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 1972, a Young Boy Was Kidnapped and Abused for 7 Years Before Escaping Where Is His Torturer Now? Steven unexpectedly died in a motorcycle crash in 1989 when he was 24 years old. Steven's parents were devastated by their son's disappearance and the lack of witnesses or any evidence in the case. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had enduredand the two escaped. On March 1, 1980, two weeks after Timothy White was abducted, as Parnell went on duty at his night security job, Steven Stayner left the house with Timmy and hitchhiked a ride to Ukiah. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell convinced Murphy that he was an "aspiring minister" who needed to find a young boy, who he planned to "raise in a religious-type deal.". White, despite losing touch with Steven and remembering little about his brief abduction, was a pallbearer at Stayners funeral. For eight years, he abused Stayer while posing as his legal guardian and moving around California with him. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. 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.. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story,. In 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner went to school and never came home. He spent more than seven years in captivity, routinely abused byPurnell. 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. Unfortunately, ABC News reports authorities were eventually forced to admit "there was just nothing there." Furthermore, according to Steven Jr.'s Facebook page, he currently resides in Merced, Cali. 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. Regardless, he went on to start a family, and while he probably wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life with his kids outside the spotlight, the Stayner family story was far from over. Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. [8] Parnell denied in that same interview having been sexually abused himself, although Mike Echols' book I Know My First Name Is Steven states that he was indeed molested at the age of 13 by a boarder in a rooming house that his mother owned in Bakersfield. 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 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. 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. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. Moreover, according to his testimony in 2002, when Steven went missing, he became fixated with finding him and neglected his four other children in the process, particularly Cary. However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. Then in 1980, as Stayner matured, Parnell kidnapped a younger boy, 5-year-old Timothy "Timmy" White, Following his rescue, White went on to bravely testify at his kidnappers trial when he was just 6 years old, the, White went on to have two children with his wife, Dena. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. He worked as a sheriffs deputy for five years until his life was cut tragically short in April of 2010 when White died of a pulmonary embolism at age 35, according to the New York Times. Bill Balestra said of Stayner, who was . Over the next few years, the couple had Ashley and Steven Jr, born a year apart. Mike Echols, who wrote the manuscript for the series, later published a book with the same title in 1991. He was not kept in captivity, and in the following years, was enrolled into a number of schools where Parnell identified himself as his father. He also became a sheriffs deputy in, He worked as a sheriffs deputy for five years until his life was cut tragically short in April of 2010 when White died of a, pulmonary embolism at age 35, according to the New York Times. 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. He was a survivor.. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. 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. In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had previously been convicted for sodomizing a young boy and for armed robbery in Utah. Ive never been this angry. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. He had three sisters and one older brother, Cary Stayner, who in 2002 was convicted of . 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. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". Stayner lived as Parnell's "son" for seven years, during which he was repeatedly sexually abused. 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. Therefore, Kay swore to raise her children that same way, without an ounce of sentimental touch or warmth, which Delbert seemed to agree with. His older brother Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murders of four women in 2002. It will also recognize other victims of stranger abductions, and will serve as a permanent reminder of our inherent duty to protect our children. On the show, Kay stated that the couple always planned on having a family. In 1980, the same man kidnapped another child, 5 year old Timothy White. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. But things began to change when he met Jody Edmondson. [2] In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of four women. While Jody said her husband did blame himself in some ways but ultimately seemed at peace with everything. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. Unfortunately, Parnell eventually convinced another teenage boy, named Randall Sean Poorman, to help him kidnap 5-year-old Timothy White. Steven, then nearly 15, bravely managed to escape with Timothy to a local police station, from which both boys were returned home. Parnell, a sex offender, molested him the very first night, and began raping him thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972. When Steven Stayner returned home after being kidnapped for seven years in 1980, he became a household name. During this time, he had grown very fond of his pet dog Queenie, a Manchester Terrier; Parnells mother has given the dog to Parnell. He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up,Stevens sister said in 2007. The bronze statue depicts young Timmy looking up at a teenage Steven. Unable to avoid the collision, Steven hit the drivers side of the vehicle. 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. Mathias also helped Parnell in the abduction of another boy who was in the Santa Rosa Boys' Club with Stayner, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Kenneth Eugene Parnell was born in Amarillo, Texas[1][2] to Cecil Frederick and Mary Olive (ne Pollard) Parnell, during the region's dust bowl era during the Great Depression. Steven Stayner with his parents In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. At the time, Stayner had been missing for more than seven years. He died in his home, according to. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. But her strength is waning now. ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. They wanted to truthfully relate what had happened to Parnell went on to tell Stayner that his parents couldn't afford to keep him any more, that a judge had given Parnell legal custody of him, and that his new name was "Dennis". Steven Stayner was kidnapped when Cary Stayner was 11, Rinek wrote. 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. Sadness engulfed the community as people mourned a life blighted with tragedy. In fact, he became the subject of the two-part television movie I Know My First Name Is Steven, which aired in 1989. in 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was kidnapped while walking home from school. During this time, he was working at Pizza Hut and later joined 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. 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. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. 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. 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. When bronze statues were completed they were installed upon a 4 high polished concrete base at the entrance to beautiful Applegate Park in Merced, CA. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Born In: Merced, California, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Jody Edmondson (m. 19851989). Over the years, Parnell had numerous jobs and he and Stayner moved often. Years after Timmy White was rescued by fellow kidnapping survivor Steven Stayner, he became a sheriff's deputy. According to her Facebook page, Ashley currently lives in Atwater, Cali. White became a Los AngelesCounty sheriffs deputy. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents and asked that a $250,000 reward for information go to his family, Rinek wrote. Naturally, the media began analyzing the connection between abducted child Steven Stayner and his serial killer brother, Cary Stayner. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. 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). But this time hes the one who is staying strong for Kay., Delbert mourned the tragedy but expressed relief in the certainty of death. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. 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. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. As Steven reached puberty, Purnell preference for younger boys drove him to abduct 5-year-old Timothy. 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. It was a sad end to a tragic life,Allen Maxfield, CHP traffic safety officer, said. Timmy White, the boy saved by Steven, learned of his death through his grandfather. Around the time Steven disappeared, they lived in an area with lots of children. Realizing how the young boy would suffer at the hands of his captor, Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents. In a 2000 interview about his 1951 crime, Parnell said he kidnapped and molested the boy because his wife Patsy Dorton (died 2018) was pregnant and that he "had to find another outlet. According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. Thankfully, Steven rebuilt his life after wedding Jody Edmondson. "He didn't complain. As reported by The Famous People, both boys were reunited with their parents on May 2, 1980. He is now 59 and on death row in San Quentin State Prison, according to his prison records. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Five year old Timothy Lee White gets a piggy back ride from 14 year-old Steven Stayner into a press conference March 2, 1980, in Ukiah, Calif. The boy agreed and gave the man his address. Kay and Delbert Stayner married in 1960 and had five children together. 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. But Kay knew that child molestation, something she went through, was out of the question. Star Original Captive Audience - A Real American Horror Story aired on Hulu with all 3 episodes available immediately on the release date of April 21, 2022. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! When Stayner was seven, he was kidnapped in Merced, California, by Kenneth Parnell who was a child molester. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Cary was very upset, he said. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. [9] Weeks afterward, Stayner escaped Parnell's house with White; he later said he did not want the boy to suffer the abuse that he had endured. I dont think he should be executed because hes sick. But Cary still got the death penalty. 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. Surrounded by endless complainers? He sure led a rough life, California Highway Patrol Sgt. 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. Stayner dropped out of school and started a drinking habit that strained his relationship with his dad. Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. In 1981, Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping both White and Stayner in two separate trials and was sentenced to seven years in jail, even though he was released on parole after five years. 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. As Steven Stayner got older, Kenneth Parnell began planning to kidnap another, younger, boy. White went on to have two children with his wife, Dena. 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. Being a mother, we assume Kay continues to miss her sons, but likes to keep it private, as made clear on her Facebook account. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. 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. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021. Hulu's 'Captive Audience' delves into a [] However, Crime Investigation reports Stayner sabotaged Parnell's efforts, as he did not want another boy to suffer through the abuse he had endured. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. children: Ashley Stayner, Steven Stayner Jr. American Men Aries Men Died on: September 17, 1989 Cause of Death: Accident U.S. State: California Childhood & Early Life Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to pick . Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. [13] Parnell was, by this time, 71 years old and suffering from diabetes and emphysema, as well as other ailments brought on by an earlier stroke, requiring near 24-hour-a-day nursing care in his cluttered apartment in the 2600 block of Mathews Street in Berkeley. Steven Stayner, then 24, had married and had two children. It was at this point that Stayner decided to escape with White and return the young child to his parents. 