Steven disappeared while returning from school, Cary, Stevens older brother, confessed to murdering four women. 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. But for the Stayners, this seemingly closed hellish chapter of their lives turned out to be . He later said, I never stopped looking, every time I saw a crowd on TV or a picture of a lot of people in a magazine. Parnell, who was in hospice care, died of natural causes at 9:10 p.m. Monday, according to the department of corrections. ", "The first year was kinda hectic," Steven said on GMA in 1983. Cookie Notice Mr. White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in 1980 by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. He was in the background always.". . Stayner was terribly concerned about White's welfare and immediately began planning to get the 5-year-old away from Parnell and return him home to his parents. Surrounded by endless complainers? He was abducted as a child and later died young. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. The cause was a pulmonary embolism, said his stepfather, Roger Gitlin. In 2004, 72-year-old Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life after an informant told police he expressed interest in buying a four-year-old boy for $500. While working at the Yosemite Lodge, Kenneth Parnell befriended his coworker Ervin Murphy. He was held by his abductor until he was 14, when he escaped with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White. He was seven when he was abducted. He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. I never recognized either one of them.". "For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Unable to avoid the collision, Steven hit the driver's side of the vehicle. He even went before the Ways and Means Committee of the State Assembly to push for a bill that could increase the penalty for kidnapping children. In addition to believing his parents no longer wanted him, The Famous People reports Stayner was simply unsure how to get out of the situation he was in. 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. "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. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. However, he only served three years in prison for that offense. The driver was later caught (per LA Times). It was also difficult for his parents to adjust to having a teenager after remembering their son as a 7-year-old boy. 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. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. Steven's death, along. "He was kind of a quiet guy. Stayner's brother, Cary, is in San. In 1989, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. [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. "Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. However, his brother Cary also suffered throughout the entire ordeal. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. 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. 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. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. ***WARNING: Captive Audience spoilers ahead***. His life with Parnell lacked discipline he'd even been allowed to drink and smoke. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". "They call [Merced] the gateway to Yosemite," said Ted Rowlands, a former reporter who covered Cary Stayners story at KNTV for the San Francisco Bay area. At the time, Parnell was convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment. Steven was 24 years old at the time of death. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. 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. 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? However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. Steven and Timmy. molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner. But in 1980, the Stayners prayers were answered when Steven returned home after a seven-year disappearance. By this point, Cary Stayner was suffering. Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. However, none of them panned out. The cause of his death is still unknown at this time. 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 was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times ). He reunited with his family and later attended college. After her friends reported her missing, police found signs of a struggle at her cabin and half a mile away, they found her body. That night, he talked his way into their room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered all three. 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. Steven Stayner was born in Merced. Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. The Stayners suggested that one park could be called Stayner Park, in memory of Steven. Captive Audience tells Steven Stayner's story after he was kidnapped and abused for seven years. His grades faltered, and he dropped out, per the Los Angeles Times. Flynn said his sexuality was "constantly under attack.". But Cary Stayner also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. He grew up, got married and had two kids. [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. At time of Cary Stayner's trial, stories regularly noted the high-profile abduction . Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. 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. He was charged and convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment, sentenced to seven years in prison. "Hes ready to kill again. Stayner and his wife were high school sweethearts, the article said. They no longer want you,'" investigative journalist Pat LaLama said. ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. I told you this was a depressing one guys, hope I didn't ruin your day. Parnell, 76, died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville on Monday night, corrections officials said Tuesday. Losing perspective? On Sept. 16, 1989, Steven, then 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident while on his way home from work. Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. He should have at least gotten involuntary manslaughter. [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. imported from Wikimedia project. "But he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women.". In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators. As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. Kenneth Parnell is most notoriously known for the kidnapping of, Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for. . A new Hulu miniseries thoughtfully explores a family's surreal life in the true crime spotlight. 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. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. 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. What was his cause of death? Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents and asked that a $250,000 reward for information go to his family, Rinek wrote. The Seattle Times reports missing-person fliers were actually sent to schools he attended but no one recognised Steven from the picture. For more information, please see our After convincing the boy his parents did not want him anymore, he changed his name to Dennis Parnell. In the years after Steven vanished, Del spent considerable time looking for anything that would lead him to his son. As he gets older, he realizes that he needs to try to make an escape and get back home. The kidnappings exacted a heavy toll on the Stayner family. He was sentenced to death in 2002 and remains on death row. The Merced Police Department launched an extensive investigation and search effort. 