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. Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. [18], 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=1152184607, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 18:34. However, they ran out of time. But what about the fellow kidnapping victim that the hero brother rescued? He was held hostage by Kenneth Parnell 38 . Both boys had been victims of kidnapping. He had a pretty sad life.. 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. He also felt more directly responsible. Years after Timmy White was rescued by fellow kidnapping survivor Steven Stayner, he became a sheriff's deputy. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. (Parnell's cabin was, unbeknownst to Stayner, located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to. Delbert served as a mechanic at a peach can factory at that point in time, whereas Kay was a wife and mother whom many characterized as cold and distant. On March 1, 1980, two weeks after Timothy White was abducted, as Parnell went on duty at his night security job, Steven Stayner left the house with Timmy and hitchhiked a ride to Ukiah. Steven Stayner died when his children were very young. A cousin said that Stayner spied on her and his sisters and a neighbor girl, hiding under their beds and secretly videotaping them in the bathroom and bedroom. 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. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. [8], More than a decade after the sodomy case, Parnell was convicted of armed robbery in Utah. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. Parnell shifted from one place to another for work, often took Stayner with him, but later sometimes left him alone and unguarded. Cary Stayner is not just a convicted killer and rapist, but hes also the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. Steven was kidnapped walking home from school in 1972 by Kenneth Purnell and told hisparents no longer wanted him. Stayner was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the article said. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. While Jody said her husband did blame himself in some ways but ultimately seemed at peace with everything. He grew up alongside his siblings named; Cynthia Sartell, Cory Stayner, and Cary Stayner. 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. Steven had disciplinary issues at school and racked up more than $1000 in traffic fines by the time he was 19 years old. In 1989, Steven was killed in a motorcycle accident, leaving behind a wife and two young children. [9] Weeks afterward, Stayner escaped Parnell's house with White; he later said he did not want the boy to suffer the abuse that he had endured. Its final this time,he said. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. I dont believe that it was my brother who committed such things, Sartell said as the defense presented his three sisters in an effort to spare his life. Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. 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. In the time leading up to Stevens sudden death in 1989, the couple had been estranged but were working towards making things better. In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. Steven Stayner died in 1989. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 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. Young Stayner replied that his mother would donate, following which Murphy asked for his address and offered to accompany him to his house, to which he agreed. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. All we know, Was Craig Breen married? Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Stayner dropped out of school and started a drinking habit that strained his relationship with his dad. On December 4, 1972, Parnell abducted seven-year-old Merced resident Steven Stayner with the help of Edward Ervin Murphy, a co-worker at the Yosemite Lodge, where Parnell worked as a night auditor. He sure led a rough life, California Highway Patrol Sgt. He was in the background always.". 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. At the time, the concept of therapy was frowned upon, and his father insisted that he didnt need any counseling. While he still blamed himself for his abduction, starting a family helped him cope with his past, and he began interacting with child abduction groups and provided advice to children on the topic. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021. His older brother Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murders of four women in 2002. But Kay knew that child molestation, something she went through, was out of the question. When Stayner was seven, he was kidnapped in Merced, California, by Kenneth Parnell who was a child molester. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Prosecutor Tim Wellman had largely argued his case before the jury by showing a slideshow of Stayner marked "1", then of White marked "2", and a blank screen marked "3" to show the nonexistent child that would have been abducted had police not been notified. The brother of convicted murderer Cary Stayner was kidnapped as a young child and was missing for seven years. Steven returned to Merced to marry and start a family, becoming a champion for the cause ofmissing children until his untimely death at the age of 24 in 1989. So, on December 4, 1972, Kay was supposed to pick him up from school but had stopped to pick something up from Delbert. He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up,Stevens sister said in 2007. He loved his family, his career and boating, especially at Lake Pyramid, the obituary states. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. A new docuseries dives into the unbelievable tale of two brothers, one of whom was a child kidnapping victim-turned-national hero and the other who became a serial killer. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. But at the same time, they dealt with a lot of disagreements. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. In the shadow of the Yosemite National Park in California, in the secluded farming town of Merced, the Stayner family resided in a lower-middle-class area classified as Betty Street. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. Steven unexpectedly died in a motorcycle crash in 1989 when he was 24 years old. Stayner was walking home from school December 4, 1972, when the men lured him into their vehicle, saying they had just talked to his parents and they no longer wanted him, ABC reported. Throughout the first week, Stayner repeatedly told Parnell that he wanted to go home, to which, Parnell told him that he had been granted legal custody of him by his parents. Sadly, Stayners triumphant return didnt last long, as he died several years after the daring escape. In addition to assisting in the production of a miniseries based on his experience, Stayner became an advocate for preventing child abduction and helping victims of abuse. Stayner, 41, faces the death penalty for the killings of Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and their Argentine friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, while they were staying at the motel where he. Following his rescue, White went on to bravely testify at his kidnappers trial when he was just 6 years old, the New York Times reported in 2010. