One brother, Steven, was the victim of a . 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. MORE: Low-key Cary Stayner took back seat to kidnapped brother. Every summer for the past twenty years, a group of 15-18 year old women and non-binary femmes go to Yosemite for twelve days. Lenna, who asked that ABC News withhold her last name, said he also taught the two how to dive. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. PEOPLE got a first look at Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, which highlights the opposing legacies of kidnapping survivor Steven Stayner and his serial killer brother, Cary Stayner. They reported him missing to the police, and his face was all over the news. With glassy eyes, Ashley recounts the daily news coverage of Cary's crimes at the time, and how it was hard watching her father's legacy as a hero become overshadowed by something dark. By 1981, Mathaiss son, Lloyd (whod allegedly also been abused by Parnell), had been murdered by his stepfather. The miniseries was nominated for multiple Golden Globes and multiple Emmys. 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. Judge Julie Conger gave Parnell the maximum sentence in Oakland's Alameda County Superior Court. I loved Cary. Stayner confessed immediately, to sexually assaulting and murdering the women, but later pled not guilty by reason of insanity. They shouldn't bother. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home. This response from a judge to Kenneth Parnells motion (1981) that charges against him her either unsupported by probable cause or barred by the statute of limitations is really choice. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Reporter Mike Moffitt has been writing and editing stories for newspapers and news websites for more than 25 years. Regardless of his intentions, Cary's actions hurt his family all the same and took another son from Kay's life. "He was just our friend. He held her at gunpoint in her cabin as he bound her with duct tape and then forced her into his car. The Stayner family Delbert and Kay and their two sons and three daughters lived in a small farming town of Merced, California, known as the gateway to Yosemite Park. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. (AP Photo by The Modesto His death dealt another blow to the family - but not its last. She wrote in letters so often how much she deeply loved her life and calling. Soon enough, an opportunity presented itself: Screenwriter JP Miller wanted to write a made-for-television movie about his life. You can also watch it in multiple parts on YouTube. I camp and hike and backpack as a solo woman, and I do fieldwork as an ecologist in a lot of parks and public lands, and theres always a little fear in the back of my mind, but Im glad that its at a level where its much healthier and doesnt stop me from experiencing life the way I want to. Before joining the SFGate team, he worked at the San Francisco Examiner, Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. They were at the Merced River, she said, when he started removing all of his clothes. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! (AP Photo/Ben Margot). Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Barbara was somehow also hailed as a good guy in the story. Shock was a familiar reaction in Merced, a San Joaquin Valley city about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, where residents considered Steven Stayner a hero for escaping from a child molester in 1980, only to die in a motorcycle accident nine years later. 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. In March of 1980, her hopes came true. And finally, just a warning that this story involves sexual abuse of multiple children. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). "I felt like that could be any of us, just like my dad, just walking home from school and going missing," she says. Courts, lawyers, and investigators seemed especially sensitive to the shame that seemed to surround such crimes.. He later said he was unable to resist killing her when he realized she was alone. Now, a new segment of ABC's news magazine "20/20" recounts the crimes and tragedies surrounding the Merced, Calif., siblings on the 20-year anniversary of the 1999 Yosemite serial killings. An exclusive trailer for the three-part docuseries is below. They remember Parnell as creepy and uptight. ET on ABC. Steven was born in Merced in 1965, the third of five children in the Stayner family. I love stories like this! Her job was leading children in nature hikes. 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. After Cary Stayner's arrest, Lenna said FBI agents contacted her mother. That was his therapy that helped him through everything.". And I go, "Well, OK,' and so I got in the car. A cabin where Parnell lived with Dennis (Courtesy of Hulu). To be clear, Im not an advocate for incarceration as a solution or as a measure of justice in general, but! Lenna said that after Cary Stayner's arrest, her family placed a Beanie Baby peace bear on a little, wicker float down the Merced River to give them peace about everything that happened. 