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. 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. Convicted sex offender Kenneth Parnell, known for the 1972 kidnapping and seven-year-long confinement of Steven Stayner, died Monday in the state prison hospital at Vacaville . 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]. In the time after Stevens disappearance, Del dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. 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. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . Stayner was seven years old at the time. [3] Parnell was raised mostly without his father, who abandoned the family when Parnell was six. But they. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. He wanted the world to take note. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had . And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. Shortly after Steven's death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. He'd bought a brand new white and blue Kawasaki EX-500 motorcycle with money from a miniseries based on his childhood kidnapping, called "I Know My First Name Is Steven." Stayner grew up in Merced, California, near Yosemite National Park. 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. From 2010 to 2014, the number of accident-related . 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 friend Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old Yosemite naturalist, according to History. But on Sept. 16, 1989, Stayner died in a motorcycle crash. After White had been with Stayner and his captors for 16 days, Stayner realized he needed to save White from the same abuse he had endured (via the Los Angeles Times). Raised in the peaceful suburbs of Merced, California, the 7-year-old was shuffling home from . Parnell, 76, died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville on Monday, corrections officials said Tuesday. 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. When Stayner failed to return home from school, his parents contacted authorities immediately. Stayner recently talked candidly with reporters of his life with Parnell, who alternately molested him and passed him off as his son. 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. ", "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. He later moved with his mother, his two half-sisters, and a half-brother to Bakersfield, California, where his mother operated a boarding lodge. 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. He was kidnapped. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell eventually convinced Stayner that his parents relinquished their rights and that he was granted full legal custody. Parnell posed as Stayner's legal guardian and moved him around the state of California for the next eight years. in 2004. Jan. 23, 2008. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. 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.". Steven Gregory Stayner was a well-known kidnapping victim from the United States. 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". Director Jessica Dimmock also brought in Corin Nemec and Todd Andrews, who portrayed Stayner and his brother Cary respectively in TV mini-series I Know My First Name Is Steven, to read interview transcripts. Did Delbert Stayner Molest His Daughters? Powered by. Date of Death: September 16, 1989. 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. According to People Magazine, on September 16, 1989, Steven was heading home on his motorcycle from his job delivering pizza when a "car pulled out of the driveway of a migrant-labor camp along the highway." Steven was only 24 but was married with two children: Ashley (3) and Steven Jr. (2). "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had endured and the two escaped. He'd been convicted in 1951 for molesting a 9-year-old boy in. On December 4, 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school in Merced, California when he was abducted by two men who worked at . Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. Stayner eventually began drinking more heavily, dropped out of high school, and left his parents' home. According to The Press Democrat, Kay Stayner said she "never did lose [her] hope" of finding her missing son. His parents had different expectations. He died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville in 2008 at the age of 76. 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. Accident or not, someone lost their life. Wikipedia (7 entries) edit. The kidnapping had a deep impact on Cary Stayner, his childhood friend, Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. Witnesses later recognized the alleged driver of the automobile. He has been a danger to children his entire life, prosecutor Tim Wellman said in 2004. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. For seven years, as the two moved around Mendocino and Sonoma counties, Stayner was known as Dennis Parnell. By that time, Cary Stayner was already having grotesque fantasies, the agent wrote. A year later, he was sentenced to life, which was, at the time, the harshest sentence handed down under the the "three strikes" law. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" Rowlands said. Cary Stayner. When he didnt return home, Stevens parents Delbert and Kay Stayner alerted the authorities but there were no leads. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. Cary Staynar tried to protect his younger brother and looked out for him, according to ABC News. Steven was never able to open up about the sexual abuse he suffered and get help. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'". 0 references. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". Stayner would not reemerge until 1980, when he fled from Parnell to save another kidnapped boy, Timothy White. [10] Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. Parnell died in 2008 whilst in prison, of natural causes. However, he only served five years of his sentence. While imprisoned for this charge, his second wife filed for divorce. Steven Stayner Death - Obituary, Cause Of Death. Stevens sister, Cory, later said that he never went to therapy or counseling because their father didnt think he needed it. Stevens father, Delbert Stayner, struggled in the aftermath of his sons vanishing like everyone else in the family. 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. 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. Former reporter Ted Rowlands said, "Stayner had a new father figure who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist.". Parnell claimed to have married a third and final time in 1968,[8] but no records were ever found to substantiate this. Sentenced to eight years, he served only five before being released, as reported by CNN. 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. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. Not only was Steven able to explain to police what happened to him and Timothy, he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. 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. . 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. By daybreak the following morning, Parnell had been arrested. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. 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.