He was at times eerily nonchalant about what happened to him and even took to making jokes about it himself. Sometimes I blame myself. Hes free.. He could be disarmingly paternal, but also beat and sexually abused the child. And with the family's input,and based on source material fromMike Echolls' book of the same name, NBC's two-partI Know My First Name Is Stevenstill made quite the splashwhen it premiered on May 22, 1989. He was mocked at school, which caused him to drop out, and after he began drinking more often, he was kicked out of his parental house. According to a TIMEmagazinereport from March 17, 1980, Steven hadn't yet fully divulged what really happened to him. While adjusting to his new life at home, and being bullied in school for the abuse he experienced, Steven also had to deal with Parnell during his 1981 trial, a year after his return home. But the children in the family kept their feelings to themselves and didnt discuss their emotions. Children. The next day, Steven was told that his parents had given him up, that they couldnt afford so many children (Steven was one of five children), and they didnt want him anymore. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. The connection, once people realized it was indeed the same family, feltlike a punch to the gut. 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. After the premiere, Echols published his book, also titled I Know My First Name is Steven, in 1991. By the time Steven was nine, Mathias and Parnell had raped him on at least nine separate occasions. Parnell was subsequently found guilty of taking Steven as wellhe wasn't charged with child sex abuse or any other molestation-related counts in either caseand sentenced to seven years in prison. Sadness engulfed the community as people mourned a life blighted with tragedy. Unfortunately, he was never charged with the sexual assaults on Steven, or any other boys, as they had occurred outside the jurisdiction of the Merced County prosecutor, some even outside the statute of limitations. But executing him is not going to bring them back.". Proudly powered by WordPress Stayner later claimed that Murphy asked him if his mother would be willing to donate any items to the church. His wife, Jody Edmondson, lashed out at Antonio for leaving the scene. Miller toldPeople: He was kind of a reckless kid after he came back home he wrecked a couple of cars and I talked to him about being careful, because he could kill himself. At the time, the concept of therapy was frowned upon, and his father insisted that he didnt need any counseling. In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his sister, Cory, said He got on with his life. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013, at his home in Winton, California. .css-lwn4i5{display:block;font-family:Neutra,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:-0.01rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;text-align:center;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-lwn4i5:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}Jennifer Garner Debuts Daring New Look, 42 Sad Quotes to Power You Through Hard Days. He also seemed angry at the driver who fatally crashed into him and ticked off by the light sentence given to Parnell, a free man at the time. "[23], After returning to his family, Stayner had trouble adjusting to a more structured household as he had been allowed to smoke, drink and do as he pleased when he lived with Parnell. Parnell made Steven go by "Dennis Parnell," and as they moved from town to town in California he posed as the boy's father and enrolled him in school. The memorable title came from thepolice'sfirst encounter with the teen, who was reluctant to talk, but said, "I know my first name is Steven. She added, "He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up." I have covered them both in the same article. 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Parnell had also moved from one menial job to another, some of his work requiring travel and leaving Stayner unguarded, causing an adult Stayner to remark he could have easily used these absences as opportunities to flee, but was unaware how to summon help. TheOakland Tribune reported that the two men,who hadn't seen each other since Parnell's 1981 trial, hugged and Poorman whispered an apology, to which White replied, "It's OKI've got a good wife.". An ex-con who had already spent three years in San Quentin formolestingan 8-year-old boy plus another six years in a Utah prison on armed robbery and grand larceny charges, Parnell told Steven that he wasgoing to adopt him because his parents didn't want him anymore. "My older brother . [25] He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just before his death. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters., Steven had to learn the rules, he was used to coming and going as he pleased, drinking and smoking, and suddenly that wasnt allowed. Looking beyond the good vs. bad brother trope, the directorreflected onrevisiting the divergent branches of the Stayner storyin a way that doesn't allow for the audience to tidily point fingers. He remains on death row as of July 2021, but there have been zero executions in the state of California since a 2006 court ruling on the flaws found in the management of capital punishment. Both Del and Kay Stayner testified during the penalty phase of the trial that October that they neglected Cary to a degree when Steven went missing. Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren. (There was some impressively stiff competition that year, sothe best miniseries honorwent toWar and Remembrance, which also beat outLonesome Dove. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. 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. He named the dog, a Manchester Terrier, Queenie. On July 24, hours after beingcharged withthe murder ofJoie Ruth Armstrong, a 26-year-old nature guidewho was found decapitatedtwo days beforehand in a densely wooded area of Yosemite just a few hundred feet from her home, Cary confessed in an off-camera jailhouse interview with San Francisco's KBWB-TV to also killing Carole Sund, 42,her daughter JuliSund, 15, and the girl's friend Silvina Pelosso, 16,that past February. 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. Although Stayner was dead, his testimony at Parnell's earlier trial was read to jurors as evidence in Parnell's 2004 trial. It reads: "My name is Steven Stainer [sic]. On September 17, 1989, he succumbed to head injuries after being involved in a car accident while returning home from work in his motorcycle. (The other driver, Anthony Loera, actually left the scene but ultimatelyturned himself in. 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. 