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. "They said they wanted to get away and wash away some bad memories.". "He seemed like a nice guy. In well-crafted Hulu true-crime docuseries, the family of Steven Stayner looks back on his abduction, his escape and the strange twists of fate that followed. "Cary was unwell since he was a toddler, as far as I know," Cory says. (Remarking on people calling his brother a hero, Cary once said, "The way I see it, just about anyone would have done the same thing in his shoes."). In high school, Cary Stayner showed talent as a cartoonist. leatherloom Mens Leather Jackets Bomber LeatherJacket, It can, of course, be prepared as a shot, or you can double it for a few shots, make a. But Steven and his mother didnt want to go through a second trial. But I also dont forgive him. "I don't think he did it. Cary Stayner had decided the day after Valentine's Day would be the day he killed Lenna and her family. 20/20: Evil in Eden Special on Steven and Cary Stayner. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. He's never caused any problems," Houtz, 32, said. When Steven Stayner returned home, the whole family's focus was on him, she said. But at the same time, I still have a hard time looking at him as a monster. In February 1999, Carole Sund; her 16-year-old daughter, Juli Sund; and friend Silvina Pelossa, an exchange student from Argentina, were staying at the lodge. Television crews followed him through the school hallways, watched him at home and looked for any update on his current state as he assimilated back into his life as Steven Stayner. 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. At first, Stayner denied being sexually abused by Parnell. Cary Stayner is shown in a booking photo Monday, Dec. 4, 2000, at the Mariposa County Adult Facility in Mariposa, Calif. 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. Delbert, she says, would drive through the hills looking for makeshift graves and follow suspicious vehicles with hopes of locating Steven. Just realized that its Steven and not Stephen Ooops! Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Then, in the summer of 1999, Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old woman running educational programs at Yosemite for children, was reported missing by her friends and later found decapitated in the park. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. "Then you have Steven Stayner get kidnapped, and then he comes back and gets killed in a motorcycle accident. Steven Stayner reunited with his parents In the early '80s, the story of Steven Stayner's childhood abduction and rescue riveted the nation. I knew a lot about this case because I know about Joie Armstrong. The entire time he was right there! He didnt want to talk about it, he was ashamed and he feared itd be framed as his fault. He was one of two sons and three daughters to parents, Delbert and Kay Stayner. Jesse Houtz, co-owner of Cedar Lodge Restaurants, said Cary Stayner would hang out at the bar, but often kept to himself. "He just didn't set off any alarm bells," said former reporter Christine Hanley. Her decapitated body was found Thursday, July 22, 1999 near Crane Creek which runs behind the house. He would joke around with us workers, but he was also kind of quiet," said Albert Sanchez, who worked with Stayner on a month-long gardening project earlier this year. They found out who did it.' Anyone who owned a television in the '80s will recognize the name Steven Stayner. The family learned from the FBI that Cary Stayner had tried to kill them on three separate occasions including after he'd killed Armstrong. Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. It seemed like she was alone," he said during his taped confession. Juli Sund was found later that month after Cary Stayner anonymously sent a map and note to authorities, telling them where to find her body. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of protecting children and supporting victims of abuse and trauma. Steven Stayner testifies about his abduction in 1972 by Kenneth Parnell and his seven years in captivity in this 1981 AP file photo. It meant putting the victim through hell for a very modest increase in the sentence. "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. At night while Parnell was at work, the two boys ran out into the rainy night, eventually hitching a ride to Ukiah, where they found the police department. "They got him to a mental health center, but he left. Cary Stayner was the oldest of Delbert and Kay Stayner's five children, who included Steven and three sisters. One brother was lauded as a hero, the other branded a monster. Steven Stayner's Abduction. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. Much like Steven's, their disappearance shocked the nation and dominated headlines as investigators frantically searched for them. Steven Stayner, celebrity savior of a young boy, was dead at 24. Silvina Pelosso, a friend of the Lunds from Argentina, was Cary Stayner's second victim at the Cedar Lodge. asked Lisa Hansell, then Cedar Lodge restaurant general manager. They felt slightly better about the two-part TV mini-series that debuted in 1989, for which the family was consulted. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. Eventually, he found work doing odd jobs at the Cedar Lodge outside of Yosemite. "I remember seeing it in the truck. Steven Stayner's miraculous story of escape from his kidnapper in 1980 garnered national headlines at the time. I remember watching I Know My First Name is Steven because I remember that scene where the line is drawn from. One of the people affected by the Yosemite saga was Steven's daughter, Ashley. One brother, Steven, was the victim of a . Murphy was actually nabbing Steven for Parnell, his co-worker at the Yosemite Lodge, whod told Murphy he wanted to raise an underprivileged child. His sexual abuse of Steven began shortly thereafter and continued throughout Stevens time living with Parnell. He did his own thing. Lori, his wife, poses with him at their Sierra foothill home in East Sacramento town of Rescue. Rape and molestation victims were seen as damaged goods, Horowitz recalled. Friends and co-workers would say later that he struggled with impulses he didn't understand and was susceptible to fits of rage. