steven stayner cause of death

As Steven Stayner got older, Kenneth Parnell began planning to kidnap another, younger, boy. He was kidnapped. But he was pretty messed up and he never got any counseling. Steven and Timmy. He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to research conducted by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and ranked in the top nine leading causes of death for people between the ages of 10 and 64, as well as . According to SFGate, his friends and coworkers described him as being impulsive and prone to seemingly abrupt and violent fits of rage. Cary was very upset, he said. Stayner later escaped, taking Timmy with him. He was remembered at a service at his church, the Merced Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where his pastor and family members gathered to pay their respects. Parnell was sentenced to 20 months in prison for Steven's. Cary was convicted in 1999 of the murders of four women and sentenced to death in 2002. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . Stevens was aware of Parnell's past and cooperated with police in setting up a sting operation that would lead to his arrest. Stayner's wife, Jodi, who The Spokesman-Review reported married Steven when she was 16, said he was her first love and the couple met in high school. Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. Steven's death, along. On July 24, 1999, Cary confessed to killing four women, who had all been guests at the lodge where he was employed. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. If Steven was my family I would not be satisfied with that joke of a sentence. Steven Gregory Stayner was a well-known kidnapping victim from the United States. Where is Cary Stayner now? But tragedy struck in December 1972 when Steven disappeared while returning from school. Cary Stayner was just 11 when his 7-year-old brother, Steven, was abducted by a pedophile. It is California's oldest correctional institution and has the largest death row in the . Parnell was convicted of two counts of kidnaping and sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison in February, 1982, after an 18-day trial in Hayward. When Steven didnt make it home from school, his parents sounded the alarm. While imprisoned for this charge, his second wife filed for divorce. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. After her friends reported her missing, police found signs of a struggle at her cabin and half a mile away, they found her body. In addition to her fathers unwanted advances, one of Stayners sisters said that Cary started peeping on her and inappropriately touching her when she was ten. Within days, he's on 'Good Morning America,'" Flynn said. Years later in interviews, Stayner admitted to intentionally sabotaging the kidnappings. In 1981, he was convicted of kidnapping both boys and sentenced to seven years of state prison time. There was a "pall over" Cary, because he was "the kid who had his brother kidnapped," said Bungart. The incident was declared a hit-and-run after the car sped away, leaving Stayner on the highway with severe injuries (via The Spokesman-Review). "At some point, Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell," Lunney said. The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Kenneth Eugene Parnell was born in Amarillo, Texas[1][2] to Cecil Frederick and Mary Olive (ne Pollard) Parnell, during the region's dust bowl era during the Great Depression. According to the Los Angeles Times, she said after his death, "But he's not hurting anymore. There was out and out fury over the sentence," Flynn said. During the penalty phase, Del admitted to having neglected his children after Steven went missing and said regarding Cary, I didnt socialize with him. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. According to People Magazine, on September 16, 1989, Steven was heading home on his motorcycle from his job delivering pizza when a "car pulled out of the driveway of a migrant-labor camp along the highway." Steven was only 24 but was married with two children: Ashley (3) and Steven Jr. (2). Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The boy agreed and gave the man his address. ET on ABC, Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Shortly after Steven's death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. But in 1980, the Stayners prayers were answered when Steven returned home after a seven-year disappearance. "Still trying to get a real investigation for the death of my son Aaron Carter," she wrote. He was 35. In February 1980, Parnell kidnapped his next victim, five-year-old Timothy White. Accident or not, someone lost their life. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. "Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. Nobody can hurt him now. Witnesses later recognized the alleged driver of the automobile. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Storypremiered on Thursday (21 April) and features interviews with Stayners mother and, as he survived the terrible ordeal, his son and daughter. Parnell was registered as a sex offender when he lured 7-year-old Stayners into his car as the boy walked home from his elementary school in Merced, California. Later that year he married again and had another daughter. He also quarreled with his parents at home and drank consistently. . At the time, Parnell was convicted for kidnapping and false imprisonment. By Mike Moran of the Confessional Podcast : He had previously been held hostage by his kidnapper in Mendocino County, California, and Mariposa County, California, both 38 miles (61 kilometers) away. After serving in the Army, Del worked at several sawmills and then moved to be employed in the canning industry. He has been a danger to children his entire life, prosecutor Tim Wellman said in 2004. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent." The boys alerted the police and were finally united with their families. There, they pretended to be ministers and lured the 7-year-old Stayner into the van by telling him, Your parents no longer want you.. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. Our days would be-- just get on our bikes in the morning and go to the park. Unfortunately, the entire incident was part of an elaborate plan to kidnap the boy. ", "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. According to ABC News, Parnell stopped to make a call from a payphone shortly after Murphy and Steven Stayner got into his car. Parnell posed as Stayner's legal guardian and moved him around the state of California for the next eight years. At the time of Stayner's kidnapping, Parnell was employed at the Yosemite Lodge, which according to ABC News, was approximately two hours away from Merced. Here is all you want to know, and more! Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. "Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, 'Your parents, I just spoke to them. He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. Director Jessica Dimmock also brought in Corin Nemec and Todd Andrews, who portrayed Stayner and his brother Cary respectively in TV mini-series I Know My First Name Is Steven, to read interview transcripts. Parnell died in 2008 while incarcerated. . Later, the family also mentioned that the couple would go after any new tip that came by, with their children in tow. [16] [17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. When he didnt return home, Stevens parents Delbert and Kay Stayner alerted the authorities but there were no leads. He was quoted after his "rescue" saying he blames himself and doesn't understand why his dad doesn't hug him anymore. Kenneth Parnell is most notoriously known for the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, but he was an active child sex predator long before that 1972 abduction. His high school girlfriend said he later told her what happened. Del was born in New Mexico in May 1933 and moved to Merced County, California, in 1951. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. Stevens sister, Cory, later said that he never went to therapy or counseling because their father didnt think he needed it. Steven went on to marry Jody Edmondson in 1985 aged 20 and they welcomed two children, Ashley and Steven Jr, who Stayner was naturally very protective over. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. Parnell regularly raped him, and by sixth grade, Stayner was used to being beaten, smoking substances, and getting drunk. The docuseries kicks off with Stevens 1972 kidnapping, and follows his abuse at the hands of Yosemite Lodge worker Kenneth Parnell. As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was driving home from work on a California highway after work one rainy evening and got into a deadly collision with a car that turned in front of him. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. That night, he talked his way into their room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered all three. Steven Stayner biography timelines. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell eventually convinced Stayner that his parents relinquished their rights and that he was granted full legal custody. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Purdy said Cary Stayner always wore a hat. Stayner had been at Cedar Lodge for two years when Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and her friend Silvina Pelosso came to stay one night in February 1999. Over the years, Parnell had numerous jobs and he and Stayner moved often. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. Tragically, the Stayner family would be in for another shock a decade later. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Delbert Stayner Cause Of Death Delbert Stayner died on 9 April 2013. "His idea of serenity was to maybe smoke a little pot and to sunbathe naked.". Birthday: April 18, 1965. Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. Parnell was convicted on February 9, 2004, on the charges of attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation, even though no child had been targeted. Steven Stayner testifies about his abduction in 1972 by Kenneth Parnell and his seven years in captivity in this 1981 photo. He briefly attended counseling but instead considered talking to reporters as his form of therapy. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. Steven Stayner died due to head injuries caused by a motorcycle accident In late 1989, Steven was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle home from his job as a pizza delivery man when a car pulled out of the driveway just ahead of him. To begin with the first one is on the cover of the book. "It was outrageous. 3. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at theCalifornia Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. Stevens high-school girlfriend, who knew him as Dennis, told ABC News he told her he wasnt going to let that child go through what I had already been through, adding if he didnt take care of it now, it will just get worse. For seven years, as the two moved around Mendocino and Sonoma counties, Stayner was known as Dennis Parnell. MERCED . He'd bought a brand new white and blue Kawasaki EX-500 motorcycle with money from a miniseries based on his childhood kidnapping, called "I Know My First Name Is Steven." The Stayner family, made up of the two brothers, their three sisters and parents Kay and Delbert, lived in the secluded farming town of Merced, California, surrounded by almond groves and peach orchards, in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. Stayner went to the police station and told them what happened to him, which included the line that later became the title of his movie: I know my first name is Steven. (Parnell was later convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, but only served five years. Steven Stayner was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped in California in 1972 (via theLos Angeles Times). Hulus