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. I was the oldest and all that. While at school, Steven never revealed to anyone that he had been kidnapped. "We tried to keep quiet and not upset our parents.". On Sept. 20, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle without a helmet in the rain. Third of five children, he had an older brother and three sisters. Insisting to police that he "wasn't mistreated the boy clearly has conflicting thoughts about his captor," the article notes. [25][28], On September 16, 1989, Stayner sustained fatal head injuries while on his way home from work when his motorcycle collided with a car[28][29] in a hit-and-run accident. Parnell used Steven in his next attempts to take a boy, but none were successful. My dad said he didnt need any.. Cary, his older brother, was one of three sisters he had. [21] Stayner remembered the kindness "Uncle" Murphy had shown him in his first week of captivity while they were both under the influence of Parnell's manipulation, and he believed that Murphy was as much Parnell's victim as he and Timmy were. "But he was pretty messed up and he never got any counseling. [32] Screening rights were sold to a number of international television companies including the BBC, which screened the miniseries in mid-July of the following year; later still, it was released as a feature-length movie. But to see that all of these people continued to think about him and remember him, and feel so much guilt for not knowingalthough I don't know how any of them could have knownI think that was really impactful to see.". She urged the jury not to sentence him to death, adding, If his dying [death] would bring these people back, Id say do it. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Parnell passed himself off as Stayner's father, and the two moved frequently around California, living in locations including Santa Rosa and Comptche. 2023 E! Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. But the family has since dealt with several tragedies along the way, including Steven's death and his older brother's incarceration for murder. 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. Who are Steven Stayner sisters? April 20, 2022 Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. . One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven had been walking home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into a stranger's car with the promise of a ride home. We had hope, faith, and kept busy. But Stevens life back in the safety of his home was difficult. [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. Meanwhile, Steven was undergoing unthinkable sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of Parnell. "We thought we were prepared and, of course, we weren't," Carole's father, Francis Carrington, told theLA Times after his granddaughter was found. But her strength is waning now. [2] In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of four women. What a case! 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. It wasn't, but when Cary didn't show up for work the next day, authorities put out an APB andthe FBI arrested him at a nudist colony in Wilton, Calif. (He was wearing shorts when agents found him sitting in the camp restaurant. According to reports, Cary Stayner and Cory Stayner are Steven Stayner's two siblings. "[25], Stayner underwent brief counseling but never sought additional treatment. Hawkins said: She was the one who stayed so strong and calm and collected through that seven-year-ordeal. The family avoided watching the 10 p.m. news, and any mention of Steven on TV would make their father cry. But as Kay also said that night, "We expected him to come back. The driver of the car fled the scene (and later surrendered himself in Tijuana, and was returned to California to be arraigned on felony hit-and-run manslaughter charges). Their mother, Kay, knew Cary to be "artistic, seldom in trouble and quiet," according to The Berkeley Daily Planet. However, Stayner skillfully sabotaged Kenneths plans. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. Parnell was not charged with the numerous sexual assaults on Stayner and other boys because most of them occurred outside the jurisdiction of the Merced County prosecutor or were by then outside the statute of limitations. [17][18], By daybreak on March 2, 1980, Parnell had been arrested on suspicion of abducting both boys. Steven Stayner (R) with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. [24] In a 2007 interview, Stayner's sister said that her brother did not seek counseling because their father said Stayner "didn't need any". Parnell bounced from one job to another, some requiring him to travel and leave Steven home alone. In an interview with Good Morning America in 1983, Steven recalled, The first year was kinda hectic. 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. Although he was sentenced to seven years, he only served five. He was bullied, teased, and his sexuality was always called into question. Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. A woman named Barbara Mathias moved in and lived with them for eighteen months. Ramirez, Jessica. We were kind of on our own, Sartell said. In the 20/20 special, Cary, the older of the two, is described as being a loving brother who enjoyed spending time with Steven. Steven was able to explain what had happened to him and to Timothy. 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. seen in Montana, according to our information three sisters. He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up,Stevens sister said in 2007. 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. All about his family, Was Dave Hollis Sick? Would I have been better off if I didn't?". Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. ", Rowlandsreported that the then-37-year-old also said he had dreamed of killing women for 30 years and these four were "at the wrong place at the wrong time.''. He didnt complain. The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. During this time, he was working at Pizza Hut and later joined 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. He was described as a quiet kid, he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, going to the park, riding his skateboard, or even his bike. 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. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced asked its residents to propose names for city parks honoring Merced's notable citizens. So much tragedy surrounding this case. Steven Stayner got married to Jody Edmondson in 1985. Kenneth told Steven that his parents had given him away and that his new name was Dennis. "We were kind of on our own," she said. 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. The family sent out fliers, Sartell said, and headed off on distant road trips to talk to people who might have any information about the missing child. As he got a little older, though, he realizedthat "things weren't rightmy parents wouldn't have hired a guy to pick me off the street," Steven reflected. Kay remembered how she never left the residence unattended for the next two-three years because she thought Steven would call. Cary with his little brother, Steven . The nurse reported him to the local police and he was once again convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 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. On February 14, 1980, in Ukiah, California, they were successful when Poorman found 5-year old Timothy White walking home from school. 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. In the era of Lifetime movies shotwhile a suspect is still on trial and amid the boom of star-studded series tackling true crime and corporate chicanery before the dust has settled, the nine years between Steven's homecoming and the seminal miniseries about his case feels like a century. Both Poorman and White testified for the prosecution at his 2004 trial. Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. So, on December 4, 1972, Kay was supposed to pick him up from school but had stopped to pick something up from Delbert. Steven Stayner was a typical 7-year old boy. Those sorts of comparisons have been used a lot in these two brothers and I started to think, is it more complicated?". Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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