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. "I said, "Well, yeah. Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@sfchronicle.com. After Armstrong was reported missing, authorities went to her cabin and found debris -- broken sunglasses as well as a red mechanics hat -- and tire tracks. In March 1980, The San Francisco Examiner published a piece called Twisted Love: A Portrait of Kenneth Parnell which attested that Parnell had been disturbed all his life, beginning with trying to pull out his own teeth as a child, then moving on to theft and arson. Cary Stayner caught up with her and slit her throat. 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. "I was literally trying to get my mouth going to hear that again to make sure I had heard what he said.". But when a police search of Parnells home turned up sexualized photographs of Steven, he acknowledged what hed endured. However, they ran out of time. In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. Steven Stayner, then 24, had married and had two children. "You can't make a movie about something like this happening," Kay says in the first episode. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. "He was a good dad, he was a good family man," Jody remembers. The case was never solved. His first arrest for child molestation occurred shortly thereafter (he was 19, the child was 9) and he was sent to a psychiatric hospital, from which he escaped twice. His death dealt another blow to the family - but not its last. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, Low-key Cary Stayner took back seat to kidnapped brother, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven . An investigation into Steven's reappearance uncovered that he was motivated to plan an escape after his captor abducted Timmy. "The only good part about him being missing," Kay says, "is there was always hope that he would be found.". He was right under everyone's nose. In March of 1973, the local paper called the search for Steven one of the longest and widest missing persons investigations ever made by the local police department. They had no leads, but his family never stopped holding out hope. Steven Stayner (front right) pictured with his older brother, Cary (center). His helmet had supposedly been stolen days before. And after reading this story, my blood froze in my veins! Cary was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002 for the murders of four women in 1999. Tragedy struck the Stayner family again 15 months later, in December 1990. Then all of a sudden its gone. Inside the Monster by Katy St. Clair for The East Bay Express (2003) The author discovers Parnell lives in Berkeley and sets up an interview with him after the author of I Know My Name is Steven assures her hes only a threat if youre a child, and they go out for dinner and my lord, Parnell is a real piece of work! He was also convinced that he'd seen Bigfoot while out in the woods. Steven Stayner as a child (Courtesy of Hulu). "I knew both of them. The case remains unsolved . Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. As he was driving, he said, she fell through the window of the vehicle and started running. Kay says. And uh, such a happy part that turned into such a dark part of our life," she said. ", "To realize that the monster that did that was your own family, like, that's crazy. 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. Vickie Flores, who grew up with the Stayner children, said Cary Stayner had a strange side. Now shes an astronomer because of how she fell in love with the stars. "He came home.". The Stayner family's devastating narrative, particularly the difficult lives of their two boys, Steven and Cary Stayner, is explored in the new three-part Hulu documentary series Captive Audience.' Kenneth Parnell, a guy who operated at the Yosemite Lodge in Steven's birthplace of Merced, California, abducted Steven when he was seven years old . 3. Ive had drinks with him at the bar up there. Carole Sund, 42, was Cary Stayner's first victim at the Cedar Lodge. Two of the women's bodies were found burned in the trunk of their charred vehicle, one had her throat cut and the final victim had been decapitated. 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). And now this. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. "It always seems like when something happens in our family, the media is there.". I wanted to share the happiness we had, the good outcome, but then that had a bad side too.". "As I walked, there was a red car in the 500 building all by itself. "He was right under everyone's nose. 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. Cary eventually developed acute paranoia after years of consistent marijuana use, but kept on smoking regardless. "How could we have missed someone we felt was part of our family?" 