again 15 months later, in December 1990. He held her at gunpoint in her cabin as he bound her with duct tape and then forced her into his car. "Everyone living in this community knew and embraced this monster, who was capable of such horrors.". I knew a lot about this case because I know about Joie Armstrong. "I don't think he did it. She said the visit "sent chills" up and down her spine. Now 60, he remains on death row in San Quentin State Prison. Parnell was arrested Friday night, Jan. 3, 2003, in Berkeley, Calif., after allegedly trying to buy a child, said. All three episodes of Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story premiere April 21 on Hulu. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation and thanks for stopping by! I think my mom might donate something,' " Stayner told authorities years later. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. According to later interviews, Cary had been fighting sadistic urges and hearing voices for as long as he could remember, and used pot to drown them out. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's 'Captive Audience' Now? "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Bee), Investigators search the torched remains of Carole Sund's rental car for evidence near Sierra Village, Calif., in this March 19, 1999, file photo. And while "Captive Audience" focuses mostly on the Stayner family and how Steven's brother Cary grew up to be a serial killer, White's life and story was changed forever by his ordeal. My mom went off the deep end, and um, harbors a lot of guilt. "I was literally trying to get my mouth going to hear that again to make sure I had heard what he said.". In December 1990, Jesse "Jerry" Stayner, 42, Cary and Steven's uncle, was shot to death in his Merced home. I was really excited, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, finally.' His psychiatrist determined, in an age when homosexuality and pedophilia were considered one in the same, that he was obviously a homosexual of the more or less dangerous type. Parnell spent the next 15 years moving around California, briefly re-marrying a 36-year-old woman when he was 25. Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. I still don't think it's sunk in that it happened to us," Cory says. They shouldn't bother. Kay had reservations about the movie, fearful that Hollywood would sensationalize his story a fear that wasn't totally unfounded but Steven grew excited at the idea and wanted to move forward. A photo taken after Steven's escape to freedom shows him flanked by his beaming father, Delbert. Ted Lassos Jane Austen Catastrophe Unites Queers in Outrage! Overshadowed All His Life, by Stacy Finz and Meredith May for San Francisco Gate (1999) About Carys life and history prior to the murders. Stevens older brother Cary was a bit of a loner, someone who peers suspected was struggling for decades with impulses he told others he didnt understand. In the Hulu documentary, his sister expresses with conviction that he was fucked up from the jump, and there are sources that say he was sexually inappropriate with his sisters and their friends. They reported him missing to the police, and his face was all over the news. Cary's uncle Jerry, who he was very close to and lived with, was shot and killed by a home invader with Jerry's own shotgun. Others say he seemed quiet but otherwise normal. In September of 1976, they moved to Comptche, a small and remote area in Mendocino County, where Dennis began eighth grade. my leading theory is that the show simply didnt research deep enough to know this factoid! That dream ended for Lenna in 1999, when she learned from authorities that Cary Stayner was not only responsible for the brutal slayings of four women in and near Yosemite that terrified residents and tourists, but that he'd also tried three separate times to kill her and her family. It feels like it was so long ago that you forget that it even happened and feels like, almost like a dream or a movie that you watched. I want to speak out for other people who are surviving victims. Jeff Rinek, a former FBI agent, is the author of "In the Name of the Children," a true-crime account of the cases he has investigated during his career with the FBI, including the Cary Stayner case. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. Strength said Cary Stayner's arrest has stunned the community. Inside was a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell, who accosted him about making a donation to a church. She also recalled that he always carried a backpack, which authorities described as his "murder kit." He worked for Cedar Lodge and I work for Yosemite View Lodge. Following his rescue, White went on to bravely testify at his kidnapper's trial when he was just 6 years old, the New York Times reported in 2010. He exposed himself -- to one of his sister's friends," said magazine writer Sean Flynn. That's a crazy realization. In the background wearing a baseball cap is Steven's older brother, Cary, who would later become known as the Yosemite