Two kidnapped boys, a heros return, then a tragic twist: The In April 2022, Hulu released a limited true-crime docuseries "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story" following the life of Stayner and his family and how the kidnapping impacted their lives. The paradox at the heart of Gottschalls bookfull of stories as it is, in its own rightis that as effective as stories can be in promoting empathy, they can also tear humanity apart. Steven, she said, had to confront some of the kids making comments about him as a result of publicity about his kidnaping ordeal. But Cary still got the death penalty. As for where Delbert and Kay Stayner are now, the pair had made it evident that they wanted to lead quiet lives after the events of the early 2000s. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. At first blush, it may seem that director Jessica Dimmock is spinning her wheels on well-worn terrain with Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story. Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping White and Stayner in 1981, and was sentenced to seven years in prison, despite the fact that he was released on parole after five years. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home.". After the premiere, Echols published his book, also titled I Know My First Name is Steven, in 1991. Parnell renamed Stayner Dennis Gregory Parnell, but retained his original middle name and birth date. According to The Berkeley Daily Planet, the then 11-year-old felt responsible for his brother's disappearance and felt forgotten by his parents, who were consumed by their son's kidnapping. While in prison, Cary Stayner's defense lawyers ordered a psychiatric evaluation on him, per SFGate. Fortunately, the police also noticed him and arrested both of them, at which point he revealed his identity and recounted his own story. Cary Stayner [9] Parnell began raping Stayner thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. It wasnt until 1980 that Kay and Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping White and Stayner in 1981, and was sentenced to seven years in prison, despite the fact that he was released on parole after five years. WebThe very sympathetic Kay Stayner, who says she never stopped believing her son would return, concedes that when the police contacted her in March 1980, she immediately expected the worst. But Californias Evidence during the testimony by Stayners parents included enlarged photographs from happier times: their infant first son; a young boy lathered in calamine lotion after an encounter with mosquitoes or poison oak; and a smiling young pupil with crooked bangs. When his father, Delbert Stayner, took the stand, he grinned quickly at his son, nodded his head and said he had been a bad father at times. Some, though, might argue that narrative construction itself illustrates and facilitates said darkness. Dimmocks doc is as much about narrative construction as it is the darkness that humans are capable of. He also had a brief, speechless role in the television series as one of two police officers who accompany his 14-year-old self to his on-screen parents. Parnell, a convicted felon, molested him on the first night and began raping him thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972. The family rarely discussed Stevens disappearance because it was troubling and they didnt have answers. Delbert and Kay Stayner admit that Steven, 19, has his troubles. I want to be here to tell that hes not the monster that people said he is, she said. [29][18], In early 1989, a television miniseries based on his experience, I Know My First Name Is Steven (also known as The Missing Years), was produced. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. On February 15, 1999, Yosemite tourists Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and exchange student Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing, per SFGate. The abductions happened before public attention focused on the issues of missing children and child abuse. He is a known American Serial killer How old is Cary Stayner? Meanwhile, Steven was undergoing unthinkable sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of Parnell. Stayner grew up in a carefree environment, as his captor not only allowed him to roam freely, but also allowed him to begin drinking at a very young age. [31] The two-part miniseries was first broadcast by NBC on May 2122, 1989. Literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall does exactly that in his 2021 book The Story Paradox. [13], For a period of eighteen months, a woman named Barbara Mathias lived with Parnell and Stayner. Judy Austins husband, Yul, Who Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba Brother? At the time, Parnell was convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment. Stayner He had already been given a life sentence without parole for the murder of Joie Armstrong in an earlier trial. An FBI agent said that Stayner recounted his crimes "as if he was reading a soup label," (via ABC News). I didnt feel this was an opportunity to relitigate anything, Dimmock said. Personal History and Legacies When Steven Stayner returned home, he felt as though his parents were still treating him as their seven-year-old child, and he struggled to adjust to the fact that he no longer had the freedom to smoke, drink, or do whatever he pleased. Parnell, according to Hallford, is still a danger. He said, Sometimes you cure a thief by chopping off his hands, but people who have a sexual orientation usually dont switch around.. In high school, Cary was known for being creative, but he couldn't escape Steven's story. However, during Cary's murder trial, his attorneys argued that he never wanted fame or attention, calling him a "shrinking violet," per the Independent. He was the big brother.. The Stayner case, believed to be the longest in which a kidnap victim finally returned home, has affected more than just his family. Stayner had trouble developing relationships with girls, despite some interest from them. Steven Stayner is a name familiar to those in the true crime community, but with Captive Audience, the family behind the name will get to talk about the legacy of that Inside was Kenneth Parnell and his friend Ervin Murphy. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. In 2002, he was sentenced to death and is currently on death row at He was inattentive and dour toward his other children, and family road trips involved searching for their missing brother whenever new tips emerged. He thought he heard voices and other mysterious noises, like messages emanating from the television. When Steven was abducted, Cary had wished upon a star every night that Steven would return, per SFGate. But it wasn't until the age of 37 that he would become a murderer. In high school, he served as the cartoonist for the student paper and was voted "most creative" by his classmates, per ABC News. Initially, when he only understood his father to be a hero, he perceived a narrative of happinessuntil he realized the abuse Steven Stayner had suffered at the hands of Parnell. Steven eventually married and had two children. Anime, Cartoons MHA, Pikachu, 20 Pieces used. Although he has refused interviews for the last year, his parents agreed to talk to a reporter. Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. On February 14, 1980, Parnell and a teenage friend of Stayner's named Randall Sean Poorman kidnapped five-year-old Timmy White in Ukiah. Their remarkably dark and tragic lives are told in Hulu's recent documentary "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story." The day after she spoke to Stayner, Damant watched the news and saw that the FBI were looking for Stayner. Now he takes two welding courses at Merced College and lives at home in a middle-class subdivision in this city in the San Joaquin Valley. Stayner He was 79 years old. [44] Fundraisers for the statue have stated that it is meant to honor Steven Stayner and give families of missing and kidnapped children hope that they are still alive.[44]. Investigators initially didn't suspect Cary Stayner as a suspect, despite spending much of his time in the area. [30] However, it took several months for investigators to realize Stayner was behind the killings. The Hunger Games Prequel Trailer Is Here! Watch: The Truth Behind Our Obsession With True Crime Stories When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he What Is Yosemite Killer Cary Stayner's Life Like Today? Delbert Stayner recalled arguments he had with detectives who told him the police theory that a child missing for three months was dead. He also revealed a disturbing truth: he originally intended to kill his girlfriend and her daughters before he went on to target Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso on February 15, 1999. While he continued to blame himself for his abduction, starting a family helped him cope with his past, and he began interacting with child abduction groups and counseling children. I wanted the audience to be aware of a boundary. When his sister had a sleepover, he crawled under the bed of one of her friends in order to touch her breasts. In the 20/20 special, Cary, the older of the two, is described as being a loving brother who enjoyed spending time with Steven. He was sentenced to seven years, but was paroled after serving five.[19][20]. It was only later that Steven revealed Parnells sexual abuse, and suddenly his behavior made a miserable kind of sense. Mourners holding banner which reads VIGIL OF HOPE for Carole Sund, her daughter Juli, and Julis friend Silvina Pelosso. Nothing ever closes, ever. He also convinced the small child that his parents could no longer afford to raise so many children and thus no longer desired him. Stayner, 36, has been speaking to the media from her home in Atwater, California, while gearing up for her own true crime debut in Captive Audience: A Real When Cary confessed to the four Yosemite murders, he asked authorities to contact Hollywood producers so that his story could be made into a movie, just like his brother's. The following day, March 2, both boys were reunited with their families, while Parnell was arrested. Steven Stayner is a name familiar to those in the true crime community, but with Captive Audience, the family behind the name will get to talk about the legacy of that name. Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972, at the age of seven by Kenneth Parnell, who had previously been convicted in Utah of sodomizing a young boy and armed robbery. But Stayner made some around him feel uncomfortable, particularly girls his age. Over a decade later, the Stayner family suffered another blow. [21] Stayner remembered the kindness "Uncle" Murphy had shown him in his first week of captivity while they were both under the influence of Parnell's manipulation, and he believed that Murphy was as much Parnell's victim as he and Timmy were. Stayner's parents, who apologized to the families of the victims, advocated against the death penalty. The tragedies keep popping up like weeds. Pat Hallford, who prosecuted the Stayner kidnaping, originally wanted Parnell charged with sex crimes, but Parnell was tried only for the abductions of Stayner and Timmy White, 5. He was about 14 years old and had been kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell, who sexually abused him. Stayner's parents proposed that one be named "Stayner Park". Delbert and Kay Stayner admit that Steven, 19, has his troubles. Ive lost one son., The Stayners said they have avoided the trial because their son asked them not to attend and because Kay Stayner works and the expense would be too great. Later on, after nearly seven years of kidnapping, he set himself free and reunited