which features a photo of him in a sheriffs uniform. After Timothy White, who had become a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy, died from pulmonary embolism in 2010, a statue of Stayner and White was built in Applegate Park in Merced, California. After all, the latter helped a 5-year-old child escape a pedophile as a teenager after enduring years of abuse. 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. Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. After that time he was in and out of juvenile custody for car theft and arson.[4][5]. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? However, Timothy could not remember his address, so Stayner took him to a police station instead. Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim whose incident occurred on December 4, 1972. 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. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him stayed. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. However, he allowed him to keep the middle name "Gregory" and his original birthdate. He was just a great kid with a good heart.. They wanted to truthfully relate what had happened to According to a psychiatrist who would later evaluate Stayner for his defense team, the Stayner family tree was riven with mental illness and sexual abuse going back five generations. Kay and Delbert had already lost Steven to a motorcycle accident in 1989, so they dreaded losing their other son. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Later that year he married again and had another daughter. However, as we all know, that turned when pedophile Kenneth Parnell abducted Steven in 1972, and the Stayners allegedly began to neglect their children. In 1972, a Young Boy Was Kidnapped and Abused for 7 Years Before Escaping Where Is His Torturer Now? Parnell died in 2008 while incarcerated. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. He loved his family, his career and boating, especially at Lake Pyramid, the obituary states. He told The San Jose Mercury News that watching his children play was 'like having another childhood - the childhood I didn't have.' "Steven was bravely going about reconstructing his life," JK Miller said. He had a pretty sad life.. Sandra Hawkins, a family friend, toldPeoplethat Kay stayed strong during the abduction but was totally crushed after learning of Stevens death. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Bill Balestra said of Stayner, who was . It was also difficult for his parents to adjust to having a teenager after remembering their son as a 7-year-old boy. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. Naturally, the media began analyzing the connection between abducted child Steven Stayner and his serial killer brother, Cary Stayner. While they never gave up hope, the ordeal took a toll on the whole family. They had a daughter, Ashley, who was 3 at the time of her fathers death, and a son, Steven Jr., who was 2. have yall heard of Steven and Cary Stayner? And while Captive Audience focuses mostly on the Stayner family and how Stevens brother Cary grew up to be a serial killer, Whites life and story was changed forever by his ordeal. By daybreak the following morning, Parnell had been arrested. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. He also convinced the little boy that his parents could not afford raising so many children and as such did not want him anymore. He was third of five children of his parents and had an elder brother Cary and three sisters. When Steven Stayner returned home after being kidnapped for seven years in 1980, he became a household name. As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Steven was kidnapped walking home from school in 1972 by Kenneth Purnell and told his parents no longer wanted him. As reported by The Famous People, both boys were reunited with their parents on May 2, 1980. Furthermore, according to Steven Jr.'s Facebook page, he currently resides in Merced, Cali. On the other hand, Kay still lives in California, rarely speaks out about either of her sons publicly, and prefers to go by her day-to-day life away from the limelight. Although Parnell was a convicted child predator, Murphy was described as "simple-minded," and somewhat naive. He sure led a rough life, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner, SF Gate reported in 2008. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. On the show, Kay stated that the couple always planned on having a family. [8], More than a decade after the sodomy case, Parnell was convicted of armed robbery in Utah. As per her testimony during Carys 2002 trial, she was raised to keep her emotions to herself by her father, who insisted that she would otherwise seem crazy like her mother. Steven Stayner Missing Childrens Memorial, Saint George and the Dragon Bronze Statue (4ft high by 4ft wide), General Ulysses S. Grant Monument, for West Point, Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 Spacesuit Replicas (15 Life Size Statues). White became a Los AngelesCounty sheriffs deputy. Being a mother, we assume Kay continues to miss her sons, but likes to keep it private, as made clear on her Facebook account. 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. However, Stayner skillfully sabotaged Kenneths plans. Steven Stayners incredible story features in the captivating Hulu crime dramaCaptive Audience. She added, He was very proud of who he was. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021. 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 friend Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old Yosemite naturalist, according to History. Cary's defense team argued that he suffered from mental illness, in part from the trauma he suffered when Steven was kidnapped. However, they ran out of time. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. 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. Parnell created a new identity for Stayner, giving him the new name, Dennis Gregory Parnell, but retained his original middle name and his original date of birth. I dont believe that it was my brother who committed such things, Sartell said as the defense presented his three sisters in an effort to spare his life. When Steven passed away, Ashley was 3 years old and Steven Jr. was 2 years old. His story is told in the movie I Know My First Name Is Steven. But before we get into that, lets get to know Stevens two kids: Ashley and Steven Stayner Jr., who are both featured in the documentary. 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. (Parnell's cabin was, unbeknownst to Stayner, located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) He died in his home, according to. In addition to participating in the abuse of Stayner, she attempted to help Parnell kidnap a boy who was a member of the Santa Rosa Boys' Club. He didnt whine about lousy breaks. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. However, he was not charged for sexual assault as the prosecutors believed they were 'protecting' Stayner from the social stigma of male sexual abuse. Getty Images While adjusting to his new life at home, and being bullied in school for the abuse he experienced, Steven also had to deal with. He grew up alongside his siblings named; Cynthia Sartell, Cory Stayner, and Cary Stayner. He didn't whine about lousy breaks. Ive never been this angry. Ashley Stayner Husband, Is She Married? Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. The family sent out fliers, Sartell said, and headed off on distant road trips to talk to people who might have any information about the missing child. His wife, Jody Edmondson, lashed out at Antonio for leaving the scene. Steven Stayner died in 1989. Of course Cynthia Sartell knew him; he was her older sibling. 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. The miniseries was released on May 23, 1989, only about four months before he died in a hit-and-run accident. #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. Then in 1980, as Stayner matured, Parnell kidnapped a younger boy, 5-year-old Timothy "Timmy" White. [2] In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of four women. Young Stayner replied that his mother would donate, following which Murphy asked for his address and offered to accompany him to his house, to which he agreed. 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. READ NEXT: Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. Steven Stayner with his parents In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. 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. For seven years he was held captive by a man who routinely abused him. Steven was quite protective of Ashley and Steven Jr, given what happened to him. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". As reported by The Famous People, Parnell eventually convinced Stayner that his parents relinquished their rights and that he was granted full legal custody. JP Miller, the co-screenwriter ofI Know My First Name Is Steven,a mini-series about Stayners abduction and escape, said Steven struck him as a man unafraid of death. Theres so much hate right now.. A new documentary revisits the stories of Steven Stayner, who escaped from a seven-year captivity aged 14, and of his brother Cary Stayner, who was convicted of four murders years later.. She named the sculptural design, Coming Home and it was unanimously approved by the committee. The Merced Police Department launched an extensive investigation and search effort. The statue tells the story of Steven Stayner, a Merced youth who was abducted in 1972 and Timothy White, the 5-year-old boy he rescued from suffering the same fate. In 1999, a proposal to name a park after him was rejected as the officials feared that 'Stayner Park' may point to his brother Cary, who had just confessed to killing four women in Yosemite. Under the belief that Parnell has been given legal custody of him, and that his family has moved away, he stays with Parnell for seven years, enduring repetitive sexual abuse the entire time. However, she has preferred to stay away from public attention. He fell in love. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him had stayed. This memorial reminds families and friends of other missing children that their loved one may someday return. Over the next few years, the couple had Ashley and Steven Jr, born a year apart. Ive never been this angry. Her battle with dementia explained, How did Dr. Charles Stanley die? A few years later, Steven got married and had two childrenbut at 24, having already been robbed of his childhood, Steven was robbed of his life when a hit-and-run driver killed him while he was riding his motorcycle home. Kenneth Parnell was ultimately convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to steal a child. He was in the background always.". When Stayner was 14, he ran away with another kidnapped boy, Timmy White, and went to the police, ABC News reported. Parnells father, Cecil Frederick, died July 31, 1972 in Denver.[3]. At the time, the 24-year-old was driving a motorcycle and collided with a car in the front. 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. If theyre just out on the porch, the door is always open. The devastation of losing their son twice within 10 years was excruciating for Steven Stayner's parents. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. 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. As for where Delbert and Kay Stayner are now, the pair had made it evident that they wanted to lead quiet lives after the events of the early 2000s. ABCs 20/20: Yosemite Serial Killer, as the title suggests, profiles the tale of the male who carried out four murders in six months near the Yosemite National Park in 1999. Soon after, Parnell reached there, driving a white Buick, which Stayner got into willingly, along with Murphy, but instead of his home, he was taken to a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley. So, on December 4, 1972, Kay was supposed to pick him up from school but had stopped to pick something up from Delbert. He had attempted another kidnapping with his mistress Barbara Mathias, but that failed to go to plan. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. Both boys had been victims of kidnapping. Parnell had been with a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of one and half years, during which they reportedly forced Stayner into sexual activities at least nine times. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. Stayner, 41, faces the death penalty for the killings of Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and their Argentine friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, while they were staying at the motel where he. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. At the time, Stayner had been missing for more than seven years. At his funeral on September 20, a 14-year-old Timmy White was one of the pallbearers. In 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner went to school and never came home. Adjusting to post-abduction life was no easy task for Steven. She previously attended a military university and served in the U.S. Air Force from 2007 to 2011. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. The plaques inscription will serve as a wake-up call for all of us to be ever vigilant in protecting our young people from child abduction. White went on to have two children with his wife, Dena. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had enduredand the two escaped. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Opinion: Why my Taiwanese American identity has become more complicated, 7 hospitalized after driver in stolen car runs red light in San Bernardino, police say, Barstow police investigating after officer caught on video hitting man with a baton, Man found guilty of murdering teens who ding-dong-ditched his house. He was mocked at school, which caused him to drop out, and after he began drinking more often, he was kicked out of his parental house. He said, Whats dying? like so much had already happened to him, what was dying compared to that?. At the time, the concept of therapy was frowned upon, and his father insisted that he didnt need any counseling. 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. His family was happy to have him back, but things were different. That statue was revealed inApplegate Park Saturday morning for a crowd of hundreds that included friends and family ofSteven Stayner and Timothy White. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Steven with his wife and two children in 1988. Parnell claimed to have married a third and final time in 1968,[8] but no records were ever found to substantiate this. Jurors in August found him guilty of the murders. Steven unexpectedly died in a motorcycle crash in 1989 when he was 24 years old. Powered by, In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators. Sadly, even though she kept her father away from her daughters while he stayed with them, they were still unsafe as Delbert reportedly carried on the cycle of parental molestation. As long as I can see them and hear their voices, Im OK. But in September 1989, the family was dealt a terrible tragedy when Steven met with a road accident while on his way back home. Find a Grave He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up,Stevens sister said in 2007. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. 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. 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. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. Born In: Merced, California, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Jody Edmondson (m. 19851989). Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. All Rights Reserved. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Kenneth Parnell is most notoriously known for the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, but he was an active child sex predator long before that 1972 abduction. Kay and Delbert Stayner married in 1960 and had five children together. He fled on foot along with White, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight once they got to safety. According to The Press Democrat, Kay Stayner said she "never did lose [her] hope" of finding her missing son. Shortly before his death, Steven had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The racers relationship with Sarah Lavin, Where is Katherine Russell today? It was a sad end to a tragic life,Allen Maxfield, CHP traffic safety officer, said. Very seldom did he get into trouble. While Jody said her husband did blame himself in some ways but ultimately seemed at peace with everything. According to her Facebook page, Ashley currently lives in Atwater, Cali. By that time, Cary Stayner was already having grotesque fantasies, the agent wrote. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020. September 17, 1989. Del is devastated too. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to. Dwarfed by his tall andlanky frame, Timmy takes his hand to set out on the dark road from the remote home where thechildren were being held. He was just very well-grounded, for a person that had gone through what he had gone through. In the years after Stevens death, it was mentioned on the show that Jody remarried. As reported by The Famous People, the man, who was later identified as Ervin Edward Murphy, said he was a representative of a local church and was seeking donations for his parish. His older brother Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murders of four women in 2002. Miller toldPeople: He was kind of a reckless kid after he came back home he wrecked a couple of cars and I talked to him about being careful, because he could kill himself. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. The title of the TV series and the book on Steven Stayner, 'I Know My First Name is Steven', was inspired by a line in his official police statement given after being rescued. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. As Steven got older and entered puberty, Parnell's sexual interest in Stayner waned and Parnell sought a new boy to "build his family". He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. Many local residents also attended, who never knew theboys but felt moved by the story as it played out in the media across the country. Hawkins said: She was the one who stayed so strong and calm and collected through that seven-year-ordeal. Jody expressed her frustration with the hit-and-run, saying, Im very, very, very angry. Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. 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. [1] He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. Parnell shifted from one place to another for work, often took Stayner with him, but later sometimes left him alone and unguarded. Realizing how the young boy would suffer at the hands of his captor, Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents. On February 14, 1980, Parnell employed Randall Sean Poorman, a teenage friend of Stayner, to abduct a five-year-old Timothy "Timmy" White in Ukiah, California. Steven in order to hopefully save other children from the same tragic fate. 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. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. We were kind of on our own, Sartell said. ABC News reports it was a "sleety, wintery day," and Stayner willingly followed Murphy into Parnell's car, as he expected the man to take him home. He told TheSan Jose Mercury Newsthat watching his children play was like having another childhood the childhood I didnt have., Steven was bravely going about reconstructing his life,JK Miller said. Judge Thomas Hastings has said that the evidence is becoming repetitive, and he has ordered Stayners defense to tighten up testimony so the case can go to the jury early next week. An archive article published September 18, 1989, two days after Stayners death, in The Spokesman-Review, said a driver hit Stayner on a highway and left him on the ground with severe head injuries. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. Losing perspective? [6] He escaped from a state institution in Norwalk, but was recaptured. When she took the witness stand Thursday and was asked if she knew Yosemite killer Cary Stayner, his sister began to cry. 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. My dad was on a mission trying to find his son, she said. 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. Born on April 18, 1965, Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Delbert even referred to Steven as his real son and pushed the other away. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, a Hulu docuseries streaming today, first revisits the 1972 kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner by convicted child molester Kenneth Parnell. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. They had very few memories of their father and learned about his life the way most people did: through the media. Steven, then nearly 15, bravely managed to escape with Timothy to a local police station, from which both boys were returned home. He also became a sheriffs deputy in Newhall in Los Angeles County in 2005, Mercury News reported in 2010. Then something changed, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. My son is very sick right now, the familys patriarch said while sobbing. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. He died in his home, according to his obituary which features a photo of him in a sheriffs uniform.