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. Cary was handsome and a good artist, but unable to form intimate relationships with women or lasting friendships. And I said, "Well, it's just a little ways, I can walk.' He smoked cigarettes. The Autostraddle Insider Issue 103: April 2023. He was given a new identity Dennis Parnell and for seven years endured sexual abuse at the hands of his captor. I believe he was supposed to have been with his brother. In 1999, three tourists vanished in Yosemite National Park. (AP Photo/Fresno Bee), Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. Hi! Cary Stayner worked at Cedar Lodge for two years before he killed guests Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. Inside was a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell, who accosted him about making a donation to a church. The boy was asked if he wanted to donate something to a church. Bee), Juli Sund, the teenage daughter of Carole Sund, was sexually assaulted and then driven by Cary Stayner along with the bodies of her mother and friend to a wooded area near the Don Pedro Reservoir. "Everything they did and everything they had, it was about Steven," she said. She told journalists that Steven was always a nice boy and he called me Mother like my own kids did.. Ive never heard about this sad case :( Thank you so much for covering it here! Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor. Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. A reporter who interviewed Cary in prison told Hulu that Carys first demand was that the journalist contact producers in LA to make a TV movie about him. Parnell has both claimed he was abused as a child and explicitly denied he was abused as a child. '", Looking back at what drove Cary to do something so heinous, the Stayners are stumped. On Dec. 4, 1972, the Stayner family's low profile . (AP Photo by The Modesto On Dec. 4, 1972, the Stayner family's low profile permanently changed when 7-year-old Steven Stayner, the middle child, was abducted walking home from school. When Cary Stayner was in his 30s, he drove his car -- a 1972 pale blue International Scout -- to El Portal and got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge. Steven Stayner was the middle child of a family from Merced, California. As a teenager, Cary loved smoking weed and so did his Uncle Jesse, who Cary eventually moved in with, until Uncle Jesse was murdered in 1990 with his own gun, allegedly by a home intruder. "He was off. what a great post ive found. Steven, knowing Timmy would soon suffer the same abuse hed suffered, decided it was time to plot his escape. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. "It came natural to him.". If you haven't listened to episode 138 yet, make sure you do that before you jump He crashed into a parked car and was thrown from the bike, his head slamming the pavement. One day in 1995, he "freaked out" and he bloodied his fist pounding it into a sheet of plywood. My platonic queer soulmate friend of the last decade, who taught me how to backpack in my early twenties, was lucky enough to go on this trip when she was fifteen. Steven Stayner's childhood abductionand reappearance seven years latercaptivated the nation. I think my mom might donate something,' " Stayner told authorities years later. On the night after Valentine's Day 1999, Cary knocked on the door of the lodge's room 509, saying he had to make a plumbing repair. Her other son, Robert, was in jail for drug, firearm and oral copulation charges. Parnell was arrested Friday night, Jan. 3, 2003, in Berkeley, Calif., after allegedly trying to buy a child, said. 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 happens to all families, I guess." Girls found him attractive, but introverted and aloof. 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 said police told her family Cary Stayner tried three times to kill them. All Rights Reserved. Steven Stayner with wife, Jody, and kids, Ashley and Steven Jr. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's 'Captive Audience' Now? The boy didn't exist. RELATED: One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. (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. Lenna was 10 or 11 when her mother began dating Cary Stayner, a worker at the Cedar Lodge outside of Yosemite National Park. ", Watch "20/20's" full story, "The Black Sheep," TONIGHT at 9 p.m. Parnells appeals lawyer explains it like this: There was at the time a strong sense of what they called protecting the victim, he said, though he pointed out that, to his mind, protecting the victim was really a smokescreen for blaming the victim. (AP Photo/Juli Sund, Carrington family). Important distinction, thanks! Kidnapped in 1972 at the age of 7, the California boy became a national hero when seven years later he not. "Cary still didn't talk to anyone about Steven. Lenna was just 10 or 11 when she met Cary Stayner, who was dating her mother. 7 min read. The case remains unsolved. The Stayner family home in Merced, Calif. Child kidnap victim Steven Stayner, 23, is seen smoking a cigarette inside a car about a year before his death. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary. "One time Cindy (Stayner) and I were outside at night and he exposed himself to us. In 1981, Parnell was tried for the kidnappings. He had been a young patrol officer in 1972 when Cary Stayner's younger brother, Steven Stayner, was snatched off a Merced street in the county's most infamous kidnapping.

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