They approached a police station shortly after midnight. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. "It happened to me, and I didn't want to see it happen to anybody else.". "I didn't socialize with him," Del said. Cary pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for killing Armstrong. Motivated in part by the young boy's distress, Stayner decided to return the boy to his parents. We tried to keep quiet and not upset our parents.. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. 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. The title of the film and book are taken from the first paragraph of Steven's written police statement, given during the early hours of March 2, 1980 in Ukiah. Jody said (perThe Spokesman-Review): Im very, very, very angry. What Did 'AGT: All Stars' Winner Aidan Bryant Get? As long as I can see them and hear their voices, I'm OK.", I Know My First Name Is Stevenwas nominated fora Golden Globe and four Emmys, including Outstanding Miniseries and Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for then 17-year-oldCorin Nemec,thanks to his heart-wrenching turn asSteven. Steven refused to reveal the details of his sexual abuse and endured bullying in school for being molested. Steven Stayners kidnapping prompted California lawmakers to change the state laws, allowing consecutive prison terms in similar abduction cases., But the story doesnt end there. In the world they try to build, Steven found happiness after his return at age 14 from seven years as the sex slave of a pedophile, and there is no connection between that made-for-TV drama and. I was the oldest and all that. This story contains details from both cases Steven was 7years old whenErvin Edward Murphy approached the second-grader on his way home from Charles Wright Elementary School on Dec. 4, 1972. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Five months later, he killed Joie Armstrong, a Yosemite Institute employee. Meanwhile, Steven was undergoing unthinkable sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of Parnell. He and her son Lloyd played together. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. Over the next several years, he was enrolled in various schools around California. In early 1989, he helped in the production of a miniseries on his life, 'I Know My First Name is Steven', which was initially broadcast on NBC in May that year. Despite his refusals, since he was just a few blocks from home, Steven finally gave in and accepted the ride. Thirteen days in, Steven was being raped. He was raising hell at school and causing trouble with the law but things started to change when he met Jody Edmondson. Murphy, for helping kidnap Stayner, and Poorman, for helping kidnap White, were convicted of lesser charges. Growing up, brothers Cary and Steven Stayner shared a home with their parents and three sisters in Merced, California a small farming town near Yosemite National Park according to the .css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;}SFGate. "He assumed that identity because he [had to], you know, what would any of us do with that choice, and he was just a young kid. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. Investigator Pat Lunney said, Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. [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. Steven Stayner testifies about his abduction in 1972 by Kenneth Parnell and his seven years in captivity in this 1981 photo. [14] In 1975, on Parnell's instruction, Mathias tried to lure another young boy, who was in the Santa Rosa Boys' Club with Stayner, into Parnell's car. But executing him is not going to bring them back. During the testimony, Kay also said that her father molested her when she was younger. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced asked its residents to propose names for city parks honoring Merced's notable citizens. This content is imported from youTube. Altogether, Parnell was sentenced to seven years and was paroled after serving five. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Steven was beaten and allowed to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. During this time, Parnell kidnapped another child, Timothy White, while he was on his way home from school, according to The Modesto Bee. Steven was persuaded to get intothe car, whereKenneth Parnellwas waiting. [17] Both children were reunited with their families that day. He could be disarmingly paternal, but also beat and sexually abused the child. All about his family, Was Dave Hollis Sick? Police first linked him to Armstrong's July 21 murder when his vehicle was reported to be near her cabin an hour after she was known to already be dead. Parnell had also told this little boy that he wasgoing to be his new dad because his parents didn't want him anymore. 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. Stevens drivers license had been suspended, and didnt want to risk an accident in the company truck, so he declined the offer. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. [4], One of the few positive aspects of Stayner's life with Parnell was the dog he had received as a gift from him, a Manchester Terrier that he named Queenie. They passed the street Stevens house was on, and when he told them, the men just said that theyd call his parents, see if he could stay the night. Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of 7, became a national hero after helping another child escape from abuse. His business savvy partner, Bonny Lee Bakleys death The accusations behind her unsolved murder, Who are Miles Pfeffers parents? The Abduction Of Steven Stayner. "I've never been this angry. I Know My First Name Is Stevenalludes to Cary, who was 18 when his brother reappeared, being jealous of all the attention Steven was getting, but there's no indication of him being seriously disturbed. He rode a motorcycle to work, but his manager suggested he take the franchises pickup truck home so he could stay dry. Article continues below advertisement But in 1985, when he was 20, he married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson, and they had two children,Ashleyand Steven Jr. Fatherhood seemed to rejuvenate him, and Steven started speaking out as a survivor, working with organizations that searched for missing children and visiting schools to talk to kids about safety. I guess seven years changed him, too. Kay also talked about the effect Stevens return had on the family, He came back different, very different. ", Kay said in an interview, per CNN, "He came back different, very different. It wasnt until 1980 that Kay and the family saw Steven again. Jurors in August found him guilty of the murders. I dont know sometimes if I should have come back home. When he didnt make it home a few hours later, the family went to the police. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to. Talking remotely toGood Morning Americaon March 14, 1980, Steven,his mom and dad on either side of him, said it was "great" to be back, but his siblings had "changed a lot. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse, said Lori Duke, Stevens girlfriend, who only knew him as Dennis. After he failed to find Timmy's parents, he decided to lead the young boy into the police station to get help, as he was not attempting an escape for himself. children: Ashley Stayner, Steven Stayner Jr. See the events in life of Steven Stayner in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJq6NyCMd6c, http://swordandscale.com/steven-stayner-kidnapped-and-held-for-7-years/, https://alchetron.com/Steven-Stayner-818809-W. Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. We were kind of on our own, Sartell said. News. I know my first name is Steven, he said, ditching the name Parnell had given him. The next night, Parnell told Steven he had called his parents again, and just as the previous night, they said he could stay over. Sometimes I blame myself. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. And they searched. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Steven Stayners incredible story features in the captivating Hulu crime dramaCaptive Audience. Parnell had used Stayner to attempt to kidnap children on prior occasions, but all the kidnapping attempts were unsuccessful. (The other driver, Anthony Loera, actually left the scene but ultimatelyturned himself in. ", Kay told the jury of her surviving son,"Very seldom did he get into trouble. Realizing how the young boy would suffer at the hands of his captor, Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents. Kay was elated to have her son back. Los Angeles TimesTV critic Howard Rosenberg called the production "an exception" to the usual "exercises in distortion and exploitation" that tended to characterize made-for-TV dramatizationsof horrific crimes. So, if youre wondering where she might be today, heres what we know. He died on April 1, 2010, at age 35 from pulmonary embolism. Mathias also helped Parnell in the abduction of another boy who was in the Santa Rosa Boys' Club with Stayner, but the attempt was unsuccessful. [27] At the time of his death, Stayner was living in Merced and working at a pizza shop. Dena. According to a TIMEmagazinereport from March 17, 1980, Steven hadn't yet fully divulged what really happened to him. He was held by his abductor until he was 14,. In April 2022, Hulu released a limited true-crime docuseries "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story" following the life of Stayner and his family and how the kidnapping impacted their lives. Carole and Silvina's charredremains were found March 19 in the trunk of their burned-out rental car, which was abandoned along a utility road off the California 108 highway at the edge of the Sierra Foothills. "I think it's so courageous for the family not only to let the story be toldit's very delicate and tragicbut also because they're using their real names," Cindy Pickett, who played Kay Stayner, told the Washington Postat the time. Steven's death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayner's mental health and well-being. Stayner and Timmy hiked to a police station 40 miles away from Kenneths cabin. In the 20/20 special, Cary, the older of the two, is described as being a loving brother who enjoyed spending time with Steven. Mercy Brown: The Last New England Vampire, Cary Stayner: The Yosemite Killer | The Scare Chamber, Gabrielly Magalhes: Buried Alive | The Scare Chamber, The Torture and Murder of Kelly Anne Bates, David Parker Ray and his Toy Box of Torture, Alexandra Wiwcharuk: The Girl in Saskatoon, Cheri Brooks and the Destruction of Vera Jo Reigle, Alexandra Wiwcharuk: The Girl in Saskatoon | The Scare Chamber, Rodney Alcala and the Dating Game | The Scare Chamber, Deadly Plants: Deadly Nightshade | The Scare Chamber, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. All three episodes ofCaptive Audience: A Real American Horror Storyare streaming now on Hulu. This dog had been given to Parnell by his mother, who was not aware of Stayner's existence during the period when he was being held by Parnell. His mysterious death. 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