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. 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. As Steven reached puberty, Purnell preference for younger boys drove him to abduct 5-year-old Timothy. However, they ran out of time. However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. Jody later said of her husband, Steve hurt a lot. Steven had become a famous figure, and not everyone liked all the attention he was getting. His family was happy to have him back, but things were different. 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. Stayner, 41, faces the death penalty for the killings of Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and their Argentine friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, while they were staying at the motel where he worked as a handyman outside Yosemite National Park in February 1999. While they never gave up hope, the ordeal took a toll on the whole family. After Steven made the miraculous escape and returned home to his parents in Merced, California, he was the center of media attention. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. Offers may be subject to change without notice. But seven years later, he returned home to his family. Born on April 18, 1965, in Merced, California, Steven Gregory Stayner had an older brother named Cary and three sisters. Then something changed, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. Unfortunately, Parnell eventually convinced another teenage boy, named Randall Sean Poorman, to help him kidnap 5-year-old Timothy White. Steven, wearing no helmet and riding with an invalid license, suffered severe head injuries. Adjusting to post-abduction life was no easy task for Steven. MERCED, Calif. (AP) _ Steven Stayner, kidnapped at the age of 7 and forced to live as the sexually abused foster son of his abductor until he escaped seven years later, has been killed in a hit-and-run traffic accident. He fell in love. The couple dated for a year before marrying in June 1985. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. Around the time Steven disappeared, they lived in an area with lots of children. Stayner had been driving his new Kawaksaki motorcycle when the driver pulled out in front of him on a rain-soaked highway. It will also recognize other victims of stranger abductions, and will serve as a permanent reminder of our inherent duty to protect our children. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Today, Ashley is a mom to a young daughter. In Captive Audience, Ashley, who was a teen at the time, recalls following this news story very closely. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. Sartell testified about the toll that the 1972 kidnapping of younger brother Steven took on the family. Over the next few years, the couple had Ashley and Steven Jr, born a year apart. While they were lovingly raised among almond groves and peach orchards by Delbert and Kay Stayner, their lives in the farming town of Merced were unfortunately in dangerous proximity of a monster. Steven with his wife and two children in 1988. On July 24, 1999, Cary confessed to killing four women, who had all been guests at the lodge where he was employed. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had enduredand the two escaped. Stayner waited until Parnell had gone to his night shift job as a clerk at a local motel on March 1, 1980 and, carrying White on his back, hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah. He didn't whine about lousy breaks. He worked as a sheriff's deputy for five years until his life was cut tragically short in April of 2010 when White died of a pulmonary embolism at age 35, according to the New York Times. Kenneth Parnell was ultimately convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to steal a child. Instead, he tried to make the best of it. 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. Russells monitored life in New Jersey. However, Crime Investigation reports Stayner sabotaged Parnell's efforts, as he did not want another boy to suffer through the abuse he had endured. But in 1980, the Stayners' prayers were answered when Steven returned home after a seven-year disappearance. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He had joined the Mormon Church. That evening, Steven was supposed to have dinner with his wife at their favorite restaurant, but it never happened. Seven-year-old, Steven Stayner lived with his parents, Kay and Delbert and his three sisters and an older brother in the small Californian city of Merced. In 1999, a proposal to name a park after him was rejected as the officials feared that 'Stayner Park' may point to his brother Cary, who had just confessed to killing four women in Yosemite. On several occasions, Parnell encouraged Stayner to help him lure another boy into the home. Timmy White, the boy saved by Steven, learned of his death through his grandfather. This is the hardest thing she has ever had to face, and she just cant talk to anybody. When Stayner was 14, he ran away with another kidnapped boy, Timmy White, and went to the police, ABC News reported. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Over the years, Parnell had numerous jobs and he and Stayner moved often. Edward Murphy, Parnell's accomplice from the Stayner kidnapping, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. But things began to change when he met Jody Edmondson. So, of course, we can not help but wonder more about their family, particularly their parents. One last Steven Stayner, one last Timmy White. On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was walking home from school in Merced, California, when he was approached by a man passing out religious pamphlets. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Sadness engulfed the community as people mourned a life blighted with tragedy. The family avoided watching the 10 p.m. news, and any mention of Steven on TV would make their father cry. Barbara Mathias, Parnell's girlfriend who lived with him and Stayner for some time, was never charged with any violation and cooperated with authorities in Parnell's trials. He said, They dont go out unless I go with them or theres someone outside watching. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. Getty Images While adjusting to his new life at home, and being bullied in school for the abuse he experienced, Steven also had to deal with. I feel divinely guided when Im inspired by a project and I really felt a presence on this onesaid Hidden Valley Lake sculptor Paula Slater of the statue she was commissioned to create forthe Steven Stayner and Missing Childrens Memorial in Merced. Although Stayner told the younger boy to go inside by himself and tell the officers he had been kidnapped, White refused to leave Stayner's side. He also became a sheriffs deputy in Newhall in Los Angeles County in 2005, Mercury News reported in 2010. Steven Stayner, then 24, had married and had two children. 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.". Stevens parents, Kay and Delbert, were on a camping trip when they learned of the passing. He was a survivor.. Years later in interviews, Stayner admitted to intentionally sabotaging the kidnappings. According to The Famous People, Murphy offered to walk Stayner home, as he wanted to ask his mother for a donation. I know where Stevies at now., Read Next: Bonny Lee Bakleys death The accusations behind her unsolved murder, Everything we know about Halseys parents, Bonny Lee Bakleys death The accusations behind her unsolved murder, Is Cissy Houston still alive? Stayner and his wife were high school sweethearts, the article said. Steven Stayner with his parents In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. Surrounded by endless complainers? 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. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. [1] He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. She produced a sensitive design sketch of Steven leading Timothy by the hand to safety. Realizing how the young boy would suffer at the hands of his captor, Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. 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. It also features his wife, Jody, who talks about her life with him. #truecrime #PodernFamily #perspective #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/IItIDruGTI, It Could Always Be Worse (@alwaysbeworse) March 21, 2018, Steven Stayner was only 7 years old when he was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell and Ervin Murphy, according to ABC News. However, as they were walking toward Stayner's home, they were approached by another man, who was driving a white Buick. He was spunky. 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. Captive Audience delves into the circumstances surrounding Steven being taken and how he finally escaped, saving a 5-year-old in the process. The boy agreed and gave the man his address. Many local residents also attended, who never knew theboys but felt moved by the story as it played out in the media across the country. 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. In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. He was just a great kid with a good heart.. At the time, Steven was 20 years old, and Jody was 17. 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. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. However, Timothy could not remember his address, so Stayner took him to a police station instead. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". When Stayner failed to return home from school, his parents contacted authorities immediately. Five year old Timothy Lee White gets a piggy back ride from 14 year-old Steven Stayner into a press conference March 2, 1980, in Ukiah, Calif. On the other hand, Kay still lives in California, rarely speaks out about either of her sons publicly, and prefers to go by her day-to-day life away from the limelight. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. 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 led a short and tragic life. It was the first day in the 2 1/2-month trial that any members of Stayners immediate family have shown up. Parnell created a new identity for Stayner, giving him the new name, Dennis Gregory Parnell, but retained his original middle name and his original date of birth. Ashley Stayner Husband, Is She Married? Dwarfed by his tall andlanky frame, Timmy takes his hand to set out on the dark road from the remote home where thechildren were being held. Soon after, Parnell reached there, driving a white Buick, which Stayner got into willingly, along with Murphy, but instead of his home, he was taken to a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley. Steven died nine years after he returned home. Murphy, who was instructed to distribute gospel tracts to school boys, approached Steven Stayner, claiming to be a church representative and asked him if his mother would be willing to donate anything to the church. Losing perspective? As Steven Stayner got older, Kenneth Parnell began planning to kidnap another, younger, boy. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. Stayner had a relaxed upbringing as his captor not only allowed him to roam freely wherever he wished to go, but also allowed him to start drinking at a very early age. In an interview with SFGate, Michael Kollman, who was a longtime neighbor of the Stayner family, said, "I think it must have really affected Cary," said Michael Kollman. I dont think he should be executed because hes sick. But Cary still got the death penalty. Timothy White became a Los Angeles Sheriffs deputy, and in 2010 died of a pulmonary embolism, also leaving behind a wife and two young children. He told TheSan Jose Mercury Newsthat watching his children play was like having another childhood the childhood I didnt have., Steven was bravely going about reconstructing his life,JK Miller said. But he always seemed to get through it no matter what. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. [10] Unfamiliar with the city, Stayner decided the best option was to seek out the local police, who originally considered him a delinquent, until an exhaustive search of missing child posters and a piecemeal interrogation confirmed he was a missing child as well. White, despite losing touch with Steven and remembering little about his brief abduction, was a pallbearer at Stayners funeral. After that time he was in and out of juvenile custody for car theft and arson.[4][5]. 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. On September 17, 1989, he succumbed to head injuries after being involved in a car accident while returning home from work in his motorcycle. Although Parnell was a convicted child predator, Murphy was described as "simple-minded," and somewhat naive. [8] Parnell denied in that same interview having been sexually abused himself, although Mike Echols' book I Know My First Name Is Steven states that he was indeed molested at the age of 13 by a boarder in a rooming house that his mother owned in Bakersfield. 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. In 1972, 7 year old Steven Stayner was kidnapped on his way home from school. It was at this point that Stayner decided to escape with White and return the young child to his parents. The racers relationship with Sarah Lavin, Where is Katherine Russell today? Sandra Hawkins, a family friend, toldPeoplethat Kay stayed strong during the abduction but was totally crushed after learning of Stevens death.