Serial Killer. On Monday, Cary Stayner was to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Sacramento for the murder of Joie Armstrong, a Yosemite Institute naturalist. "I think it must have really affected Cary," said Michael Kollman. By 19, he had wed Jody Edmondson a girl whom he met at the butcher shop where he worked and started a family. The bodies of Carole and Silvina were found in their rental car a month later about 50 miles away, and investigators alerted by an anonymous letter that Cary said he wrote found Juli's body near a Don Pedro Reservoir overlook. In July 1999, Cary Stayner happened upon Joie Ruth Armstrong outside this cabin in Yosemite National Park. I leave my blog address below. Parnell was convicted for both kidnappings and served five years of his seven year prison sentence. "I know that Steven was really happy about the way that it turned out," Jody says, adding that his press interviews tied to the movie helped him finally open up about the abuse he faced as a child. Stars Todd Eric Andrews Ashley Stayner Kay Stayner See production, box office & company info Watch on Hulu S1 on Hulu.com and the Hulu app Add to Watchlist Added by 4.4K users (It was impossible to track it down online but I did finally find it on some guys Facebook page: I Know My First Name is Steven. And heres an Entertainment Tonight report on I Know My Name is Steven. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). "I knew he was kinda weird, but I never knew he would get to that level of actually murdering anyone.". In court, a psychiatrist called by the defense testified that the Stayner family had a long history of sexual abuse and mental illness, including a history of dysfunction dating back three generations. A doctor testified that Cary was mentally impaired. He was found sane and convicted on three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping. When he realized that she was alone, he said, he could not control the urge to kill her too. Ive had drinks with him at the bar up there. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of protecting children and supporting victims of abuse and trauma. and promptly dropped off the radar of friends and family. Neighbors who remember Steven Stayner's return to his family's home on quiet Bette Street in Merced were astonished that his brother was now a suspect in one, or more, grisly killings. I guess I was jealous. Steven Stayner was the middle child of a family from Merced, California. "Knowing that he had this kit inside of his backpack when he was around us every time is terrifying to me, and it's almost like a slap in the face to [know] how close it came for us. In 1999, three tourists vanished in Yosemite National Park. By that point, Steven had gotten married and had two children, was working with child abduction groups to educate kids about kidnapping and had a job at a pizza parlor. She was one of the women who Stayner murdered (as mentioned in this article), but the end of her life wasnt her story she lived such a full and beautiful and badass life its important to know about her. He skidded trying to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway and fatally struck his head. Steven Stayner's miraculous story of escape from his kidnapper in 1980 garnered national headlines at the time. (Photo by Michael Maloney / CHRONICLE). Then on Valentine's Day, 1980, Stayner left a Mendocino County cabin and walked into the Ukiah police station along with 5-year-old Timmy White, another Parnell kidnap victim, whom he had helped to free. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. Mike Echolss book about the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, I Know My First Name is Steven, was considered by the Parnell family to be pornographic, dwelling in lurid details. Lenna said her family had learned from the FBI that Cary Stayner had tried to kill her family on three separate occasions. MERCED - The name sounded familiar to Assistant Sheriff Henry Strength when an FBI agent called him Saturday morning, wanting the criminal record of a possible suspect in a murder in Yosemite. "You can't make a movie about something like this happening," Kay says in the first episode. I Know My First Name Is Steven is a heart-wrenching and emotionally charged true crime story that follows the life of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of seven and held captive for seven years. Cary Stayner was convicted in both state and federal courts. White testified in 2004 at Kenneth Parnells trial for human trafficking and attempting to kidnap a child. Steven drank heavily, did a lot of drugs, dated lots of girls, and eventually dropped out of high school. Part way through reading this and I want to flag that you describe the person who Parnell marries at 18 as a 15-year-old woman which is not great phrasing! One brother, Steven, was the victim of a . (AP Photo by The Modesto "It always seems like when something happens in our family, the media is there.". By 1997, hed moved to the Yosemite valley and was working as a