The Stayners and law enforcement launched a massive effort to find Steven Stayner. "I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did," he said in a 1999 jailhouse interview. We were talking about the Kennedy family, and all the bad things that have happened to them," Strength said. The bodies of Carole and Silvina were found in their rental car a month later about 50 miles away, and investigators alerted by an anonymous letter that Cary said he wrote found Juli's body near a Don Pedro Reservoir overlook. "How could we have missed someone we felt was part of our family?" The Autostraddle Insider Issue 103: April 2023. One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. "It always seems like when something happens in our family, the media is there.". Steven Stayner was 7 years old when he was approached on his way home from school by a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell. Ive endured a lot of true crime docuseries in my lifetime, but this story which begins with the kidnapping of seven-year-old Steven Stayner by a pedophile in Merced, California in 1973 and ends with the brutal murder of four women in Yosemite National Park in 1999 is one of the wildest Ive ever seen. Reporter Mike Moffitt has been writing and editing stories for newspapers and news websites for more than 25 years. When Cary Stayner was in his 30s, he drove his car -- a 1972 pale blue International Scout -- to El Portal and got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge. I always thought it odd recall it whenever it comes up of course you now tell me it was a massive hit and seen by many. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. "It was the biggest deal in Hollywood," says Corin Nemec, who portrayed Steven as a teenager. The pair then hitchhiked to the Ukiah police station. On the night after Valentine's Day 1999, Cary knocked on the door of the lodge's room 509, saying he had to make a plumbing repair. Steven Stayner was the middle child of a family from Merced, California. "You know, bad things happen to everybody, but for our family, it's unreal.". Steven Stayner and Timmy White (Courtesy of Hulu), Stayners return to his family was televised in its entirety cameras and hundreds of spectators and journalists were waiting when the police brought Steven and his dog back to his family home in Merced. She told journalists that Steven was always a nice boy and he called me Mother like my own kids did.. Thanks again for the important writing Lily! I got put on the back burner, you might say. Stevens older brother Cary was a bit of a loner, someone who peers suspected was struggling for decades with impulses he told others he didnt understand. In the Hulu documentary, his sister expresses with conviction that he was fucked up from the jump, and there are sources that say he was sexually inappropriate with his sisters and their friends. August 2022: Whats New and Gay on Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Hulu, Paramount+, Disney+, Apple TV+ and AMC+? "One time Cindy (Stayner) and I were outside at night and he exposed himself to us. Cary then spent the next few hours sexually assaulting Juli. She was a young and brilliant femme (probably also queer Ill let yall look at photos and decide), in an overwhelmingly majority white male field and she became an outdoors educator to tell different stories. "Cary still didn't talk to anyone about Steven. "He would show us how to point your toes or how to put your arms forward and dive perfectly into the pool," she told ABC News' "20/20" in an exclusive interview. And I go, "Well, OK,' and so I got in the car. 27 of 38 28 of 38 The Stayner family home in Merced, Calif. SUSAN RAGAN Show More Show Less 29 of 38 Child kidnap victim Steven Stayner, 23, is seen smoking a cigarette inside a car about a year . Abducted at the age of 7, a teenage Steven Stayner was finally returning to his family in Merced, California. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. Kidnapped in 1972 at the age of 7, the California boy became a national hero when seven years later he not only escaped his longtime abuser but freed 5-year-old Timmy White who was being held captive alongside him. He exposed himself -- to one of his sister's friends," said magazine writer Sean Flynn. I Know My First Name is Steven was a massive hit, and inspired a new bout of press attention to the Stayners. Mike Echols's book about the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, "I Know My First Name is Steven," was considered by the Parnell family to be "pornographic," dwelling in lurid details. I remember watching I Know My First Name Is Stephen when it aired (I was 8) and it stuck with me for so long. He told Newsweek that Sometimes I blame myself. Lenna said she'd told no one this for 20 years. In 1999, three tourists vanished in Yosemite National Park. Steven drank heavily, did a lot of drugs, dated lots of girls, and eventually dropped out of high school. Its so wild how formative these two events were for me. (AP Photo/Juli Sund, Carrington family). I dont think excited is the right word, but Im now very interested in checking this series out. And now this. Silvina Pelosso, a friend of the Lunds from Argentina, was Cary Stayner's second victim at the Cedar Lodge. Parnell re-named Steven Dennis Gregory Parnell, and they moved around California, from Santa Rosa to Willits to Fort Bragg. The California True Crime podcast did TWELVE episodes on this topic and their website also features show notes with links for all their episodes. Whatever damage that had [been] inflicted on Cary, I think he kept to himself. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. Police eventually arrested two brothers with criminal records and wrongly accused them of the crimes. Parnell told Steven that his parents didnt want him anymore and that the court had appointed him Stevens new legal guardian. "You can't make a movie about something like this happening," Kay says in the first episode. A closeup of child kidnap victim Steven Stayner. The case remains unsolved. The obvious question is whether what happened to Steven caused Cary to do what he did," Flynn said. Judge Julie Conger gave Parnell the maximum sentence in Oakland's Alameda County Superior Court. "My mom was extremely shocked. Decades after the Stayner family dominated the news cycle, they are back in headlines once more following the release of Hulu's newest true crime docuseries. Blood Brothers, by Sarah Beach for Salon (1999) A friend of Stevens when he was in Compatche on her memories of Steven and a plea not to conflate his story with that of his brothers/. The boy didn't exist. Follow her on twitter and instagram. Im a Lesbian and I Want to Hate-Fuck These 9 Men So Hard Their Kindergarten Teachers Forget Their Own Names, FRIDAY OPEN THREAD: Lets Warm This House Up, Autism Is Not a Trend, but There Are Problems With How Its Discussed Online, The Sounds of Gen-Z: Five Queer R&B Artists That Blend Sultry with Sweet, Its Time To Face Facts: Ill Never Be a Lipstick Femme. "He seemed like a nice guy. Much like Steven's, their disappearance shocked the nation and dominated headlines as investigators frantically searched for them. Francis and Carole Carrington hold up a banner with photos of their daughter Carole Sund, granddaughter Julie Sund and family friend Silvina Pelosso, during a march and rally in downtown Modesto, Calif., Saturday, April 26, 2003, for victims of violent crimes, in the wake of the Laci Peterson murder. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Linda Shertz, stepmother of Lynnea, said Cary Stayner was traumatized by his brother's abduction. Ten years after Steven died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24, something inside of Cary snapped. Her mother was a waitress at the California lodge in 1998 and Stayner lived in an apartment above the restaurant. The day Armstrong disappeared, Cary Stayner was driving his car to Foresta when he saw the young woman. Now Steven Stayner's brother, Cary, 37, was the prime suspect in the decapitation killing of a young naturalist, and the FBI suggested he had a role in the murder of three Yosemite tourists in February - Carole Sund, her daughter, Juli, and family friend Silvina Pelosso. And they do this ritual in particular to honor and acknowledge Joie. Between February and July of 1999 he brutally murdered three tourists and a naturalist in Yosemite National Park: Carole Sund, 42; Juli Sund, 15; Silvina Pelosso, 16; and Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26. By 1981, Mathaiss son, Lloyd (whod allegedly also been abused by Parnell), had been murdered by his stepfather. "It doesn't.". On July 21, 1999, 26-year-old Joie Armstrong, a park naturalist, was packing for a trip to join friends. Miller began conducting interviews with family members to get to work on the script, and soon enough, the acclaimed movie I Know My First Name Is Steven was born. He didnt want to talk about it, he was ashamed and he feared itd be framed as his fault. This letter from the editor was also just what I needed it pretty much sums up my April and, Hurrah! Her job was leading children in nature hikes. The entire time he was right there!". It was always with him, like a woman carries a purse," Lenna said. Their childhood, until his disappearance, was typical of the era. Then, investigators made a connection: Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, worked at the lodge where three of the victims had stayed, and was soon deemed the sole suspect in the murders. Soon after, two of the women's bodies were discovered in a charred vehicle, and later, the third victim was found dead. But he had already lost faith in the agency he had taken pride in serving. They found out who did it.' Voice in the Dark, by Sean Flynn for Esquire (2004) Flynn recounts the major events in Cary and Stevens lives and crimes, and interviews Cary in prison, and Kenneth Parnell, who was then living alone in a white cement row house in Berkeley. In March of 1980, her hopes came true. Hulus Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, dropped in April, but I didnt notice it until last week, and boy was it captivating! (AP Photo/Ben Margot). "He said, "OK,' and