Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Prior to publication, the manuscript served as the basis for the 1989 TV miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven (also known as The Missing Years), with Arliss Howard as Parnell. The docuseries kicks off with Stevens 1972 kidnapping, and follows his abuse at the hands of Yosemite Lodge worker Kenneth Parnell. He was held by his abductor until he was 14, when he escaped with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White. Two men pulled up next to Stayner in a car one day, claiming to be ministers collecting money for their church. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. Timmy White, 5, sits on the lap of Steven Stayner, 14, during a news conference Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. In addition to his fraught life at home and at school, Steven, still just a teenager by this point, also had to face Parnell in court. But they. number of children. He married Kay about three years later, and the couple went on to have three daughters and two sons. 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. He died behind bars in 2008 from natural causes. Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, The Subject Of This Netflix True Crime Doc Is Now Guilty Of Murdering His Wife & Son, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. "Whatever demons were clamoring around in his head, by being naked, by smoking pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed," LaLama said. If youre wondering what happened to him since then, heres what we know. ", "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. The boys alerted the police and were finally united with their families. In fact, the wrong men were custody. Stayner's wife, Jodi, who The Spokesman-Review reported married Steven when she was 16, said he was her first love and the couple met in high school. On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work when a car suddenly pulled out of a driveway onto the highway. As reported by ABC News, Lori Duke, who went to school with Stayner, but knew him as Dennis Parnell, said, "He had a great personality. On Sept. 16, 1989, Steven, then 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident while on his way home from work. On several occasions, Parnell encouraged Stayner to help him lure another boy into the home. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent. But for the Stayners, this seemingly closed hellish chapter of their lives turned out to be . 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. He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. He also quarreled with his parents at home and drank consistently. . And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. That's tragic. Steven Stayner died due to head injuries caused by a motorcycle accident In late 1989, Steven was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle home from his job as a pizza delivery man when a car pulled out of the driveway just ahead of him. 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. Stayner and White were not Parnell's only victims. Cary Stayner. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. View Entire Post Steven Stayner biography timelines. When he returned, Stayner was constantly in the public eye, and he struggled with returning to his normal life after being kept captive for seven years. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". Am I wrong? As he was not wearing a helmet, he suffered massive head trauma, which led to his death less than one hour after the accident occurred. Cary Stayner worked at Cedar Lodge for two years before he killed guests Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. And they searched. He was remembered at a service at his church, the Merced Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where his pastor and family members gathered to pay their respects. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. 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. Stayner and his wife were high school sweethearts, the article said. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. And there was just nothing there," said Pat Lunney, an investigator assigned to Steven Stayners case. He returns to Merced triumphant. . However, his brother Cary also suffered throughout the entire ordeal. Hulus Captive Audience tells the tragic story of two Stayner brothers: Steven, who was kidnapped by a pedophile as a child, and Cary, who later became a serial killer. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'". He found someone else to help him find another boy, only this time he was caught and he was sent to prison again -- where he died in 2008.". Former reporter Ted Rowlands said, "Stayner had a new father figure who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist.". The kidnappings exacted a heavy toll on the Stayner family. Steven Stayner, Who Escaped 7-Year Captivity, Dead In Crash September 17, 1989 MERCED, Calif. (AP) _ Steven Stayner, kidnapped at the age of 7 and forced to live as the sexually abused foster son of his abductor until he escaped seven years later, has been killed in a hit-and-run traffic accident. He was popular for being a Person. Parnell worked at a nearby lodge, and on Dec. 4, 1972, he convinced co-worker Ervin Murphy to accompany him into Merced, per ABC News. He worked odd jobs delivering food, doing security, and packing meat in a factory until he met Jody Edmondson, whom he married in 1985 when he was 20. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. Would love your thoughts, please comment. In 1972, at the age of 7, Stayner was kidnaped while walking home from school. Cary is 60 and remains in prison. In February 1999, Carole Sund, 42, was on vacation with her daughter Juli, 15, and Silvina Pelosso, a 16-year-old Argentinian exchange student. [14] He paid $100 for a birth certificate and had $400 on his person for the completion of the transaction when he was to receive the child on January 3, 2003. In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020. Stayner once told press that he vigilantly watched his kids, and they werent even allowed out on the porch unless they were in sight of him or their mom. Steven Stayner, who as a child was kidnaped from his Merced home and held captive until he escaped seven years later, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident, a coroners spokesman said. Cookie Notice However, he only served three years in prison for that offense. What Was The Cause Of Death For Steven Stayner? READ NEXT: Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? Steven Stayner, who as a child was kidnaped from his Merced home and held captive until he escaped seven years later, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident, a coroner's spokesman . Jeff Rinek, at the time an FBI agent handling Cary Stayners case, said the search for the women was the "largest ever mounted in Yosemite at any time." You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.". It was also difficult for his parents to adjust to having a teenager after remembering their son as a 7-year-old boy. Stayner, who was held captive by Parnell for seven years, died in a 1989 motorcycle crash. Five months passed without another killing, and the community surrounding Yosemite was lulled into a sense of calm especially when the FBI announced that those they believed responsible for the murders were in custody. However, he allowed him to keep the middle name "Gregory" and his original birthdate. Steven Gregory Stayner was a well-known kidnapping victim from the United States. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents and asked that a $250,000 reward for information go to his family, Rinek wrote. Del died at his home in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. The two brothers are both famous and both knew unspeakable horror. Stayner, the subject of an NBC miniseries in May, lived as the son of his abductor, Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. in 2004. Everything has changed. Stayner died in 1989 in a motorcycle accident while driving home from work. SPONSORED LINKS Reviews TV Preview Lists Movie Explainers TV Explainers Anime MERCED . Mr. White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in 1980 by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times ). While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. [8], More than a decade after the sodomy case, Parnell was convicted of armed robbery in Utah. Would I have been better off if I didnt?. Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 was kidnapped. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. But Steven's return was only the start of the family heartache. Watch: The Truth Behind Our Obsession With True Crime Stories. Stayner waited until Parnell had gone to his night shift job as a clerk at a local motel on March 1, 1980 and, carrying White on his back, hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times). "[14], Parnell remained incarcerated until his death, at age 76, on January 21, 2008[15] at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. In an interview with SFGate, Michael Kollman, who was a longtime neighbor of the Stayner family, said, "I think it must have really affected Cary," said Michael Kollman. While they never gave up hope, the ordeal took a toll on the whole family. Parnell was convicted of two counts of kidnaping and sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison in February, 1982, after an 18-day trial in Hayward. In a motorcycle accident that occurred on September 16, 1989, in Merced, California, the United States of America, Steven Gregory Stayner was killed. "It was outrageous. I dont know sometimes if I should have come home. He was arrested again in 2004 for attempting to buy a child, and died in a state prison hospital in California in 2008.). "You have one brother who's been subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances he's a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. But tragedy struck in December 1972 when Steven disappeared while returning from school. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. On GMA in March 1980, Steven shared with former host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. On September 16, 1989, Stayner was riding his motorcycle on his way home from his job, when he collided with a driver coming out of a nearby migrant labor camp. Age at Death: 24. 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. Have something to tell us about this article? Steven was never able to open up about the sexual abuse he suffered and get help. [10] Unfamiliar with the city, Stayner decided the best option was to seek out the local police, who originally considered him a delinquent, until an exhaustive search of missing child posters and a piecemeal interrogation confirmed he was a missing child as well. Stayner told another psychiatrist, Park Dietz, who was hired by the prosecution to evaluate whether he was sane at the time he committed the Yosemite murders, that as a child he worried that the obsessive thoughts he had about holding the neighbor girl against her will somehow caused Steven to be kidnapped. In February 1980, Parnell brought home a 5-year-old White, who, like Stayner, had been walking home from school. Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work the night before the Emmys when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. Stayner went to the police station and told them what happened to him, which included the line that later became the title of his movie: I know my first name is Steven. (Parnell was later convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, but only served five years. At his funeral, Timmy White was a pallbearer (via Press Democrat). And he was 38 when he brutally tortured and murdered 4 females in Yosemite National Parka dream he wanted to fulfill since the age of 7. On April 18th, 1965, he was welcomed into the world by his parents, Delbert Stayner and Kay Stayner, in Merced, California, in the United States of America. He sustained fatal head injuries after his motorcycle struck a car that suddenly pulled out in front of him as he drove home from his Pizza Hut shift, according to People. The boys were still in elementary school when a man named Kenneth Parnell entered the picture. Steven's death, along. He reunited with his family and later attended college. Stayner and Parnell moved often, finally settling nearUkiah, California, where Steven Stayner became Dennis Parnell, according to The New York Times. Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. Biography - A Short Wiki He was third of five children of his parents and had an elder brother Cary and three sisters. Instead, he tried to make the best of it. [10] Meanwhile, his captors had renamed Steven as Dennis Parnell and he was enrolled in schools as Parnells son during seven years of abduction and sexual abuse, as reported by the LA Times. The Stayner family has been shrouded in . Later that year he married again and had another daughter. As Steven got older and entered puberty, Parnell's sexual interest in Stayner waned and Parnell sought a new boy to "build his family". Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. In 1989, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. traffic collision. Hulus latest documentary, Captive Audience, revisits the tragic story of Steven Stayner in 1972 what happened to the young boy and where is the perpetrator now? Over the years, Parnell had numerous jobs and he and Stayner moved often. The contrast between the two brothers is "surreal," Flynn said. In 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner was kidnapped by a pedophile named Kenneth Parnell in Merced, California and held captive for the next seven years. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. Later, the family also mentioned that the couple would go after any new tip that came by, with their children in tow. Steven Stayner's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Apr 18, 1965 Death Date September 16, 1989 Age of Death 24 years Cause of Death Traffic Collision The Steven Stayner died at the age of 24. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Stayner had a traumatic childhood involving sexual abuse, the kidnap of his younger brother by a pedophile, and feelings of blame that he could not protect his brother, FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Rinek wrote in his book, In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators. Rinek wrote that even though the abuse likely poured fuel on a fire for Stayner to eventually commit murder, it was one that had already begun to smolder before he was sexually abused and before his brother was kidnapped. #onthisday pic.twitter.com/eW5ce2QtEm
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