latest documentary, Captive Audience, revisits the tragic story of Steven Stayner in 1972 what happened to the young boy and where is the perpetrator now? The Seattle Times reports missing-person fliers were actually sent to schools he attended but no one recognised Steven from the picture. He died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville in 2008 at the age of 76. Steven's parents were devastated by their son's disappearance and the lack of witnesses or any evidence in the case. An archive article published September 18, 1989, two days after Stayners death, in The Spokesman-Review, said a driver hit Stayner on a highway and left him on the ground with severe head injuries. However, none of them panned out. Edward Murphy, Parnell's accomplice from the Stayner kidnapping, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. A plaque bearing the names of other missing children in Merced County will later be added.. traffic collision. ", "The first year was kinda hectic," Steven said on GMA in 1983. The cause of his death is still unknown at this time. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people. Stayner was buried at a family plot alongside his grandparents, at a funeral attended by 450 people. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. Three weeks before Christmas 1972, the course of Steven Stayner's life would change forever. Stayner lived as Parnell's "son" for seven years, during which he was repeatedly sexually abused. The brother of convicted murderer Cary Stayner was kidnapped as a young child and was missing for seven years. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. When Parnell kidnapped 5-year-old Timothy White that year, Stayner fled on foot along with the kindergartner and then hitchhiked to safety, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight. Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund and friend Silvina Pelosso were missing for a month before their bodies were found. Steven Stayner, who as a child was kidnaped from his Merced home and held captive until he escaped seven years later, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident, a coroners spokesman said. And they searched. In addition to participating in the abuse of Stayner, she attempted to help Parnell kidnap a boy who was a member of the Santa Rosa Boys' Club. In 2003, he was once again arrested in connection with a kidnapping, when an elderly and sickly Parnell tried to get his caretaker to buy a 4-year-old boy for him in Berkeley, California, the. It was Dec. 4, 1972. He was convicted of kidnapping 7-year-old Steven Stayner in 1972 and keeping him . 1 reference. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. He also conscripted Stayner into aiding him in kidnappings, but Stayner had always failed to grab the targeted child to the point Parnell stopped using Stayner as an accomplice, berating him for being an "incompetent". White became a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. "There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story,, a Hulu docuseries that streams today, shows, the two boys bravely testified against Parnell at his trial. He was not wearing a helmet, and. However, that happiness was short-lived because he had difficulty adjusting back to life with his family. Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnapping victim. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. And he was 38 when he brutally tortured and murdered 4 females in Yosemite National Parka dream he wanted to fulfill since the age of 7. When Parnell kidnapped 5-year-old Timothy White that year, Stayner fled on foot along with the kindergartner and then hitchhiked to safety, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight. As reported by ABC News, Lori Duke, who went to school with Stayner, but knew him as Dennis Parnell, said, "He had a great personality. He said, 'I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Although Parnell was a convicted child predator, Murphy was described as "simple-minded," and somewhat naive. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. In 2005, Timothy landed a job as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, according to the New York Times. [6] He escaped from a state institution in Norwalk, but was recaptured. Stayner had a pet dog named Queenie, with whom he formed a close bond, and was permitted to begin drinking and smoking at a young age. He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times). Stayner had a traumatic childhood involving sexual abuse, the kidnap of his younger brother by a pedophile, and feelings of blame that he could not protect his brother, FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Rinek wrote in his book, In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators. Rinek wrote that even though the abuse likely poured fuel on a fire for Stayner to eventually commit murder, it was one that had already begun to smolder before he was sexually abused and before his brother was kidnapped. If youre wondering what happened to him since then, heres what we know. In 2003, he was once again arrested in connection with a kidnapping, when an elderly and sickly Parnell tried to get his caretaker to buy a 4-year-old boy for him in Berkeley, California, the Associated Press reported in 2004. In a 2000 interview about his 1951 crime, Parnell said he kidnapped and molested the boy because his wife was pregnant and that he "had to find another outlet. Kenneth Parnell is most notoriously known for the kidnapping of, Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. While investigators were checking into Parnell's past, the 1951 sodomy conviction came to light, although at the time Stayner insisted that Parnell had not sexually abused him.[11]. He got on with his life, his sister Cory Stayner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He was just very well grounded, for a person that had gone through what he had gone through.". FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. However, he was convicted in Utah and was not known as a criminal in California. 