Parnell moved around for work, frequently taking Stayner with him, but later leaving him alone and unguarded. 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. [39] 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. 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. The other grew up to become a serial killer who terrorized the Yosemite forest. Stayner later told investigators that he had bound Armstrong and forced her into his car, and she heroically escaped before he caught up to her, according to ABC News. A social worker who is recognized as an authority on young victims compared the boys relationship with Parnell to that of a prisoner of war--a dependent brainwashing victim who was forced by circumstance to live a new life. In fact, for a month or so after Steven Stayners return home, there was open speculation from the media and his family as to what Parnells motive was. When he was an adolescent, he began having dark, sexual fantasies involving rape. He also convinced the small child that his parents could no longer afford to raise so many children and thus no longer desired him. Del and Kay Stayner of Merced, Calif., experienced such fear in 1972 when their 7-year-old son, Steven, returning home from school one day, just fell off the face of the earth. In the 20/20 special, Cary, the older of the two, is described as being a loving brother who enjoyed spending time with Steven. Team Zutara forever. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, directed by Jessica Dimmock and executive-produced by the Russo Brothers, will not only tackle the two Stayner brothers, but also play with the way in which the media would compare the two brothers and their conflicting experiences. 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. Parnell passed himself off as Stayner's father, and the two moved frequently around California, living in locations including Santa Rosa and Comptche. He was not charged with sexual assault, however, because prosecutors felt they were 'protecting' Stayner from the social stigma associated with male sexual abuse. He often carried a backpack that she later found out contained his murder weapons. Parnell had a one-and-a-half-year relationship with a woman named Barbara Mathias, during which they allegedly coerced Stayner into sexual activity at least nine times. 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. The attempt was unsuccessful. In high school, Cary was known for being creative, but he couldn't escape Steven's story. He was the big brother.. 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. During this time, he developed a strong attachment to his pet dog Queenie, a Manchester Terrier; the dog was a gift from Parnells mother. 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.. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven had been walking home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into a strangers car with the promise of a Stayner was convicted on August 27, 2002 of four counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to die at San Quentin State Prison in California. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? And on July 21, Stayner killed again. Initially wanted as an eyewitness, Cary was confronted by police in July of 1999, and ended up confessing to all four murders. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. Who Is Alejandro Figueredo Wife Maria Battaglino? Steve will just have to learn to live with it and build his own life without that getting in his way. 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. Kay was elated to have her son back. 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. The trial was so emotionally charged that Judge Thomas C. Hastings had to leave the room to gather himself, and when he returned, he appeared as if he had cried. 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 continued to abuse Steven for years, telling the boy that his parents weren't looking for him. Despite the problems that all the publicity caused for Steven including bullying and a general lack of privacy his older brother Cary seemed to envy it. She is known for her 1970s role as Jackie Marler-Spaulding on the CBS soap Guiding Light; her role as Dr. Carol Novino on the television drama St. Most notably, Stayners younger brother Steven Stayner was kidnapped from a mall in 1972 near the Stayners Merced, California home. Steven at the time was 7. Cary was 11. About eight years later, Steven escapeda story that drew significant media attention and was turned into a popular television miniseries, I Know My First Name Is Steven. 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. Meanwhile, Steven was undergoing unthinkable sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of Parnell. WebTragically, at the age of twenty-seven, he died in a motorcycle accident, leaving behind two children. His family, who had lost hope, jumped with joy and became emotional. The alleged driver of the car was later identified by witnesses. Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents after observing the young boys suffering at the hands of his captor. The couple faced a misfortune again when their firstborn became a serial killer. Five hundred people attended his funeral, at which 14-year-old Timmy White was a pallbearer. Watching Captive Audience, its natural to wonder just how much a family can take. However, the young boy was reportedly unable to take advantage of those opportunities because he was unaware of how to summon assistance. Fortunately, the police also noticed him and arrested both of them, at which point he revealed his identity and recounted his own story. I know my first name is Steven, he told the police. Delbert Stayner said they all broke down in tears when they first visited their son behind bars after his arrest in the killings. Elsewhere in the 1980s; for her performance as the real-life Kay Stayner, the mother of a boy who was kidnapped for several years, in the dramatic TV Stayner began to drink frequently, and was eventually kicked out of the family home. On March 1, 1980, two weeks after Timothy White was abducted, Steven Stayner left the house with Timmy and hitchhiked to Ukiah while Parnell was on duty at his night security job. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, Steven's high school girlfriend, to ABC News. The familys misfortune, however, did not end there. There are savings on everyday items you already buy, and savings on the things youve been waiting for a sale on to spoil your pet with. "He was spunky. 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. Trivia 'I Know My First Name is Steven', the title of the television series and book about Steven Stayner, was inspired by a line in his official police statement following his rescue. Dimmocks doc is as much about narrative construction as it is the darkness that humans are capable of. I am fourteen years of age. Escape On March 1, 1980, two weeks after Timothy White was abducted, Steven Stayner left the house with Timmy and hitchhiked to Ukiah while Parnell was on duty at his night security job. 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. 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. 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. Cary Stayner has been depicted some dozen in various mediaa 20/20 episode from 2019 attempted to summarize the Stayner brothers dual tragedies. He thought he heard voices and other mysterious noises, like messages emanating from the television. Although he has refused interviews for the last year, his parents agreed to talk to a reporter. Steven Stayner escaped Kenneth Parnell when he was 14 years old. [7], After Stayner agreed, a white Buick driven by Parnell pulled up, and Stayner willingly climbed into the car with Murphy. He was sentenced to seven years, but was paroled after serving five.[19][20]. Few families have seen so much tragedy and horror as the Stayner family. I was especially hard on Cary.. The Untold Truth Of Serial Killer Cary Stayner, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 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. However, the couple again lost him, in 1989, following an accident. [31] The two-part miniseries was first broadcast by NBC on May 2122, 1989. With all the true crime stories out now, it is important to remember that we are talking about real people, who have experienced a deep trauma. [38] Timmy White, then a grown man, was subpoenaed to testify in Parnell's criminal trial. 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. Would I have been better off if I didn't? You cant take it back, she said quietly. Parnell was preparing to move to Arkansas with both boys, the Stayners said. Before starting his freshman year in high school, however, Steven was given a new name Dennis Parnell. In California, 900 people were sentenced to death between the years 1978 and 2019. Stayner is now 60 years old and is currently being held in San Quentin State prison, per California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His mental health issues predated his brother's abduction. Although pleased with the dramatization, Stayner did complain that it depicted him as a somewhat "obnoxious, rude" person, especially toward his parents, something he refuted while publicizing the miniseries in the spring of 1989. After Stayner's first murder spree, he hired a cab driver to take him away from the area. Theres always a part of you that feels youre different from other people., The Stayners aspirations for their son are simple, but not easy. Cary was convicted with four counts of first-degree murder. An FBI agent believed they would've been Stayner's next victims had he not been caught,per ABC News. The best result we found for your search is Judy Kay Stayner age 60s in Princeton, IL. He taught them how to dive into the water and bought them a new Beanie Baby with every visit. The three-part Hulu series is, broadly speaking, yet another retelling of brothers Steven and Cary Stayners adjacent tragedies. Delbert and Kay Stayner admit that Steven, 19, has his troubles. [27] At the time of his death, Stayner was living in Merced and working at a pizza shop. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. Later on, after nearly seven years of kidnapping, he set himself free and reunited with his mother Kay Stayner said she has a hard time believing that the ideal child she raised artistic, seldom in trouble and quiet would grow up to be a killer. 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. Stayner's parents proposed that one be named "Stayner Park". WebSteven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. She told him to stop, and he left only to reappear nude at the doorway. He was 35 years old. Stayner told his high school girlfriend that he was determined to save White from Parnell, according to ABC News. A month later, Juli's body was found 40 miles away. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in He was interviewed on TV before he was able to reunite with his parents and even their reunion was on display. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Kay Stayner said Cary Stayner, always a bit of a loner, retreated further. . Hope you enjoy! A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Merced County Dist. 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. The parents who reacted so coldly when Steven was gone and the parents who appeared in court today are different people, Morrissey said outside of court. Parnell, a convicted felon, molested him on the first night and began raping him thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972. This idea was eventually rejected and the honor was instead given to another Merced resident, because Stayner's brother Cary confessed to, and was convicted of, killing four women in Yosemite in 1999; Merced city officials feared that the name "Stayner Park" would be associated with Cary rather than Steven. Emailus. On December 4, 1972, at the age of seven, Steven was approached after school by Edward Ervin Murphy, who claimed he was collecting money for church. If you believe you have no alternative, you just learn to live with it, said Lucy Berliner of the sexual assault center at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle. The consensus seemed to be that he just wanted a child and kidnapping was his means of making that happen. 