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. At the time, the 24-year-old was driving a motorcycle and collided with a car in the front. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. Despite the extreme trauma he experienced while living with his captor, and Steven went on to marry and have children. On February 14, 1980, Parnell abducted five-year-old Timothy White from Ukiah with the help of Sean Poorman, a minor and an acquaintance of Stayner. Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim whose incident occurred on December 4, 1972. On July 24, 1999, Cary confessed to killing four women, who had all been guests at the lodge where he was employed. While working at the Yosemite Lodge, Kenneth Parnell befriended his coworker Ervin Murphy. Stayner eventually began drinking more heavily, dropped out of high school, and left his parents' home. Sadly, Stayners triumphant return didnt last long, as he died several years after the daring escape. 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. Parnell was convicted on February 9, 2004, on the charges of attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation, even though no child had been targeted. But the children in the family kept their feelings to themselves and didnt discuss their emotions. 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. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. He was raising hell at school and causing trouble with the law but things started to change when he met Jody Edmondson. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. 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. Steven Stayner led a short and tragic life. Delbert even referred to Steven as his real son and pushed the other away. As Parnell was working the night shift, Stayner fled the home with White in the middle of the night. The kidnapping had a deep impact on Cary Stayner, his childhood friend, Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. He also joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In early 1989, he helped in the production of a miniseries on his life, 'I Know My First Name is Steven', which was initially broadcast on NBC in May that year. He also became a sheriff's deputy in Newhall in Los Angeles County in 2005, Mercury News reported in 2010. Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell eventually convinced Stayner that his parents relinquished their rights and that he was granted full legal custody. He had a pretty sad life.. See what Ashley and Steven Jr. Stayner have to say about their father and uncle in Captive Audience, which is now streaming on Hulu. At the time, the concept of therapy was frowned upon, and his father insisted that he didnt need any counseling. They had very few memories of their father and learned about his life the way most people did: through the media. While investigators were checking into Parnell's past, the 1951 sodomy conviction came to light, although at the time Stayner insisted that Parnell had not sexually abused him.[11]. 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. He also began manipulating the boy into believing his parents did not want him anymore, as they could not afford to financially support him. Timothy White became a Los Angeles Sheriffs deputy, and in 2010 died of a pulmonary embolism, also leaving behind a wife and two young children. He also became a sheriffs deputy in Newhall in Los Angeles County in 2005, Mercury News reported in 2010. The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. 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. Steven's brother, Cary Stayner, confessed to the brutal murders which ultimately brought the Stayner family back into the spotlight. 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. After he failed to find Timmy's parents, he decided to lead the young boy into the police station to get help, as he was not attempting an escape for himself. She previously attended a military university and served in the U.S. Air Force from 2007 to 2011. All we know, Was Craig Breen married? Following his rescue, White went on to bravely testify at his kidnappers trial when he was just 6 years old, the New York Times reported in 2010. 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. Losing perspective? At the time, Steven was 20 years old, and Jody was 17. However, little did she know that her uncle was the murderer. In addition to her fathers unwanted advances, one of Stayners sisters said that Cary started peeping on her and inappropriately touching her when she was ten. On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school in Merced, California, when he was approached by a man passing out religious pamphlets. 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. 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. He was given a new identity . 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. Steven Stayner died in 1989. If its the last thing I do, Ill nail him.. Following his brother's death, History reports Cary worked as a handyman at a lodge near Yosemite National Park. Parnell shifted from one place to another for work, often took Stayner with him, but later sometimes left him alone and unguarded. 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. He had been abducted in plain sight. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. However, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death. Adjusting to post-abduction life was no easy task for Steven. [1] He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. They dated for a year and got married in June 1985. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. 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. So, of course, we can not help but wonder more about their family, particularly their parents. Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. All Rights Reserved. He also conscripted Stayner into aiding him in kidnappings, but Stayner had always failed to grab the targeted child to the point Parnell stopped using Stayner as an accomplice, berating him for being an "incompetent". Kay and Delbert had already lost Steven to a motorcycle accident in 1989, so they dreaded losing their other son. But he always seemed to get through it no matter what. [16][17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. 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. 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. By daybreak the following morning, Parnell had been arrested. While they were lovingly raised among almond groves and peach orchards by Delbert and Kay Stayner, their lives in the farming town of Merced were unfortunately in dangerous proximity of a monster.