"As far as I know, hes never talked to anyone about the effect Steven might have had on his crimes. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. Did Delbert Stayner Molest His Daughters? Steven and Timmy. Age at Death: 24. Steven's last name is spelt "Staynor" on the cover but is actually spelt "Stayner." The author also states that Steven was missing for 7 years, then later on in the book he says 9 years. 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. Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from . By that time, Cary Stayner was already having grotesque fantasies, the agent wrote. 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.". ", "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. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at theCalifornia Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. During the penalty phase, Del admitted to having neglected his children after Steven went missing and said regarding Cary, I didnt socialize with him. A third brother, Cary Stayner, is seen in a ball cap in the background between his brothers Steven and Delbert. Steven Stayner led a short and tragic life. (Stayners helmet had been stolen two months prior, and he hadnt replaced it.) Kenneth Parnell kidnapped Steven Stayner and Timothy White, abductions that later inspired the 1989 TV movie "I Know My First Name is Steven.". The docuseries kicks off with Stevens 1972 kidnapping, and follows his abuse at the hands of Yosemite Lodge worker Kenneth Parnell. His high school girlfriend said he later told her what happened. No other details were immediately available, according to the California Highway Patrol. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. Tragically, Stayner was killed in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in September 1989 while returning from a Pizza Hut shift. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Accident or not, someone lost their life. Steven Stayner was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was 24 years old FBI/Wikipedia 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. English Wikipedia. Unfortunately, less than a decade after his incredible escape, Steven Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24, leaving behind a wife and two children. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. "Steven could have grown up normal happy and healthy and Cary still wouldve been a serial killer. "He was kind of a quiet guy. "He was very proud of who he was," his wife, Jodi Stayner, said in 1999. He's free. Delbert Stayner passed away in 2013. In 1972, at the age of 7, Stayner was kidnaped while walking home from school. The Stayners suggested that one park could be called Stayner Park, in memory of Steven. Steven was beaten and plied with drugs and liquor while his captors constantly moved around California. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. 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. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in a vile act that would shake the family forever. . 1 reference. He got on with his life, his sister Cory Stayner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. traffic collision. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". Date Of Death: September 16, 1989 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: White Nationality: American Steven Stayner was born on the 18th of April, 1965. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood.". Steven Stayner died in 1989. I yelled at him a lot. According to another report, Del was ordered to undergo therapy because he molested his daughters. Stevens sister, Cory, later said that he never went to therapy or counseling because their father didnt think he needed it. Many researchers suspect cancer may overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death in coming years. 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. "Cary was very upset," childhood friend Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). 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. They no longer want you.. Steven eventually married and had two children. They no longer want you,'" investigative journalist Pat LaLama said. "[14], Parnell remained incarcerated until his death, at age 76, on January 21, 2008[15] at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. I never recognized either one of them.". The Stayners were in the news yet again after Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women, including two teenagers. In fact, the wrong men were custody. He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. Stayner eventually began drinking more heavily, dropped out of high school, and left his parents' home. 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. Purdy said Cary Stayner always wore a hat. Parnell died of natural causes on January 21, 2008, at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, while serving a sentence of 25 years to life. To me thats guilt plain and simple. He was charged and convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment, sentenced to seven years in prison. And he wanted the same treatment. View Entire Post Flynn said his sexuality was "constantly under attack.". It was Dec. 4, 1972. Later, the family also mentioned that the couple would go after any new tip that came by, with their children in tow. While they never gave up hope, the ordeal took a toll on the whole family. He was quoted after his "rescue" saying he blames himself and doesn't understand why his dad doesn't hug him anymore. According to Diane Stevens' testimony, Parnell requested that the child have a "clean" rectum, indicating sexual intentions. He was 79 years old, and from what we can tell, the cause of death has not been made public. At his funeral, Timmy White was a pallbearer (via Press Democrat). Murphy had befriended serial paedophile Kenneth Parnell, and the two were in cahoots. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. 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. Would I have been better off if I didnt?. 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. His life with Parnell lacked discipline he'd even been allowed to drink and smoke. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. On March 1, 1980, in Mendocino County, California, he and Timothy White, another of Parnell's victims, managed to flee. "Working at Cedar Lodge gave Cary access to his beloved Yosemite," Rowlands said. Cary Stayner is now 57 years old. "He literally said, 'I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. 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. In the years after Steven vanished, Del spent considerable time looking for anything that would lead him to his son. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. By daybreak the following morning, Parnell had been arrested. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. He was 76. 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. However, Crime Investigation reports Stayner sabotaged Parnell's efforts, as he did not want another boy to suffer through the abuse he had endured. "Its dark and Timmy can't remember where he lives. Losing perspective? Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Steven Stayner cause of death Teddy April 25, 2022 1 min read Steven Gregory Stayner was born in April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989 he was a kidnapped victim from the United States. In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park. Their return launched Stayner into the spotlight, and he later became the focus of a 1989 television movie titled, I Know My First Name Is Steven. When Stayner failed to return home from school, his parents contacted authorities immediately. Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. 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. Delbert Stayner Cause Of Death Delbert Stayner died on 9 April 2013. I was surprised that the doc didn't talk much about the Stayner's family own history of abuse (the mitigation specialist talked about it a bit in the Cary episode) but apparently there was an uncle in the family who allegedly molested Cary and was later murdered (idk anything about it) and the Stayner family wouldn't allow Steven to get therapy after he came home to properly deal with his trauma. Steven Stayner Death - Obituary: On April 23th,2022 celebrityexit learned about the death of Steven Stayner through a Social Media post. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. Everything has changed. Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Storypremiered on Thursday (21 April) and features interviews with Stayners mother and, as he survived the terrible ordeal, his son and daughter. My dad said he didnt need any. The press also hounded him constantly, and during Parnells trial he was bullied at school over questions of his sexuality. Over the next four years, he worked at Pizza Hut while lecturing about personal safety at schools. One last Steven Stayner, one last Timmy White. Mr. White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in 1980 by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. Parnell was sentenced to 20 months in prison for Steven's. After he was brought in for questioning, he confessed to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. A year later, he was sentenced to life, which was, at the time, the harshest sentence handed down under the the "three strikes" law. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'". Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. Parnell died in 2008 while incarcerated. Privacy Policy. Barbara Mathias, Parnell's girlfriend who lived with him and Stayner for some time, was never charged with any violation and cooperated with authorities in Parnell's trials. He was convicted of kidnapping 7-year-old Steven Stayner in 1972 and keeping him . Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. 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. 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. He was a child who was being abused. Then, Del served in the US Army for four years until 1957 as a Staff Sergeant. Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. He was arrested again in 2004 for attempting to buy a child, and died in a state prison hospital in California in 2008.). Powered by WordPress.com VIP. He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. Then-7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school on Highway 140 when Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had . Steven was never able to open up about the sexual abuse he suffered and get help. Telling police, "I know my first name is Steven" became the most iconic moment in Stevens remarkable story later becoming the title of the book and a television movie. "He was spunky. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61 km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with . You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". According to the Los Angeles Times, by 1989 Staynerwas married with two small children and was working at Pizza Hut. Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. 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. So, Steven figures the best thing to do is to take him to the police station," Flynn said. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. 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. . Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . However, he allowed him to keep the middle name "Gregory" and his original birthdate. In 1981, he was. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times). 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. Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. MERCED . Its a good substitute.. Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. 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. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. In 1972, Parnell kidnapped 7-year-old Steven Stayner of. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. He was seven when he was abducted. Read More: Where is Kay Stayner Now? 0 references. A family was torn apart. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. 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.". "His idea of serenity was to maybe smoke a little pot and to sunbathe naked.". Stayner, 24, was pronounced dead at Merced Community Medical Center shortly after the 5:30 p.m. accident outside a meat company on Santa Fe Avenue between Merced and Atwater, a coroners spokesman said. Surrounded by TV cameras, Steven Stayner, right foreground, and and his brother Delbert Stayner are shown walking toward their Merced County, Calif., home, March 2, 1980, as Steven was reunited with his family following a 7-year kidnap ordeal. "It was outrageous. Stayner was considered a hero for saving White from years of sexual and physical abuse. 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 was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. The second man, who was later identified as Kenneth Parnell, offered to give Murphy and Stayner a ride. As Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, a Hulu docuseries that streams today, shows, the two boys bravely testified against Parnell at his trial. According to Rowlands, "He was wearing a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. He grew up, got married and had two kids. For more information, please see our ", The Tragedy Of Steven Stayner's 1989 Death Explained. By Mike Moran of the Confessional Podcast : The cause was a pulmonary embolism, said his stepfather, Roger Gitlin. and our 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. Captive Audience tells Steven Stayner's story after he was kidnapped and abused for seven years. 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. 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. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. Steven disappeared while returning from school, Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women. Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. Steven Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 and died on September 16, 1989. 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. At time of Cary Stayner's trial, stories regularly noted the high-profile abduction . He was kidnapped. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. Police first arrested convicted pedophile, Kenneth E. Parnel immediately and went to work tracking down Ervin Murphy according to Lodi News-Sentinel, who had only been involved in the kidnapping before going his own way. When he didnt return home, Stevens parents Delbert and Kay Stayner alerted the authorities but there were no leads. He was kidnapped when he was a child but was eventually able to escape after seven years. Steven was 24 years old at the time of death. 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. 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.[18]. 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. Shortly after Steven's death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had endured and the two escaped. Cary Stayner is shown in a 1979 Merced High School yearbook photo. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. He had been under hospice care for some time. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. Stayner, the subject of an NBC miniseries in May, lived as the son of his abductor, Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. Unfortunately, Parnell eventually convinced another teenage boy, named Randall Sean Poorman, to help him kidnap 5-year-old Timothy White. 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. 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 had been at Cedar Lodge for two years when Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and her friend Silvina Pelosso came to stay one night in February 1999. Steven. He returns to Merced triumphant. Jan. 23, 2008. Overnight, Steven Stayner became a national hero, especially as Kenneth Parnell was arrested the very next day March 2, 1980. #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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They kicked him out of their house twice. He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. [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. But, at the age of 24, Steven Stayner, by then a husband and father of two, was killed in a motorcycle crash. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. The harrowing true account of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped by a perverted pseudo-priest and his lackey during the 1970s. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. 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. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. Stayner would not reemerge until 1980, when he fled from Parnell to save another kidnapped boy, Timothy White. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020.