2. This poor family! He even went before the Ways and Means Committee of the State Assembly to push for a bill that could increase the penalty for kidnapping children. Stayner, 24, was pronounced dead at Merced Community Medical Center shortly after the 5:30 p.m. accident outside a meat company on Santa Fe Avenue between Merced and Atwater, a coroners spokesman said. On December 4, 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school in Merced, California when he was abducted by two men who worked at . Currently, Cary, 60, is being held in San Quentin State Prison on death row. SPONSORED LINKS Reviews TV Preview Lists Movie Explainers TV Explainers Anime . The Merced Police Department launched an extensive investigation and search effort. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. Cary Stayner "was a very, very good cartoonist," and was voted "most creative" at school, according to Purdy. In 1985, Stayner married Jody Edmondson in Atwater, where the two were living with their two children at the time of his death. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Convicted sex offender Kenneth Parnell, known for the 1972 kidnapping and seven-year-long confinement of Steven Stayner, died Monday in the state prison hospital at Vacaville . Parnell worked at a nearby lodge, and on Dec. 4, 1972, he convinced co-worker Ervin Murphy to accompany him into Merced, per ABC News. One last Steven Stayner, one last Timmy White. Refocus, and listen as we honor the memory of Steven Stayner, a boy kidnapped in his youth, only to tragically die shortly after escaping captivity. Starcasm Staff July 2, 2021 20/20, True Crime. But for the Stayners, this seemingly closed hellish chapter of their lives turned out to be . I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. The fact that Stayners brother was kidnapped by a pedophile and abused for seven years adds an almost unfathomable dimension to the tragedy that enveloped this family. A family was torn apart. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. Not only was Steven able to explain to police what happened to him and Timothy, he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. Losing perspective? Raised in the peaceful suburbs of Merced, California, the 7-year-old was shuffling home from . Stayner was terribly concerned about White's welfare and immediately began planning to get the 5-year-old away from Parnell and return him home to his parents. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. While Steven was a freshman at Mendocino High School, some 300 miles to the south, his older brother Cary was an upperclassman at Merced High School. His grades faltered, and he dropped out, per the Los Angeles Times. "Steven could have grown up normal happy and healthy and Cary still wouldve been a serial killer. At one point, Steven mentioned in an interview, Ive been talking to reporters for nine years. I suspect this death is what caused Cary to snap, too, so theres more lives ruined because of the hit and run driver. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, Stayner "ended up taking refuge" in Yosemite, Rowlands said. Jan. 23, 2008. The kidnappings exacted a heavy toll on the Stayner family. In the time after Stevens disappearance, Del dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. He sustained fatal head injuries after his motorcycle struck a car that suddenly pulled out in front of him as he drove home from his Pizza Hut shift, according to People. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnell's crimes, . ? Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. "Parnell wanted another kid that he could sexually assault.". Steven was beaten and plied with drugs and liquor while his captors constantly moved around California. However, his brother Cary also suffered throughout the entire ordeal. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. Then-7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school on Highway 140 when Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from . Former reporter Ted Rowlands said, "Stayner had a new father figure who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist.". Release Date! In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. cause of death. In January 2003, Parnell was arrested again after trying to coerce his caregiver's sister, Diane Stevens, into buying him a four-year-old boy for $500. Parnells father, Cecil Frederick, died July 31, 1972 in Denver.[3]. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. He was held by his abductor 38 miles away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White. View Entire Post Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? In February 1980, Parnell brought home a 5-year-old White, who, like Stayner, had been walking home from school. The man's name was Ervin Murphy. The devastation of losing their son twice within 10 years was excruciating for Steven Stayner's parents. Stayner left a substantial amount of evidence in and around Armstrongs cottage, but police initially started searching for him because his vehicle had been seen near her place and they thought he would be a "natural witness to interview," Rinek said. sibling. READ MORE: Tales Of Demons And Gods Chapter 377: The Audience Awaited The New Chapter! Stayner championed the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. He eventually got a job as a trainee manager at Pizza Hut in Merced, and spent the rest of the time lecturing about stranger danger at local schools. According to The Famous People, Murphy offered to walk Stayner home, as he wanted to ask his mother for a donation. Marshal from the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 6, 1999 on his way to an arraignment in federal court. "Whatever demons were clamoring around in his head, by being naked, by smoking pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed," LaLama said.