3' Is One Heck of an Emotional Ride, ALL of the New Top 13 Banned Books Had One Thing in Common, The 12 Best Standalone Fantasy Novels if You're Looking For a Quick Adventure, The Tucker Carlson Texts That (Maybe) Got Him Fired Are Here and They're BAD, The 10 Best British Detective TV Shows and Series, If You Love Shadow and Bone, Then Check Out These 10 Books With Similar Vibes, Avatar 3 Might Hit Theaters Sooner Than We Thought Heres Everything We Know So Far, The 10 Best Austin Butler Movies and TV Shows, Ranked, We Explained The Ending of Lost Because Complaining About It Is So 2010, The Avatar: The Last Airbender Movie Is FINALLY Coming to Theaters Heres What We Know. In the car, Stayner started rambling about seeing Bigfoot in the woods. 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. Delbert and Kay Stayner admit that Steven, 19, has his troubles. Throughout the first week, Stayner expressed his desire to return home repeatedly to Parnell, who informed him that he had been granted legal custody of him by his parents. He started chatting with one of the bar's regulars, Janet Damant. It was nominated for four Emmys and a Golden Globe, according to theIndependent. His next victim was 26-year-old park naturalist Joie Armstrong, who had been staying in a cabin at the park. On February 14, 1980, Parnell hired Randall Sean Poorman, a teenage friend of Stayner, to kidnap Timothy Timmy White, age five, in Ukiah, California. Later on, after nearly seven years of kidnapping, he set himself free and reunited with his mother and father. Is Kay Stayner On Facebook? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cary was convicted with four counts of first-degree murder. Dimmock seems aware of these notions as she weaves a complicated story while avoiding convolution. I didnt have to include that. Literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall does exactly that in his 2021 book The Story Paradox. The following day, March 2, both boys were reunited with their families, while Parnell was arrested. In truth, that notion had already been destroyed by Stayners lingering trauma and his resistance to treatment (his father was also outspoken about not believing in therapy). Under false pretenses, Cary entered their room and sexually assaulted both girls. Steven was a different person when he returned to his home in Merced, California. 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. [33], The production, which received four Emmy Award nominations, including one for Nemec, was based on a manuscript by Mike Echols, who had researched the story and interviewed Stayner and Parnell, among others. He was born 1st of 2 children and raised by both parents. Stayner died in 1989 at age 24 in a motorcycle crash. At the start of Captive Audience, Dimmock shares her dilemma: Shes telling a story that has been told so many times before. Both claimed they knew nothing of the sexual assaults on Stayner. Death row inmates are also allowed showers every other day, but they shower alone and not in groups per KALW News. However, she remembers feeling uncomfortable with him when he once stripped completely bare in front of them at the Merced River. 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." [11], Parnell began calling the boy Dennis Gregory Parnell,[12] retaining Stayner's real middle name and his real birth date when enrolling him in various schools over the next several years. 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. Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of 7, became a national hero after helping another child escape from abuse. She wonders how everyone isnt already aware of a tale that now stretches back 50 years. I think hes starting to learn that, his father said. She and her husband formerly mentioned that they have not been good parents and neglected their other children. Cary's uncle had been formerly convicted of child molestation, but he was still allowed to spend time alone with him. Wait, Why Is Are You There God? However, during Cary's murder trial, his attorneys argued that he never wanted fame or attention, calling him a "shrinking violet," per the Independent. On September 17, 1989, he died from head injuries sustained in a car accident while riding his motorcycle home from work. The tale of his abduction and escape was adapted into a book and novel, both titled "I Know My Name First Name Is Steven." On September 17, 1989, he died from head injuries sustained in a car accident while riding his motorcycle home from work. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013, at his home in Winton, California. 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. One son was abducted when he was 7-years-old. https://t.co/sGYDXaU1uN, Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) April 20, 2022. It wasnt until 1980 that Kay and However, his father, Delbert, passed away on 9 April 2013. He worked at Pizza Hut during this time and later joined 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. Its an awakening the Stayners welcome. Parnell then drove a confused Stayner to his cabin in nearby Catheys Valley instead. That girlfriend worked at a restaurant at Cedar Lodge. When young Stayner responded that his mother would donate, Murphy requested his address and offered to accompany him to his house, which he accepted. In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions, halting the process for 700 inmates, including Stayner. [8], Parnell molested Stayner the first night at the cabin. 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! White died at age 35 earlier this year of a pulmonary embolism. When reports of his molestation hit the news, kids at school called him a faggot. Kay pointedly refuses to discuss Cary. [17], On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away at his night security job, Stayner left with White and hitchhiked into Ukiah. According to Stayner, Mathias, along with Parnell, raped him on nine occasions at the age of nine. 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. No, Kay Stayner is not on Facebook. As a child, Stayner suffered from intrusive images in his head, including thoughts about his mother being kidnapped. This time, in July, Stayner told Damant that he intended to move to Oregon or Utah.