gave me these booklets and he asked me if I wanted a ride home. "Meeting with Jeff (Rinek) really brought it out that I can talk and I can have feelings about what happened," she said. The days of network television when we only had 3 channels to choose from. At the age of 18, he married a 15-year-old girl, and they had a daughter and divorced four years later. Bee), Investigators search the torched remains of Carole Sund's rental car for evidence near Sierra Village, Calif., in this March 19, 1999, file photo. "I think every actor that was worth their salt wanted to be that character.". He made some money consulting on a TV film written about his horrifying ordeal and got a reward for rescuing the 5-year-old boy. He usually ordered a rum and coke. By 19, he had wed Jody Edmondson a girl whom he met at the butcher shop where he worked and started a family. "It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. ", "To realize that the monster that did that was your own family, like, that's crazy. what a great post ive found. Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Ive had drinks with him at the bar up there. He goes, "OK. Don't worry. On Dec. 4, 1972, the Stayner family's low profile . "We had news people up on our roof, shooting pictures through the windows, and it was mayhem. "My sister and I both wanted to be the best at it. 3. Cary Stayner had a tough childhood before he made his move to Cedar Lodge, where he'd eventually unleash a rage that had been simmering for years, according to people close to him. He died in prison in 2008 of natural causes.. "Cary Stayner left behind a boatload of evidence, and he knew it. At the time when I was up there I had just graduated from high school, I had no idea at that time that something had happened to his brother prior. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Stayner confessed immediately, to sexually assaulting and murdering the women, but later pled not guilty by reason of insanity. They shouldn't bother. I wanted to share the happiness we had, the good outcome, but then that had a bad side too.". Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. One brother was lauded as a hero, the other branded a monster. Then on Valentine's Day, 1980, Stayner left a Mendocino County cabin and walked into the Ukiah police station along with 5-year-old Timmy White, another Parnell kidnap victim, whom he had helped to free. Tragedy struck the Stayner family again 15 months later, in December 1990. Steven was hailed as a hero for rescuing the youngster. But from that moment on, Steven would never escape the spotlight. my leading theory is that the show simply didnt research deep enough to know this factoid! The Stayner family's devastating narrative, particularly the difficult lives of their two boys, Steven and Cary Stayner, is explored in the new three-part Hulu documentary series Captive Audience.' Kenneth Parnell, a guy who operated at the Yosemite Lodge in Steven's birthplace of Merced, California, abducted Steven when he was seven years old . Source: Vimbuzz.com Related Posts Who is Steven Stayner's son Steven Stayner Jr.? Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. He came upon cabin where he met a 26-year-old naturalist named Joie Armstrong and brought up the topic of Bigfoot in conversation. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. "They did mention about finally getting a chance to get out of here," said Ennis Mayberry, 36, who bought the house from the Stayners 10 years ago. They felt slightly better about the two-part TV mini-series that debuted in 1989, for which the family was consulted. "What more could you ask for?" They shouldn't bother. When Rinek took Cary Stayner's confession it should have been the highlight of his career. Steven Stayner, 14, is flanked by his father, Delbert (left) during a press conference after Steven and a young boy escaped from a sexual predator on Valentine's Day 1980 in Ukiah, Calif. Parnell, whose kidnapping of Steven Stayner was turned into a television movie, was convicted in the 1972 kidnapping of Stayner, who was then 7, and the 1980 kidnapping of a 5-year-old boy. If you haven't listened to episode 138 yet, make sure you do that before you jump "He couldn't wait to tell people about his personal experience driving through an area known as Foresta and Bigfoot leaping out of the woods in the dark of night and then scurrying back in, never to be seen again," crime journalist Pat Lalama said. Lenna, whose daughter is now the age she was when she met Cary Stayner, said she had not returned to Cedar Lodge until last year. Her beheaded body was found near her cabin on July 22. Kidnapping and Trauma. Even outside of press conferences he held with family members and Timmy, the cameras didn't turn off. The murders were all over the news and remained unsolved in July, when 25-year-old Joie Armstrong was found headless in a creek. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. Friends and co-workers would say later that he struggled with impulses he didn't understand and was susceptible to fits of rage. At night while Parnell was at work, the two boys ran out into the rainy night, eventually hitching a ride to Ukiah, where they found the police department. Part way through reading this and I want to flag that you describe the person who Parnell marries at 18 as a 15-year-old woman which is not great phrasing! "We wanted to go back to our normal lives," Steven's younger sister, Cory Stayner, tells the Captive Audience producers. (It was impossible to track it down online but I did finally find it on some guys Facebook page: I Know My First Name is Steven. And heres an Entertainment Tonight report on I Know My Name is Steven. But in 1972, the family would begin a traumatizing and highly publicized journey that spanned 30 years. 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. Ted Lassos Jane Austen Catastrophe Unites Queers in Outrage! (Photo by Michael Maloney / CHRONICLE). Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. His psychiatrist determined, in an age when homosexuality and pedophilia were considered one in the same, that he was obviously a homosexual of the more or less dangerous type. Parnell spent the next 15 years moving around California, briefly re-marrying a 36-year-old woman when he was 25. "They got him to a mental health center, but he left. Despite Stayner being outed as a victim of sexual abuse, Parnell wasnt, ultimately, charged with any sex crimes, as under the laws of the time, they apparently wouldnt have added any significant jail time. On December 4, 1972, Steven was abducted walking home from school - the beginning of a traumatizing, media-heavy journey for the Stayner family. Hope to see more posts from you. Hi! Steven, in a rarity for a kidnapped child, made his way back to his family after eight years of living under an assumed name and identity given by his groomer and attacker Kenneth Parnell.. Cary was arrested the same year, and in the trials that followed he was convicted of all four women's murders and sentenced to death. "This family captured the imagination of the public for decades," newscaster Ted Rowlands, who covered the Stayners throughout his career, recalls in Captive Audience. Steven Stayner as a child (Courtesy of Hulu). "It's very disturbing. She said meeting with Rinek, the former FBI agent and author, had helped her discuss her feelings of survivor's guilt. LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now, The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema, Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, it was the second-most-watched unscripted series in Hulus history, the local paper called the search for Steven, whod brainwashed him out of attempting an escape, Steven Stayner from ABC News in March 1980, a new bout of press attention to the Stayners, Parnells appeals lawyer explains it like this, a psychiatrist called by the defense testified, response from a judge to Kenneth Parnells motion, podcast did TWELVE episodes on this topic, Good Trouble Episode 411 Recap: The Year of Yes, 30 Goat Cheese Recipes That Are the Greatest Of All Time, Five Girls You Will Bring Home In Your Twenties, So You Want to Remember What Clothes Are? This is a carousel. The boy was asked if he wanted to donate something to a church. Silvina was strangled next. He was also convinced that he'd seen Bigfoot while out in the woods. The film explores the trauma and psychological impact of Stevens abduction and the difficulties he faced trying to adjust to life after his escape. I don't blame my mom at all. That dream ended for Lenna in 1999, when she learned from authorities that Cary Stayner was not only responsible for the brutal slayings of four women in and near Yosemite that terrified residents and tourists, but that he'd also tried three separate times to kill her and her family. I guess I was jealous. One was fairly violent," Flynn said. Lenna was just 10 or 11 years old when her mother began a relationship with Cary Stayner, a maintenance worker at the Cedar Lodge right outside of Yosemite National Park. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. He was a cartoonist for The Statesman, the school newspaper. She lived just inside the park in a cabin with a garden she tended, where she stowed a bronze hand-fill bathtub outside so she could bathe in creek water under the stars. Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund and friend Silvina Pelosso were missing for a month before their bodies were found. At first, Stayner denied being sexually abused by Parnell. Unlike the first three murders, where he left virtually no evidence, he knew that he had left a very easy trail for investigators," Rowlands said. Steven Stayner's miraculous story of escape from his kidnapper in 1980 garnered national headlines at the time. Kay says. It meant putting the victim through hell for a very modest increase in the sentence. Stayner talked to her about Bigfoot, which he claimed to have seen in the area years before. Anybody and everybody who met him will tell you that.". Parnell was convicted for both kidnappings and served five years of his seven year prison sentence.
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