. 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. His business savvy partner, Bonny Lee Bakleys death The accusations behind her unsolved murder, Who are Miles Pfeffers parents? It wasnt until 1980 that Kay and the family saw Steven again. Parnell had also moved from one menial job to another, some of his work requiring travel and leaving Stayner unguarded, causing an adult Stayner to remark he could have easily used these absences as opportunities to flee, but was unaware how to summon help. But to see that all of these people continued to think about him and remember him, and feel so much guilt for not knowingalthough I don't know how any of them could have knownI think that was really impactful to see.". When she took the witness stand Thursday and was asked if she knew Yosemite killer Cary Stayner, his sister began to cry. 2023 E! In the epilogue to his book, Echols describes how he infiltrated NAMBLA. He named the dog, a Manchester Terrier, Queenie. "We tried to keep quiet and not upset our parents.". A police investigation didnt trace the deaths back to Cary, although he was interviewed. [6], Acting on instructions from Parnell, Murphy passed out gospel tracts to boys walking home from school that day[6][7] and, after spotting Stayner, claimed to be a church representative seeking donations. Stayner later claimed that Murphy asked him if his mother would be willing to donate any items to the church. Before watching 20/20's "Evil in Eden," get the backstory on these notorious brothers. Steven Stayners kidnapping prompted California lawmakers to change the state laws, allowing consecutive prison terms in similar abduction cases., But the story doesnt end there. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven had been walking home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into a stranger's car with the promise of a ride home. Although Stayner was dead, his testimony at Parnell's earlier trial was read to jurors as evidence in Parnell's 2004 trial. He was described as a quiet kid, he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, going to the park, riding his skateboard, or even his bike. Steven Stayner testifies about his abduction in 1972 by Kenneth Parnell and his seven years in captivity in this 1981 photo. It was a sad end to a tragic life,Allen Maxfield, CHP traffic safety officer, said. Los Angeles TimesTV critic Howard Rosenberg called the production "an exception" to the usual "exercises in distortion and exploitation" that tended to characterize made-for-TV dramatizationsof horrific crimes. Jody said (perThe Spokesman-Review): Im very, very, very angry. "I yelled at him a lot. Steven Stayner was a typical 7-year old boy. It was the first day in the 2 1/2-month trial that any members of Stayners immediate family have shown up. Who are Steven Stayner sisters? Would I have been better off if I didn't?". For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Looking beyond the good vs. bad brother trope, the directorreflected onrevisiting the divergent branches of the Stayner storyin a way that doesn't allow for the audience to tidily point fingers. Steven eventually married and had two children. 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. ", Rowlandsreported that the then-37-year-old also said he had dreamed of killing women for 30 years and these four were "at the wrong place at the wrong time.''. Much of the testimony that the defense has tried to introduce, such as the molestation of one of Stayners sisters by their father, has been barred because of objections by the prosecution. [15] Mathias later claimed to have been completely unaware that "Dennis" had been kidnapped. Fortunately, the police spotted him as well and detained both of them, following which he revealed his identity and narrated his own story. However, police officers spotted both of them, and that's when Steven's real identity was revealed. I don't know sometimes if I should have come home. Steven later said in an interview, I returned almost a grown man, and yet my parents saw me at first as their seven-year-old. Juli's body was discoveredMarch 25 next to a reservoirabout 30 miles away from the car with help from an anonymous letter to the FBI that Cary said he sent himselfbut had someone else lick the stamp, so his DNA couldn't be traced. "He was spunky. By the time Steven was nine, Mathias and Parnell had raped him on at least nine separate occasions. It wasn't until Parnell was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 to life. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. The attempt was a failure. In the era of Lifetime movies shotwhile a suspect is still on trial and amid the boom of star-studded series tackling true crime and corporate chicanery before the dust has settled, the nine years between Steven's homecoming and the seminal miniseries about his case feels like a century. 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. Sartell testified about the toll that the 1972 kidnapping of younger brother Steven took on the family. The next day, Steven was told that his parents had given him up, that they couldnt afford so many children (Steven was one of five children), and they didnt want him anymore. Ramirez, Jessica. In 1999, against the wishes of the Stayner family, Echols wrote an additional chapter about Steven's older brother Cary at the request of his publisher, which then re-published the book.[34]. He was at times eerily nonchalant about what happened to him and even took to making jokes about it himself. The alleged driver of the car was later identified by witnesses. ", HetoldNewsweek in 1984, "I returned almost a grown man and yet my parents saw me at first as their 7-year-old. ", Kay told the jury of her surviving son,"Very seldom did he get into trouble. Growing up, brothers Cary and Steven Stayner shared a home with their parents and three sisters in Merced, California a small farming town near Yosemite National Park according to the. In 2002, he was sentenced to death and is currently on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. The next day, on March 2nd, both the boys were reunited with their respective families and Parnell was arrested. kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell, who sexually abused him. The retired TV host rarely leaves his home due to illness, Everything We Know About Vanessa Hudgens Parents, Who is Charlie Kirks wife? Steven died nine years after he returned home. "And then they're the family of the perpetrator of the worst possible thing. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When the police checked into his background they found a previous sodomy conviction from 1951. Stayner had a relaxed upbringing as his captor not only allowed him to roam freely wherever he wished to go, but also allowed him to start drinking at a very early age. On March 1, 1980, after two weeks, Steven had had enough. For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. [25][28], On September 16, 1989, Stayner sustained fatal head injuries while on his way home from work when his motorcycle collided with a car[28][29] in a hit-and-run accident. 