Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work the night before the Emmys when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. He literally said, I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. Steven Stayner was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was 24 years old FBI/Wikipedia On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work when a car suddenly pulled out of a driveway onto the highway. He retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. It was also difficult for his parents to adjust to having a teenager after remembering their son as a 7-year-old boy. Cary Stayner was just 11 when his 7-year-old brother, Steven, was abducted by a pedophile. . Later, the family also mentioned that the couple would go after any new tip that came by, with their children in tow. Maybe if he hadnt fled the scene then Steven could have gotten help sooner and might still be alive. Wikipedia (7 entries) edit. For more information, please see our While Parnell was working as a night security guard, the children hitch-hiked to Ukiah, California, Timothys home town. Years later in interviews, Stayner admitted to intentionally sabotaging the kidnappings. The boys alerted the police and were finally united with their families. He also felt more directly responsible. Prior to his kidnapping of Stayner, The Famous People reports Parnell had at least two criminal convictions, including armed robbery and the sexual abuse of a young boy. However, Timothy could not remember his address, so Stayner took him to a police station instead. 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]. Stayner had been driving his new Kawaksaki motorcycle when the driver pulled out in front of him on a rain-soaked highway. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. I guess seven years changed him, too. Wellman said Parnell "was looking for one last hurrah. Within days, he's on 'Good Morning America,'" Flynn said. 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). Timothy White died of a pulmonary embolism in 2010 at the age of 35. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. Unfortunately, Kenneth was paroled after five, less time than he had Steven in his "custody." Stayner told another psychiatrist, Park Dietz, who was hired by the prosecution to evaluate whether he was sane at the time he committed the Yosemite murders, that as a child he worried that the obsessive thoughts he had about holding the neighbor girl against her will somehow caused Steven to be kidnapped. Watch: The Truth Behind Our Obsession With True Crime Stories. 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. Stevens sister, Cory, later said that he never went to therapy or counseling because their father didnt think he needed it. He was 35. The brothers, four years apart in age, shared a room, but didnt get along, according to Rowlands. As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Cary Stayner "was a very, very good cartoonist," and was voted "most creative" at school, according to Purdy. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions - which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. "He paid a local kid to ride with him to the little town of Ukiah, California, puts this high school kid out on the street to go find him a boy, and he finds 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school," Flynn said. Marshal from the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 6, 1999 on his way to an arraignment in federal court. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people. I told you this was a depressing one guys, hope I didn't ruin your day. [3] Parnell was raised mostly without his father, who abandoned the family when Parnell was six. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. The Famous People reports Stayner had a difficult time adjusting to returning to his parents' home. Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. On April 18th, 1965, he was welcomed into the world by his parents, Delbert Stayner and Kay Stayner, in Merced, California, in the United States of America. Cary was very upset, he said. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. You have the other brother who's left at home. 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. Stayner grew up in Merced, California, near Yosemite National Park. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". According to the Los Angeles Times, she said after his death, "But he's not hurting anymore. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had . 5h ago. "There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. 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. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. "Steven was a national hero. In 2005, Timothy landed a job as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, according to the New York Times. Its a good substitute.. Against the odds, he flourished there. ET on ABC, Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. 2. "Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. He also joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. Date of Death: September 16, 1989. He was 76. The driver of the car, an employee of the nearby tomato-packing company, fled the scene and was later found in Tijuana. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. Find a Grave 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. in 2004. So, Steven figures the best thing to do is to take him to the police station," Flynn said. 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. He'd been convicted in 1951 for molesting a 9-year-old boy in. You know what I mean? While working at the Yosemite Lodge, Kenneth Parnell befriended his coworker Ervin Murphy. "You have one brother who's been subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances he's a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. His parents had different expectations. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnell's crimes, . Stayner was considered a hero for saving White from years of sexual and physical abuse. The boys were still in elementary school when a man named Kenneth Parnell entered the picture. I was disappointed however on some of the inconsistencies, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Steven's parents were devastated by their son's disappearance and the lack of witnesses or any evidence in the case. "Parnell wanted another kid that he could sexually assault.". But Steven's return was only the start of the family heartache. Stayner was stolen on December 4, 1972, in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He wanted the world to take note. 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. 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. Steven eventually married and had two children. "Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. A year later, he was sentenced to life, which was, at the time, the harshest sentence handed down under the the "three strikes" law. Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund and friend Silvina Pelosso were missing for a month before their bodies were found. According to SFGate, his friends and coworkers described him as being impulsive and prone to seemingly abrupt and violent fits of rage. Per the Spokesman-Review, Parnell told Stayner that his parents didn't want him anymore; he was beaten so viciously that he was afraid to run away. After he was brought in for questioning, he confessed to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. He was in the background always.". "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". Stayners captor, Kenneth Parnell, convinced co-worker Ervin Murphy to lure seven-year-old Steven into their van on 4 December 1972, telling the boy: Your parents, I just spoke to them. But on Sept. 16, 1989, Stayner died in a motorcycle crash. Cary Stayner. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. According to ABC News, Parnell stopped to make a call from a payphone shortly after Murphy and Steven Stayner got into his car. He was spunky. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. One last Steven Stayner, one last Timmy White. Parnell forced Stayner to take on the name Dennis Parnell, and shuttled him from remote towns to isolated cabins all around Northern California, according to the Los Angeles Times. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven. On the show, Kay mentioned that Del would often drive around looking for freshly dug ground because he thought Steven was dead. "He literally said, 'I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. My dad said he didnt need any. The press also hounded him constantly, and during Parnells trial he was bullied at school over questions of his sexuality. Parnell, a former motel clerk, had already been convicted for molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner, SF Gate reported in 2008. American sex offender, child rapist and kidnapper (19312008), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Youth Abducted Seven Years Ago Goes Home Again", "Alleged attempt to buy child leads to arrest of kidnapper", "Sex Offender Kenneth Parnell Dies in Vacaville", "Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror and heroism", "Kenneth Parnell, kidnapper of Steven Stayner, dies at 76", "Kenneth Eugene Parnell, A Notorious Child Molester Dies In Prison", abducted man posing pastor launched-daring-escape, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_Parnell&oldid=1133639900, American people convicted of child sexual abuse, American people who died in prison custody, Prisoners who died in California detention, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2022, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 20:40. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. [13] Parnell was, by this time, 71 years old and suffering from diabetes and emphysema, as well as other ailments brought on by an earlier stroke, requiring near 24-hour-a-day nursing care in his cluttered apartment in the 2600 block of Mathews Street in Berkeley. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". On February 14, 1980, Parnell abducted five-year-old Timothy White from Ukiah with the help of Sean Poorman, a minor and an acquaintance of Stayner. "Working at Cedar Lodge gave Cary access to his beloved Yosemite," Rowlands said. Their new captive, Timmy White, was just 5 years old, and Stayner was heartbroken that White was always sad and crying. Steven returned to Merced to marry and start a family, becoming a champion for the cause of missing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. "They call [Merced] the gateway to Yosemite," said Ted Rowlands, a former reporter who covered Cary Stayners story at KNTV for the San Francisco Bay area. Tragically, the Stayner family would be in for another shock a decade later. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. Her father is abduction-victim-turned-hero Steven . I Know My First Name Is Steven: With Cindy Pickett, John Ashton, Corin Nemec, Luke Edwards. To me thats guilt plain and simple. Unfortunately, the entire incident was part of an elaborate plan to kidnap the boy. As reported by ABC News, Kenneth Parnell treated Steven Stayner like a son. No other details were immediately available, according to the California Highway Patrol. He had been under hospice care for some time. Prior to publication, the manuscript served as the basis for the 1989 TV miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven (also known as The Missing Years), with Arliss Howard as Parnell. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. He sexually abused Stayner repeatedly until Stayner fled in 1980 when he was 14. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times ). On March 1, 1980, Stayner waited until Parnell was at work and fled with White 40 miles back to Ukiah. Parnell, 76, died at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville on Monday night, corrections officials said Tuesday. Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . In 1972, Parnell kidnapped 7-year-old Steven Stayner of. 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 retired in 1995 from working at a canning factory in Atwater, California. Biography - A Short Wiki On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61 km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with . Both men were convicted. Unfortunately, ABC News reports authorities were eventually forced to admit "there was just nothing there." Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. Cary Stayner, shown in this March 2, 1980 photo, is hugged by his mother Kay Stayner outside the Stayner home in Merced County, Calif., on the day Stayner's brother Steven was reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 7 years. Surrounded by endless complainers? Steven Stayner was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped in California in 1972 (via theLos Angeles Times). Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. 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 was convicted of kidnapping 7-year-old Steven Stayner as the boy walked . Mr. White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in 1980 by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell convinced Murphy that he was an "aspiring minister" who needed to find a young boy, who he planned to "raise in a religious-type deal.". 0 references. Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at theCalifornia Medical Facility, where he died of natural causes. Steven died in 1989, aged 24. Stayner, who was held captive by Parnell for seven years, died in a 1989 motorcycle crash. He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, The Subject Of This Netflix True Crime Doc Is Now Guilty Of Murdering His Wife & Son, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. In fact, the wrong men were custody. (Parnell's cabin was, unbeknownst to Stayner, located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) Cary Stayner is shown in a 1979 Merced High School yearbook photo. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). He was quoted after his "rescue" saying he blames himself and doesn't understand why his dad doesn't hug him anymore. He was abducted as a child and later died young. 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. But he was pretty messed up and he never got any counseling. Timmy White, 5, sits on the lap of Steven Stayner, 14, during a news conference Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. He loved his brother. Stayner once told press that he vigilantly watched his kids, and they werent even allowed out on the porch unless they were in sight of him or their mom. Kenneth Eugene Parnell (September 26, 1931 January 21, 2008) was an American convicted sex offender, child rapist, and kidnapper infamously known for perpetrating the abductions of 7-year-old Steven Stayner and 5-year-old Timothy White in Merced, California. He was seven when he was abducted. This is the story of a seven-year-old boy named Steven Stayner. Steven Gregory Stayner was a well-known kidnapping victim from the United States. Stayner recently talked candidly with reporters of his life with Parnell, who alternately molested him and passed him off as his son. 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. Two men pulled up next to Stayner in a car one day, claiming to be ministers collecting money for their church. Currently, Cary, 60, is being held in San Quentin State Prison on death row. The Merced Police Department launched an extensive investigation and search effort. Steven was 24 years old at the time of death. Over the years, Parnell had numerous jobs and he and Stayner moved often. dewiki Steven Stayner; Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. He found someone else to help him find another boy, only this time he was caught and he was sent to prison again -- where he died in 2008.". And there was just nothing there," said Pat Lunney, an investigator assigned to Steven Stayners case. According to Rowlands, "He was wearing a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. But Cary Stayner also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. When Steven didnt make it home from school, his parents sounded the alarm. He was kidnapped when he was a child but was eventually able to escape after seven years. traffic collision. 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.

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