He was held by his abductor 38 miles 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. About eight years later, Steven escapeda story that drew significant media attention and was turned into a popular television miniseries, "I Know My First Name Is Steven." But in 1989, Steven died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24. ET on ABC, Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Steven Stayners parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. Stayner died at the Merced Community Medical Center at just 24 years old, in what was sadly one of multiple tragedies for him and his family. The Famous People reports Stayner had a difficult time adjusting to returning to his parents' home. According to the Los Angeles Times, the 14-year-old and 5-year-old boys hitchhiked their way to a police station 40 miles away and told officers what had happened. But they. Cary Staynar tried to protect his younger brother and looked out for him, according to ABC News. 2. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. He wanted the world to take note. imported from Wikimedia project. He was convicted of kidnapping 7-year-old Steven Stayner in 1972 and keeping him . According to Diane Stevens' testimony, Parnell requested that the child have a "clean" rectum, indicating sexual intentions. . Like Steven, Timothy also died very young. However, Crime Investigation reports Stayner sabotaged Parnell's efforts, as he did not want another boy to suffer through the abuse he had endured. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Stayner and his wife were high school sweethearts, the article said. "Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, 'Your parents, I just spoke to them. "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Years later in interviews, Stayner admitted to intentionally sabotaging the kidnappings. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. It is California's oldest correctional institution and has the largest death row in the . However, he was convicted in Utah and was not known as a criminal in California. 3. Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. 2007. . But he was pretty messed up and he never got any counseling. "For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. 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. Thankfully, they were unable to follow through with the kidnapping attempt. In 1985, Stayner married Jody Edmondson in Atwater, where the two were living with their two children at the time of his death. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Steven Gregory Stayner Sr (18 Apr 1965 - 16 Sep 1989) 0 references . Edward Murphy, Parnell's accomplice from the Stayner kidnapping, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. While Steven was a freshman at Mendocino High School, some 300 miles to the south, his older brother Cary was an upperclassman at Merced High School. He also felt more directly responsible. Steven went on to marry Jody Edmondson in 1985 aged 20 and they welcomed two children, Ashley and Steven Jr, who Stayner was naturally very protective over. By age 19, Stayner had amassed $1,100 in unpaid traffic tickets, which led to his drivers license being suspended, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cary Stayner. American sex offender, child rapist and kidnapper (19312008), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Youth Abducted Seven Years Ago Goes Home Again", "Alleged attempt to buy child leads to arrest of kidnapper", "Sex Offender Kenneth Parnell Dies in Vacaville", "Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror and heroism", "Kenneth Parnell, kidnapper of Steven Stayner, dies at 76", "Kenneth Eugene Parnell, A Notorious Child Molester Dies In Prison", abducted man posing pastor launched-daring-escape, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_Parnell&oldid=1133639900, American people convicted of child sexual abuse, American people who died in prison custody, Prisoners who died in California detention, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2022, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 20:40. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. While they never gave up hope, the ordeal took a toll on the whole family. He got on with his life, his sister Cory Stayner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. In the years after Steven vanished, Del spent considerable time looking for anything that would lead him to his son. 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. According to ABC News, Parnell stopped to make a call from a payphone shortly after Murphy and Steven Stayner got into his car. ", "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. But tragedy would strike Stayner one last time. He was charged and convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment, sentenced to seven years in prison. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times). The miniseries was released on May 23, 1989, only about four months before he died in a hit-and-run accident. 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. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had . And they searched. "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. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. 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]. 1 reference. Steven Stayner led a short and tragic life. Like Kay, he urged the jury at Carys trial not to sentence him to death. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Losing perspective? A year later, he was sentenced to life, which was, at the time, the harshest sentence handed down under the the "three strikes" law. Later, the family also mentioned that the couple would go after any new tip that came by, with their children in tow. 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. Shortly after Steven's death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. It was Dec. 4, 1972. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. That's tragic. Cary Stayner "was a very, very good cartoonist," and was voted "most creative" at school, according to Purdy. Currently, Cary, 60, is being held in San Quentin State Prison on death row. 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. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents and asked that a $250,000 reward for information go to his family, Rinek wrote. He was not wearing a helmet, and. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. Stayners captor, Kenneth Parnell, convinced co-worker Ervin Murphy to lure seven-year-old Steven into their van on 4 December 1972, telling the boy: Your parents, I just spoke to them. On July 21, 1999, when Stayner saw Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old naturalist at Yosemite who taught children about nature in the park, "something instantly" changed with him, Rowlands said. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" Rowlands said. 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. He was 76. At his funeral, Timmy White was a pallbearer (via Press Democrat). Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, Steven was walking home from school in Merced, a city in California, when a man handing out religious pamphlets approached him. Later that year he married again and had another daughter. The brothers, four years apart in age, shared a room, but didnt get along, according to Rowlands. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. His parents had different expectations. He was third of five children of his parents and had an elder brother Cary and three sisters. He returns to Merced triumphant. He had been under hospice care for some time. The story of steven stayner and timothy white Birth and family Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. Steven Stayner Death - Obituary, Cause Of Death. However, none of them panned out. However, his brother Cary also suffered throughout the entire ordeal. At the time, Parnell was convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. 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.". [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's brother, Cary, is in San. According to the Los Angeles Times, by 1989 Staynerwas married with two small children and was working at Pizza Hut. Steven Stayner (April 18, 1965 - Sept 16, 1989) was a kidnapping victim. You know what I mean? The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions - which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. Jan. 23, 2008. 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? Delbert Stayner Cause Of Death Delbert Stayner died on 9 April 2013. He died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville in 2008 at the age of 76. Timothy White died of a pulmonary embolism in 2010 at the age of 35. 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. However, he only served five years of his sentence. "Cary was very upset," childhood friend Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. The two brothers are both famous and both knew unspeakable horror. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". 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. "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. While imprisoned for this charge, his second wife filed for divorce. 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. Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was driving home from work on a California highway after work one rainy evening and got into a deadly collision with a car that turned in front of him. You have the other brother who's left at home. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times ). In 1981, he was convicted of kidnapping both boys and sentenced to seven years of state prison time. Where is Cary Stayner now? Release Date! Steven Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 and died on September 16, 1989. By Mike Moran of the Confessional Podcast : #onthisday pic.twitter.com/eW5ce2QtEm "His idea of serenity was to maybe smoke a little pot and to sunbathe naked.". Nobody can hurt him now. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". 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. and our According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. Stayner recently talked candidly with reporters of his life with Parnell, who alternately molested him and passed him off as his son. [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. When Parnell kidnapped 5-year-old Timothy White that year, Stayner fled on foot along with the kindergartner and then hitchhiked to safety, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight. "[14], Parnell remained incarcerated until his death, at age 76, on January 21, 2008[15] at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. Del was born in New Mexico in May 1933 and moved to Merced County, California, in 1951. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. The Stayner family, made up of the two brothers, their three sisters and parents Kay and Delbert, lived in the secluded farming town of Merced, California, surrounded by almond groves and peach orchards, in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. 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. 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. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. If youre wondering what happened to him since then, heres what we know. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Steven Stayner died in 1989. "Parnell wanted another kid that he could sexually assault.". Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. "There wasnt really much time for us to speculate on whether this was related, I mean it quickly became related," said Des Kidd, former medical director at Yosemite who participated in search and rescue. "He was kind of a quiet guy. In 2003, he was once again arrested in connection with a kidnapping, when an elderly and sickly Parnell tried to get his caretaker to buy a 4-year-old boy for him in Berkeley, California, the. He also joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kidnapping On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, on his way home from school, Stayner was approached by a man named Ervin Edward Murphy, who had met convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell while working at a resort in Yosemite National Park. Stayner was walking home from school December 4, 1972, when the men lured him into their vehicle, saying they had just talked to his parents and they no longer wanted him, ABC reported. He'd been convicted in 1951 for molesting a 9-year-old boy in. Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. dewiki Steven Stayner; However, he allowed him to keep the middle name "Gregory" and his original birthdate. Sure, Ive seen the excuse about alleged car troubles but it sure didnt stop the guy from fleeing the scene. Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls. 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. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. Cary Stayner was just 11 when his 7-year-old brother, Steven, was abducted by a pedophile. "He was spunky. By this point, Cary Stayner was suffering. Stayner was considered a hero for saving White from years of sexual and physical abuse. I suspect this death is what caused Cary to snap, too, so theres more lives ruined because of the hit and run driver. Parnell was registered as a sex offender when he lured 7-year-old Stayners into his car as the boy walked home from his elementary school in Merced, California. Kenneth Parnell was ultimately convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to steal a child. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. ? He was in the background always.". One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. As reported by ABC News, Kenneth Parnell treated Steven Stayner like a son. "He paid a local kid to ride with him to the little town of Ukiah, California, puts this high school kid out on the street to go find him a boy, and he finds 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school," Flynn said. 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. Stayner was seven years old at the time. 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. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from . Their new captive, Timmy White, was just 5 years old, and Stayner was heartbroken that White was always sad and crying. Fortunately, Stevens miraculous return in 1980 led to a happy reunion. He had previously been held hostage by his kidnapper in Mendocino County, California, and Mariposa County, California, both 38 miles (61 kilometers) away. Tragically, Stayner was killed in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in September 1989 while returning from a Pizza Hut shift. He also quarreled with his parents at home and drank consistently. In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators. Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. Parnell, 76, died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville on Monday night, corrections officials said Tuesday. "Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell -- who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist," Rowlands said. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Then-7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school on Highway 140 when Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town. After two weeks of watching White cry for his family, the then-14-year-old Stayner decided that was enough. He had reportedly suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts but the cause of his death remains unclear. He died as a result of catastrophic head injuries he got when his motorcycle collided with a car in a hit-and-run accident while on his way home from work. Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. Parnell, who was in hospice care, died of natural causes at 9:10 p.m. Monday, according to the department of corrections. 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. The devastation of losing their son twice within 10 years was excruciating for Steven Stayner's parents. The harrowing true account of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped by a perverted pseudo-priest and his lackey during the 1970s. 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. Stayner and White were not Parnell's only victims. Carey Stayner is currently sitting on death row in San Quentin. "Steven was a national hero. Cookie Notice American crime victim who was kidnapped at age seven and held captive by sex offender Kenneth Parnell for seven years. The Stayners were in the news yet again after Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women, including two teenagers. Sometimes I blame myself. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. Cary Stayner, shown in this March 2, 1980 photo, is hugged by his mother Kay Stayner outside the Stayner home in Merced County, Calif., on the day Stayner's brother Steven was reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 7 years. But things changed when the kidnapper brought in another child to live with them when Stayner was 14. Murphy had befriended serial paedophile Kenneth Parnell, and the two were in cahoots. On Sept. 16, 1989, Steven, then 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident while on his way home from work. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven. On the show, Kay mentioned that Del would often drive around looking for freshly dug ground because he thought Steven was dead. Stayner later escaped, taking Timmy with him. The Stayner family has been shrouded in . Steven. 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. But in 1980, the Stayners prayers were answered when Steven returned home after a seven-year disappearance. However, the jury decided otherwise. Parnell regularly raped him, and by sixth grade, Stayner was used to being beaten, smoking substances, and getting drunk. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled with Timothy. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'". Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnell's crimes, . Would I have been better off if I didnt?. [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. During the penalty phase, Del admitted to having neglected his children after Steven went missing and said regarding Cary, I didnt socialize with him. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. Ive been watching the documentary on Hulu and first Steven is kidnapped and molested and by some miracle, returns to his family, only for some guy to do a hit and run on him? She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. (Stayners helmet had been stolen two months prior, and he hadnt replaced it.) For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Stevens high-school girlfriend, who knew him as Dennis, told ABC News he told her he wasnt going to let that child go through what I had already been through, adding if he didnt take care of it now, it will just get worse.