with his mother and father. He Was Abducted As A Child. Then His Brother Became A Serial in journalism and creative writing. Then and there, any notion of a happy ending for a man who rescued himself (as well as another young boy that Parnell had kidnapped) was put to bed. WebSteven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. His father, Delbert Stayner. I know it upset Cary because he felt responsible, she said. After Timothy White, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy, died in 2010 of a pulmonary embolism, a statue of Stayner and White was erected in Merced, California's Applegate Park. Steven Jr. doesnt remember his father, and only knows him through stories. Her approach creates palpable tension at times. Kay Stayner And Delbert Stayner Are Steven Stayners Parents, They were reunited seven years after their son was abducted. Stayner's defense attorneys positioned Stayner as a victim of mental illness and trauma, stemming from his brother's abduction and having been molested as a child, according to SFGate. Soon after, Parnell arrived in a white Buick, which Stayner and Murphy willingly entered, but he was taken to a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley instead of his home. I guess I was jealous. However, the young boy was reportedly unable to take advantage of those opportunities because he was unaware of how to summon assistance. She had to tell him to leave a second time, per SFGate. 26-year-old lover of true crime, but will occasionally write about anything else that interests me. Unlike his brother, Cary Stayner wasn't abducted, but that hardly meant his home was safe. His mental health issues predated his brother's abduction. Toward the end, Dimmock asks Kay what she thinks about closure. Cindy Pickett Publicity would prove to be the least of their worries. San Quentin is a notoriously tough place to live with a checkered human rights history. Kay talks at length about Steventhe triumph of his return and the hardship he faced as a then-teenager attempting to return to a family and town he had long left. Still lives in Brooklyn with her over 500 Pokmon that she has Eevee trained into a mighty army. Even if you get the best verdict in the world, its not closed. Election Section - Berkeley Daily Planet Steve will just have to learn to live with it and build his own life without that getting in his way. Her father, who suggested the disappearance of Steven was a good thing because she would only have to clothe four kids, had taught her not to cry. While he continued to blame himself for his abduction, starting a family helped him cope with his past, and he began interacting with child abduction groups and counseling children. Stayner In 1989, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. Under false pretenses, Cary entered their room and sexually assaulted both girls. In 1999, Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli, and Juli's friend Silvina Pelosso stayed at Cedar Lodge, where Cary worked as a handyman. I had the opportunity to sit down with the Stayners and hear their perspective. This is why this happened. But, paradoxically, Kay justifies the importance of the narrative: If you live an experience and it doesnt become a story then it dies. Both of these things are true. As the directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin illustrated in their 2021 documentary Tina, one way to tell a story thats been told so many times is to tell its telling. When Steven Stayner made his heroic return home, he became famous and his story engrossed the nation. He was a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff with a wife and two children. At first, they believed the perpetrator was already in custody; this proved to be a fatal mistake. But in addition to Dimmocks impressive roster, her meta angle distinguishes Captive Audience from other portraits of the Stayners, as well as from most other entries in the true-crime genre. In the early 80s, the story of Steven Stayners childhood abduction and rescue riveted the nation. The story of the Stayner family soon touched the heart of the people when a seven-year-old boy returned home after freeing himself. When he couldn't figure out the location, he told White to head to the police station, with plans to return to Parnell's alone. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. New Journey - Kay Stayner Death - Dead, Obituary, Funeral In 1999, a proposal to name a park after him was rejected out of concern that the name Stayner Park might allude to his brother Cary, who had recently confessed to the murder of four women in Yosemite. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Stayner himself played the part of a police officer in the second part of the series. He was not imprisoned and was enrolled in a number of schools in the following years, where Parnell identified himself as his father. He was mocked at school, which caused him to drop out, and he was kicked out of his parental home after he began drinking more frequently. It wasn't until Parnell was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 to life. In archival footage shown in the doc, Today host Deborah Norville tells Steven that if his story were fiction, it probably wouldnt be believable. [4], One of the few positive aspects of Stayner's life with Parnell was the dog he had received as a gift from him, a Manchester Terrier that he named Queenie. Parnell moved around for work, frequently taking Stayner with him, but later leaving him alone and unguarded. In 1999, against the wishes of the Stayner family, Echols wrote an additional chapter about Steven's older brother Cary at the request of his publisher, which then re-published the book.[34]. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? SAN JOSE The mother of Yosemite killer Cary Stayner pleaded for his life Thursday, saying that he isnt a monster and that his execution would not change anything. His family, who had lost hope, jumped with joy and became emotional. Select this result to view Judy Kay Stayner's phone number, address, and more. Growing up, brothers Cary and Steven Stayner shared a home with their parents and three sisters in Merced, California a small farming town near Yosemite National Park according to the .css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;}SFGate. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Despite a seven-year kidnaping ordeal that ended five years ago, Steven Stayner is described by his parents as a fairly normal teen-ager. The Stayners also believe that law enforcement authorities have changed their previous conceptions of missing children. Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of 7, became a national hero after helping another child escape from abuse. Years later in 1989, the night before the Emmy Awards, for which the TV movie based on Stayners ordeal, I Know My First Name Is Steven, was nominated in four categories, the former captive was killed in a freak motorcycle accident. As a child, Stayner suffered from intrusive images in his head, including thoughts about his mother being kidnapped. At 20, he married and went on to have two children. Steven Gregory Stayner was born in Merced, California, on April 18, 1965, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. The attempt was unsuccessful. When a tip was called in about Stayner's car, which had been parked near the crime scene, investigators only thought of him as a potential witness, per ABC News. However, his father, Delbert, passed away on 9 April 2013. Parnell was not charged with the numerous sexual assaults on Stayner and other boys because most of them occurred outside the jurisdiction of the Merced County prosecutor or were by then outside the statute of limitations. He was 35 years old. Because Stayner is on death row, he likely lives in a 48-square-foot single cell with only five hours of exercise allowed outside. From one perspective, it seemed Cary Stayner had found his niche among his peers in school. He was mocked at school, which caused him to drop out, and he was kicked out of his parental home after he began drinking more frequently. ANIMEX 1200 89 : : 1.37 cm : 12.63 cm : 14.09 cm : 80.0 gDLCDDVDVHS5, KONICA II 2436 Hexanon 50mm F2.8 C4208, 230322SK090150 Ukulele Elvis U100S / MAIKAI MKU-1 , ROCKET BALLZ() 2 () U5 TM5-113[6478, 5MJML90124.0CM, / , Mixed Button Pin Lot. When interviewed by GMA shortly after his return, Steven said although his parents changed little, he didn't recognize his siblings, per ABC News. Wait, Why Is Are You There God? But why doesn't my dad hug me anymore? When he really needed his papa, I was too concerned about Stevie. When the boy replied that she would, Murphy then asked Stayner where he lived and if he would be willing to take Murphy to his home. He enlisted the assistance of naive and simple-minded Ervin Edward Murphy for the abduction by posing as an aspiring minister in need of a young boy to raise him in a religious-type deal.. On top of that, cameras were constantly following Stayner. Kay says no, and we dont go there.. White died at age 35 earlier this year of a pulmonary embolism. Watching Captive Audience, its natural to wonder just how much a family can take. Mathias was never arrested. He was seven years older and no longer the little brother Cary had once bonded with. Check out an EXCLUSIVE clip from @hulus new docuseries #CaptiveAudience, exploring Steven Stayners kidnapping, the media storm that surrounded his return, and the difficulties that followed: https://t.co/6Y7XFH0z8n pic.twitter.com/IBwkGGRbHS, Screen Rant (@screenrant) April 20, 2022. And then, in 1999, Stevens older brother Cary killed four people in what became known as the Yosemite Killer case. Kidnaped as Boy, Stayner the Man Learns [16], As Stayner entered puberty, Parnell began to look for a younger child to kidnap. Stevens parents also lost their elder child after he was convicted for the murder of four women and sentenced to death. Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, was behind the Yosemite murders that rocked the small farming town of Merced, California in 1999. [17], On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away at his night security job, Stayner left with White and hitchhiked into Ukiah. In the epilogue to his book, Echols describes how he infiltrated NAMBLA. The news of Santiago Gangotena, Are Yul Edochie And Judy Austin Still Together? Cary would have trouble with the law well into his adult life. Storytelling is, in Gottschalls estimation, our doom and our salvation. More to the point here, a story is always an artificial, post-hoc fabrication with dubious correspondence to the past. But it often feels like the best we can do to make sense of things. The three-part Hulu series is, broadly speaking, yet another retelling of brothers Steven and Cary Stayners adjacent tragedies. By age 24, he still blamed himself in some ways for what had happened, but he seemed finally at peace After Stayner's first murder spree, he hired a cab driver to take him away from the area. Cary Stayner age, height, weight, net worth 2023, girlfriend, wife He worked at Pizza Hut during this time and later joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Parnell received seven years for the White kidnaping, 20 months for Stayners abduction and time off for good behavior and prison work. The driver was taken aback by his strange behavior but did nothing about it since the FBI had publicly announced that the killer was likely in custody, according to ABC News. Shes taken a lot, but she only has so much to give. Not wanting to see the 5-year-old go through the same pain he had experienced, Steven attempted to walk White back to his house on March 1, 1980. 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