162.211.29.130 Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Timothy, back home with his family, adjusted well, and things returned to normal. Parnell shifted from one place to another for work, often took Stayner with him, but later sometimes left him alone and unguarded. But the family has since dealt with several tragedies along the way, including Stevens death and his older brothers incarceration for murder. On February 14, 1980, Parnell and a teenage friend of Stayner's named Randall Sean Poorman kidnapped five-year-old Timmy White in Ukiah. Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of 7, became a national hero after helping another child escape from abuse. All along, there was the assurance that his story would be made into a movie. Kay and Delbert Stayner married in 1960 and had five children together. "My older brother . April 22, 2022 Steven Stayner's miraculous story of escape from his kidnapper in 1980 garnered national headlines at the time. Steven, his memory of his family fading under the strain of the trauma, took to calling Parnell "Dad" and went to class clean and neatly dressed, and otherwise showing no obvious outward traces of being held against his will. [8], Parnell molested Stayner the first night at the cabin. The boy, who was in the Santa Rosa Boys Club with Steven, wouldnt be so easy. Parnell was convicted first of kidnapping Timmy in June 1981, Steven tellingThe Evening Newshe was "glad" about the verdict and hadn't been worrying too much about the next trial, at which he'd be called to testify. During this time, Parnell kidnapped another child, Timothy White, while he was on his way home from school, according to The Modesto Bee. Third of five children, he had an older brother and three sisters. FBI agent Jeff Rinek, one of the agents who arrested Cary and then spent 90 minutes in the car withhim driving to bureau headquarters in Sacramento, remembered to the San Francisco Chroniclein 2002 howthe suspect willingly talked about what happened to his brother. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. So, today, at the age of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. However, Stayner skillfully sabotaged Kenneths plans. Mike Echols, who wrote the manuscript for the series, later published a book with the same title in 1991. When Steven Stayner hitchhiked his way to freedom in 1980, reporters . Del Stayner passed away in 2013, but Kay and her grandchildren Steven Jr. and Ashley, who were only 2 and 3 when their father died and grew up knowinghim primarily from Nemec's TV performance, sat down to talk for Captive Audience. It reads: "My name is Steven Stainer [sic]. They hitchhiked to Ukiah. When he couldn't figure out the location, he told White to head to the police station, with plans to return to Parnell's alone. Hearing about Cary's traumatic past or childhood issues didn't sway the jury, who recommended the death penalty, and a judge agreed. But after he and a fellow victim escaped in . In high school, Cary was known for being creative, but he couldn't escape Steven's story. "He got on with his life," his sister Cory Staynertold the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Originally published January 20, 2007 at 12:00 am. I think my last name isStayner.". Steven was held captive and sexually abused by his abductor 200 miles away in Mendocino County, California until he was 14. In the early '80s, the story of Steven Stayner's childhood abduction and rescue riveted the nation. I guess seven years changed him, too. Kay also talked about the effect Stevens return had on the family, He came back different, very different. Both Poorman and White testified for the prosecution at his 2004 trial. He was bullied, teased, and his sexuality was always called into question. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him stayed. His accomplices, Ervin Murphy, and Ronald Sean Poorman were also convicted, though on lesser charges, claiming they knew nothing of the sexual assaults. He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White. I was the oldest and all that. "They said, 'If we can bring one child home, it will be worth it. Steven Stayner escaped Kenneth Parnell when he was 14 years old. Unable to avoid the collision, Steven hit the drivers side of the vehicle. He convinced Mathias to lure another young boy into his car. I am fourteen years of age. (The other driver, Anthony Loera, actually left the scene but ultimatelyturned himself in. ", "My son is very sick right now," he added. On his casket, there was an inscription, Going Home. When asked about it, his wife said hes not hurting anymore. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013, at his home in Winton, California. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven.". Once more details emerged about his ordeal, some kids teased him about being molested. "We thought we were prepared and, of course, we weren't," Carole's father, Francis Carrington, told theLA Times after his granddaughter was found. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. As he was walking home from school on December 4th 1972, he was approached by a man named Ervin Murphy claiming to be a representative of the church who was looking for donations. Captive Audiencealsodelves into thecreative license taken during the making of the miniseries and the way in which the version of events that unfolded for an average of 35.8 million viewers over the course of two nights becamethestorythat everyone knew. Motivated in part by the young boy's distress, Stayner decided to return the boy to his parents. Steven was beaten and allowed to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. 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. "[35], Steven's story was also included in the book Against Their Will by Nigel Cawthorne, a compilation of stories of kidnappings.[36]. In 2004, at the age of 72, he tried to bribe a nurse with $500 to get him a young boy. [4], One of the few positive aspects of Stayner's life with Parnell was the dog he had received as a gift from him, a Manchester Terrier that he named Queenie. He was 79 years old. Parnell passed himself off as Stayner's father, and the two moved frequently around California, living in locations including Santa Rosa and Comptche. According to Stayner, Mathias, along with Parnell, raped him on nine occasions at the age of nine. Those sorts of comparisons have been used a lot in these two brothers and I started to think, is it more complicated?". He had a pretty sad life.. Even though missing fliers circulatedall over the place, including some of the schools Steven attended, no one evercame forward to say they recognized him. The docuseries focused heavily on the miniseries and featured appearances by both Corin Nemec and Todd Eric Andrews. He also had a small, speechless role in the TV series as one of two policemen who escort his 14-year-old self to his onscreen parents. 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