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"I know that Steven was really happy about the way that it turned out," Jody says, adding that his press interviews tied to the movie helped him finally open up about the abuse he faced as a child. Fascinating story! "Cary was very upset. "He was a good dad, he was a good family man," Jody remembers. "There was a lot of people at the funeral, and there was a lot of media there," Jody says in a somber voice. When Rinek took Cary Stayner's confession it should have been the highlight of his career. He bound and duct-taped her before strangling her. 20/20: Evil in Eden Special on Steven and Cary Stayner. His helmet had supposedly been stolen days before. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven . "Cary still didn't talk to anyone about Steven. "Cary was unwell since he was a toddler, as far as I know," Cory says. Steven, knowing Timmy would soon suffer the same abuse hed suffered, decided it was time to plot his escape. Why does the name Stayner ring a bell? "I knew both of them. Parnells appeals lawyer explains it like this: There was at the time a strong sense of what they called protecting the victim, he said, though he pointed out that, to his mind, protecting the victim was really a smokescreen for blaming the victim. "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. "He's a nice guy. 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. he was such a good looking guy you wouldnt of thought that he would of done this. Cary later said he and his cousin had been repeatedly molested by Uncle Jesse. Anyone who owned a television in the '80s will recognize the name Steven Stayner. Stayner talked to her about Bigfoot, which he claimed to have seen in the area years before. The entire time he was right there! She said meeting with Rinek, the former FBI agent and author, had helped her discuss her feelings of survivor's guilt. 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. 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. Vickie Flores, who grew up with the Stayner children, said Cary Stayner had a strange side. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Follow her on twitter and instagram. He did his own thing. 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. I wanted to share the happiness we had, the good outcome, but then that had a bad side too.". Cary Stayner's high school 1979 yearbook photo. The boy didn't exist. Because last week Ash and new co-host Ali talked about the story of Steven Stayner, who was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped by 2 men while he was walking home from school. The total worth of goods stolen from that Salt Lake City store was $50. And while "Captive Audience" focuses mostly on the Stayner family and how Steven's brother Cary grew up to be a serial killer, White's life and story was changed forever by his ordeal. My platonic queer soulmate friend of the last decade, who taught me how to backpack in my early twenties, was lucky enough to go on this trip when she was fifteen. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. "A lot of attention went to Steven we all got a little jealous," says one of the Stayner sisters in Hulu's upcoming docuseries Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story. "Knowing that he had this kit inside of his backpack when he was around us every time is terrifying to me, and it's almost like a slap in the face to [know] how close it came for us. The window was open, the curtain was open, and I can see inside that there was two young women and the mother and no man," Cary Stayner said in his 1999 taped confession, obtained by ABC News. He was right under everyone's nose. They were at the Merced River, she said, when he started removing all of his clothes. Artist's sketch of Cary Stayner breaking down Wednesday, June 13, 2001, during the prelimniary hearing at the Mariposa County Courthouse in Mariposa California . Kay says. Steven was hailed as a hero for rescuing the youngster. Inside was a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell, who accosted him about making a donation to a church. 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. But when authorities went to Cedar Lodge to conduct interviews and spoke to handyman Cary Stayner, they were unaware he was the killer. Her work has appeared in nine books including "The Bigger the Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image & Other Hazards Of Being Female," magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. In December 1972, his 7-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was abducted in Merced, California, by pedophile Kenneth Parnell and accomplice Ervin Murphy. The acting in the film is top-notch, with impressive performances by Corin Nemec and Luke Edwards, who play Steven Stayner at different stages of his life. 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 . 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The 1972 abduction of Steven Staynersubject of the miniseries I Know My First Name Is Stevenwas just the beginning of a family nightmare.The three-part Captive . By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. On Valentine's Day 1980, Steven walked out of a Mendocino County cabin with Timmy, carrying the boy when he got tired. One night, he and Timmy snuck out while their abductor was working and they hitchhiked to Ukiah. Strength said Cary Stayner's arrest has stunned the community. I camp and hike and backpack as a solo woman, and I do fieldwork as an ecologist in a lot of parks and public lands, and theres always a little fear in the back of my mind, but Im glad that its at a level where its much healthier and doesnt stop me from experiencing life the way I want to. They shouldn't bother. When the Cary Stayner murders in Yosemite happened, and I found out the connection with Stephen Stayner, I was totally in shock. A closeup of child kidnap victim Steven Stayner. That's when our lives were flipped upside-down. Steven's daughter Ashley Stayner, now 36, is also a prominent participant, and the one member of the Stayner family who has spoken to the media following the documentary's release. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The new Hulu docuseries pulls back the curtain on how one of the most prominent true crime families complete with a child kidnapping victim and his serial killer brother navigated trauma under a microscope. The 14-year-old was an instant hero, and later the subject of the NBC miniseries "I Know My First Name Is Steven.". The California True Crime podcast did TWELVE episodes on this topic and their website also features show notes with links for all their episodes. The direction and cinematography also add to the overall impact of the film. And after reading this story, my blood froze in my veins! AP File Photo/Ted Benson, The Modesto Bee. A witness had also identified Cary Stayner's vehicle as being on the road where Armstrong lived around the time of the murder, so authorities went searching for him. Steven had been taught to respect adults in authority but wasnt well-versed in the dangers of talking to strangers, so he agreed to let Murphy and his friend Kenneth Parnell give him a ride home, where they could meet his mother. The Stayner family Delbert and Kay and their two sons and three daughters lived in a small farming town of Merced, California, known as the gateway to Yosemite Park. Bee), Juli Sund, the teenage daughter of Carole Sund, was sexually assaulted and then driven by Cary Stayner along with the bodies of her mother and friend to a wooded area near the Don Pedro Reservoir. "What more could you ask for?" Steven Stayner (front right) pictured with his older brother, Cary (center). "It's very disturbing. "I was literally trying to get my mouth going to hear that again to make sure I had heard what he said.". From that point on, Cary lived Steven's shadow. MORE: Low-key Cary Stayner took back seat to kidnapped brother. "They got him to a mental health center, but he left. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. He told doctors at a hospital where he was treated that he began to participate in homosexual activities at the reform school where he was sent for stealing a car. Steven Stayner as a child (Courtesy of Hulu). When he got into the room, Cary pulled out a .22-caliber pistol, claiming he intended to rob the them. He skidded trying to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway and fatally struck his head. On Monday, Cary Stayner was to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Sacramento for the murder of Joie Armstrong, a Yosemite Institute naturalist. But when a police search of Parnells home turned up sexualized photographs of Steven, he acknowledged what hed endured. He later said he was unable to resist killing her when he realized she was alone. 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. (CHRIS STEWART/THE CHRONICLE). Amid the mayhem, Steven learned to live with the publicity, for better or worse. Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@sfchronicle.com. Because I hated the person who did that," Ashley says. Back in Merced, Stevens parents were growing increasingly alarmed. Steven Stayner (April 18, 1965 - Sept 16, 1989) was a kidnapping victim. Sleet was falling when an old Buick pulled up next to him as he walked home from school. Lynnea Shertz, who grew up two doors down from the Stayners, remembered Cary Stayner as a scrawny teenager who liked to draw figures. "Now it's tainted, [he's] not the pure hero," Ashley says. In February of 1999, three women whod been staying at Cedar Lodge while traveling in Yosemite were found murdered: 42-year-old Carole Sund, Caroles fifteen-year-old daughter Juli Sund and their family friend, sixteen-year-old Silvina Pelosso. Stayner confessed immediately, to sexually assaulting and murdering the women, but later pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He had been a young patrol officer in 1972 when Cary Stayner's younger brother, Steven Stayner, was snatched off a Merced street in the county's most infamous kidnapping. "I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did," he said in a 1999 jailhouse interview. Every summer for the past twenty years, a group of 15-18 year old women and non-binary femmes go to Yosemite for twelve days. [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. This letter from the editor was also just what I needed it pretty much sums up my April and, Hurrah! The entire time he was right there!". It was very, very close.". Speaking to the FBI, Cary Stayner admitted to killing Armstrong and the three women at Cedar Lodge but he also caught agents unaware, telling them about Lenna and her sister and mother. He held her at gunpoint in her cabin as he bound her with duct tape and then forced her into his car. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "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. In a photograph taken by Juli Sund and released by Francis Carrington, Carole Sund (left) is shown with Silvina Pelosso in their room at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal shortly before they were killed in February 1999. He was eventually apprehended at a nudist colony two hours north of Yosemite. He was given a new identity . And uh, such a happy part that turned into such a dark part of our life," she said. In the early '80s, the story of Steven Stayner's childhood abduction and rescue riveted the nation. In February 1999, Carole Sund; her 16-year-old daughter, Juli Sund; and friend Silvina Pelossa, an exchange student from Argentina, were staying at the lodge. "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. During this time, Parnell kidnapped a 5-year-old child in Ukiah, California and held him captive for two weeks before Steven Stayner escaped and took the child to the police. what a great post ive found. Riese is the 40-year-old Co-Founder and CEO of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in California. Hulu's latest true-crime documentary, "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story ," traces the nearly unbelievable tale of the Stayner family. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of protecting children and supporting victims of abuse and trauma. He was given a new identity Dennis Parnell and for seven years endured sexual abuse at the hands of his captor. Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. Hi! "We had news people up on our roof, shooting pictures through the windows, and it was mayhem. According to later interviews, Cary had been fighting sadistic urges and hearing voices for as long as he could remember, and used pot to drown them out. 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. The separate stories of Steven and Cary Stayner made national headlines, first in 1980 and then nearly 20 years later. Tragedy struck the Stayner family again 15 months later, in December 1990. Hi! Lenna said that at the time, Cary Stayner, in his 30s and handsome, appeared "safe" to her, her mother and younger sister. He told Newsweek that Sometimes I blame myself. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story rehashes the series of horrific events spanning the '70s, '80s and '90s that captivated a nation and destroyed a family. "I was just over there throwing rocks in the creek and just happened to notice her walk out again and again. I want to speak out for other people who are surviving victims. 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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. He asked if Stevens mother had anything she could donate to the church. White testified in 2004 at Kenneth Parnells trial for human trafficking and attempting to kidnap a child. I'll just give you a ride home.' 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. "He became a husband and a father and then he had to knuckle down and decide what he was going to do with his life," Kay says. Lenna was 10 or 11 when her mother began dating Cary Stayner, a worker at the Cedar Lodge outside of Yosemite National Park. Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. But in 1985, when he was 20, he married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson, and they had two children, Ashley and Steven Jr. Fatherhood seemed to rejuvenate him, and Steven started speaking out as a. He was a cartoonist for The Statesman, the school newspaper. When she was murdered, her family and the park created the Yosemite Armstrong Scholars to keep Joies dreams and actions alive. "It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them. "I remember being very uncomfortable by it, but I turned around and went up the river and did not try to pay any attention to it at all," she said. my leading theory is that the show simply didnt research deep enough to know this factoid! Welcome toOBSESSED, in which I provide you a reading list / media consumption list that speaks to my primary hobby: doing obsessive amounts of research into a singular topic or story for no reason. After gaining access to their room -- lying to Carole Sund about a leak in an upstairs room -- Cary Stayner strangled the mother and sexually assaulted and then killed Juli Sund and Pelosso. Ive had drinks with him at the bar up there. "He said, "OK,' and gave me these booklets and he asked me if I wanted a ride home. But he had already lost faith in the agency he had taken pride in serving. Neighbors who remember Steven Stayner's return to his family's home on quiet Bette Street in Merced were astonished that his brother was now a suspect in one, or more, grisly killings. 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 . His father also refused to send him to therapy, because he scorned psychiatry in general and saw therapy as a tool for weak people. To be clear, Im not an advocate for incarceration as a solution or as a measure of justice in general, but! Parnell was arrested Friday night, Jan. 3, 2003, in Berkeley, Calif., after allegedly trying to buy a child, said. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Captive America reveals that nearly 40 million people tuned in live to watch the movie's premiere on TV, and the film was later nominated for a Golden Globe and four Emmys. Rape and molestation victims were seen as damaged goods, Horowitz recalled. PEOPLE got a first look at Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, which highlights the opposing legacies of kidnapping survivor Steven Stayner and his serial killer brother, Cary Stayner. On my way home every day Carey would be pulled over to the side of the road next to the Merced River and would be there sun bathing. One of the people affected by the Yosemite saga was Steven's daughter, Ashley. During that time, Delbert and Kay struggled to move on without answers about what happened to their son. He had joined the Mormon Church. Abducted at the age of 7, a teenage Steven Stayner was finally returning to his family in Merced, California. Ted Lassos Jane Austen Catastrophe Unites Queers in Outrage! The laws at the time established that because the sex crimes had occurred in a different jurisdiction than the kidnapping, doing so would require a second trial: I wanted to charge Parnell with the sex crimes. The obvious question is whether what happened to Steven caused Cary to do what he did," Flynn said. The groups are adamantly trans inclusive, and prioritize QTPOC and white gays and theys, BIPOC, as well as low-income youth for selection. I guess I was jealous. His death dealt another blow to the family - but not its last. ", "To realize that the monster that did that was your own family, like, that's crazy. He was reportedly troubled by Timmy's distress and unwilling to watch an innocent young boy undergo the same abuse he suffered. Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. "He was off. A photo taken after Steven's escape to freedom shows him flanked by his beaming father, Delbert. Before he'd driven to the nudist colony, Lenna said, Cary Stayner had gone looking for them but Lenna and her sister were at their grandmother's house. "I wanted to share Steve's homecoming with the world. I worked with Carey up in Yosemite, we worked for the same company at 2 different hotels. Lenna said he was like a "big teddy bear" toward her and her sister. ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Cary, his older brother, was one of three sisters he had. The film explores the trauma and psychological impact of Stevens abduction and the difficulties he faced trying to adjust to life after his escape. Inside the Monster by Katy St. Clair for The East Bay Express (2003) The author discovers Parnell lives in Berkeley and sets up an interview with him after the author of I Know My Name is Steven assures her hes only a threat if youre a child, and they go out for dinner and my lord, Parnell is a real piece of work! When Steven Stayner returned home, the whole family's focus was on him, she said. He worked for Cedar Lodge and I work for Yosemite View Lodge. Steven was born in Merced in 1965, the third of five children in the Stayner family. 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. She was one of the women who Stayner murdered (as mentioned in this article), but the end of her life wasnt her story she lived such a full and beautiful and badass life its important to know about her. "He came home.". (AP Photo/Ben Margot). Cary Stayner caught up with her and slit her throat. Friends and co-workers would say later that he struggled with impulses he didn't understand and was susceptible to fits of rage. I always look forward to a movie or series in this genre! Lenna said that after Cary Stayner's arrest, her family placed a Beanie Baby peace bear on a little, wicker float down the Merced River to give them peace about everything that happened. "My sister and I both wanted to be the best at it. Cary Stayner had decided the day after Valentine's Day would be the day he killed Lenna and her family. 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. Its to imbue community care as essential for when the going gets tough. It was always with him, like a woman carries a purse," Lenna said. It seems like Parnell actually attempted to argue that because Steven was kidnapped seven years ago, it couldnt be prosecuted due to a three-year statute of limitations. Overshadowed All His Life, by Stacy Finz and Meredith May for San Francisco Gate (1999) About Carys life and history prior to the murders. I got put on the back burner, you might say. She wrote in letters so often how much she deeply loved her life and calling. We were talking about the Kennedy family, and all the bad things that have happened to them," Strength said. In 1999, he confessed to four killings. "My older brother, Cary, he was off.". Jesse Houtz, co-owner of Cedar Lodge Restaurants, said Cary Stayner would hang out at the bar, but often kept to himself. "He was just our friend," she said. An exclusive trailer for the three-part docuseries is below. He and Timmy attended press conferences, testified at their abductor's trials and inspired a hit 1989 TV movie called I Know My First Name Is Steven. But at the same time, I still have a hard time looking at him as a monster. "I felt like that could be any of us, just like my dad, just walking home from school and going missing," she says. He was sentenced to death in December 2002 and remains on death row. "Steven's dead. 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. She said he taught her and her sister how to dive, brought them illustrations and bought them toys. RELATED: One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. He didnt want to talk about it, he was ashamed and he feared itd be framed as his fault. Cary's uncle Jerry, who he was very close to and lived with, was shot and killed by a home invader with Jerry's own shotgun. Then all of a sudden its gone. "It came natural to him.". Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. Instead, Cary Stayner returned to the Cedar Lodge and eventually turned his attention to the lodge's 500 building where the Sunds and Pelosso were staying. Steven's disappearance was a . And now this. "As I walked, there was a red car in the 500 building all by itself. Much like Steven's, their disappearance shocked the nation and dominated headlines as investigators frantically searched for them. And I said, "Well, it's just a little ways, I can walk.' Cary Stayner became a lost soul. On December 4, 1972, Steven was abducted walking home from school - the beginning of a traumatizing, media-heavy journey for the Stayner family. The three were murdered at Yosemite National Park in 1999 by Cary Stayner, who was sentenced to death for the crime. Cary eventually developed acute paranoia after years of consistent marijuana use, but kept on smoking regardless. In 1959, he was arrested for robbery in Salt Lake City and spent six years in prison this would turn out to be the longest sentence hed serve for all the crimes he committed in his life. "We've had things happen in our family, and we've dealt with the media. "He just didn't set off any alarm bells," said former reporter Christine Hanley. Soon after, two of the women's bodies were discovered in a charred vehicle, and later, the third victim was found dead. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. He was killed in a hit-and-run crash, at the age of 24. With glassy eyes, Ashley recounts the daily news coverage of Cary's crimes at the time, and how it was hard watching her father's legacy as a hero become overshadowed by something dark.