maintenance guy at a 206-room motel, Cedar Lodge. She was packing her car as she prepared for a trip. 3. We were talking about the Kennedy family, and all the bad things that have happened to them," Strength said. This week I watched Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story on Hulu about Steven and Cary Stayner, and its a pretty wild saga. "He said, "OK,' and gave me these booklets and he asked me if I wanted a ride home. As he was driving, he said, she fell through the window of the vehicle and started running. On the trip, alumni hike out in the night with foot baths, salts, salves, and nail polish to care for each other halfway through the trek. One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. His father also refused to send him to therapy, because he scorned psychiatry in general and saw therapy as a tool for weak people. Silvina was strangled next. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers. . "It came natural to him.". 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. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. At first, Stayner denied being sexually abused by Parnell. I worked with Carey up in Yosemite, we worked for the same company at 2 different hotels. Nobody could have known.". For seven years, Steven Stayner lived with Parnell, moving from one city to another, as the man sexually abused him. Overall, I Know My First Name Is Steven is a must-watch for anyone interested in true crime stories and human resilience in the face of adversity. His helmet had supposedly been stolen days before. At one point, he was even the guy opening all the rooms for the FBI to gather evidence.". Mike Echols's book about the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, "I Know My First Name is Steven," was considered by the Parnell family to be "pornographic," dwelling in lurid details. Amid the mayhem, Steven learned to live with the publicity, for better or worse. She was also strangled. She was later killed by Cary Stayner, a worker at Cedar Lodge outside of Yosemite National Park. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? The photographs were released by family members before a jury began deliberations in the murder trial of Cary Stayner. "We wanted to go back to our normal lives," Steven's younger sister, Cory Stayner, tells the Captive Audience producers. Unlike the first three murders, where he left virtually no evidence, he knew that he had left a very easy trail for investigators," Rowlands said. Following Steven's death, the Stayners began to fade out of the news but then, "terrible things start all up again," Cory says. He was held by his abductor until he was 14,. "Then you have Steven Stayner get kidnapped, and then he comes back and gets killed in a motorcycle accident. He made some money consulting on a TV film written about his horrifying ordeal and got a reward for rescuing the 5-year-old boy. The total worth of goods stolen from that Salt Lake City store was $50. I remember watching I Know My First Name Is Stephen when it aired (I was 8) and it stuck with me for so long. Stayner confessed immediately, to sexually assaulting and murdering the women, but later pled not guilty by reason of insanity. A witness had also identified Cary Stayner's vehicle as being on the road where Armstrong lived around the time of the murder, so authorities went searching for him. Even as a kid, Parnell allowed Steven to drink and smoke and drive, but Steven also feared Parnell, whod brainwashed him out of attempting an escape. "It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them. I dont know sometimes if I should have come home. All Rights Reserved. asked Lisa Hansell, then Cedar Lodge restaurant general manager. Steven Stayner was eventually reunited with his family and hailed as a hero. But he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women," said TV reporter Ted Rowlands. "This was supposed to be easy for Cary. But he had already lost faith in the agency he had taken pride in serving. She said he taught her and her sister how to dive, brought them illustrations and bought them toys. After bouncing around to different places, he finally settled down in Yosemite. In March of 1980, her hopes came true. Steven Stayner with his parents In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. He smoked cigarettes. Parnell re-named Steven Dennis Gregory Parnell, and they moved around California, from Santa Rosa to Willits to Fort Bragg. Before joining the SFGate team, he worked at the San Francisco Examiner, Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. One night, he and Timmy snuck out while their abductor was working and they hitchhiked to Ukiah. "They did mention about finally getting a chance to get out of here," said Ennis Mayberry, 36, who bought the house from the Stayners 10 years ago. Authorities described it as his "murder kit. Parnell told Steven that his parents didnt want him anymore and that the court had appointed him Stevens new legal guardian. "He couldn't wait to tell people about his personal experience driving through an area known as Foresta and Bigfoot leaping out of the woods in the dark of night and then scurrying back in, never to be seen again," crime journalist Pat Lalama said. (I dont want to hide that it was really super white for many years, but it seems like theyre concretely changing that now.). 27 of 38 28 of 38 The Stayner family home in Merced, Calif. SUSAN RAGAN Show More Show Less 29 of 38 Child kidnap victim Steven Stayner, 23, is seen smoking a cigarette inside a car about a year . Steven Stayner (front right) pictured with his older brother, Cary (center). By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Reminding us of her as she lived alone and powerful, under the moon in her bathtub, tending to her body, dreams, desires, and the world around her. And then she told me that it was my uncle Cary. Speaking in an off-camera jailhouse interview, Cary Stayner, a motel handyman at the Lodge, said he strangled Silvina Pelosso, 16, and Carole Sund, 42, in their rented cabin at the Cedar Lodge in February 1999. I dont think excited is the right word, but Im now very interested in checking this series out. Previous reports by Chronicle reporters Susan Sward, Stacy Finz, Meredith May, Torri Minton, Zachary Coile and Matthew Yi contributed to this article. "He became a husband and a father and then he had to knuckle down and decide what he was going to do with his life," Kay says. ", Watch "20/20's" full story, "The Black Sheep," TONIGHT at 9 p.m. Steven was older now, and Parnell began craving a younger son. In February 1980, he enlisted a local boy to help him kidnap five-year-old Timmy White off the street in Ukiah. "I was just talking to someone about this. After Steven's death, his parents sold the house. Cary later said he and his cousin had been repeatedly molested by Uncle Jesse. The new Hulu docuseries pulls back the curtain on how one of the most prominent true crime families complete with a child kidnapping victim and his serial killer brother navigated trauma under a microscope. Blood Brothers, by Sarah Beach for Salon (1999) A friend of Stevens when he was in Compatche on her memories of Steven and a plea not to conflate his story with that of his brothers/. He brought the girls illustrations he'd drawn himself and bought them a new Beanie Baby, a popular toy in the '90s, each time he'd see them, she said. Stayner slashed her throat and left her to die. "I remember seeing it in the truck. I Know My First Name is Steven was a massive hit, and inspired a new bout of press attention to the Stayners. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). The window was open, the curtain was open, and I can see inside that there was two young women and the mother and no man," Cary Stayner said in his 1999 taped confession, obtained by ABC News. "I said, "Well, yeah. In 1999, he confessed to four killings. On July 21, 1999, 26-year-old Joie Armstrong, a park naturalist, was packing for a trip to join friends. "He was right under everyone's nose. Lenna said she'd told no one this for 20 years. "Cary Stayner left behind a boatload of evidence, and he knew it. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Steven Stayner and Timmy White (Courtesy of Hulu), Stayners return to his family was televised in its entirety cameras and hundreds of spectators and journalists were waiting when the police brought Steven and his dog back to his family home in Merced. Lenna said she could remember one occasion in which Cary Stayner had made her feel uncomfortable. The case remains unsolved. RELATED: One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. Lenna said that at the time, Cary Stayner, in his 30s and handsome, appeared "safe" to her, her mother and younger sister. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary. Nearly 40 million viewers tuned in, making it NBCs highest rated miniseries in five years. Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, was behind the Yosemite murders that rocked the small farming town of Merced, California in 1999. The yearbook is owned by Jack Bungart, managing editor of the Vallejo Times-Herald, who was sports editor of The Statesman when Stayner was the cartoonist. (AP Photo/The Modesto Bee, Al Golub), Yosemite murder suspect Cary Stayner is escorted following a hearing at the Mariposa County Courthouse Monday, July 16, 2001, in Mariposa, Calif. (AP Photo/The Fresno Bee, Craig Kohlruss), FBI agent Jeff Rinek cracked the Yosemite murder case. Hulu's latest true-crime documentary, "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story ," traces the nearly unbelievable tale of the Stayner family. Kidnapping and Trauma. Speaking in an off-camera jailhouse interview Monday, July 26, 1999, Cary Stayner, a motel handyman at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, Calif., said he strangled Carole Sund and family friend Silvina Pelosso in their rented cabin at the Lodge and then abandoned the rental car with their bodies inside, returning two days later to burn evidence.

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