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Ashley Stayner Husband, Is She Married? 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. He didnt whine about lousy breaks. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had enduredand the two escaped. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. In the time leading up to Stevens sudden death in 1989, the couple had been estranged but were working towards making things better. He was held hostage by Kenneth Parnell 38 . Kay and Delbert had already lost Steven to a motorcycle accident in 1989, so they dreaded losing their other son. The brother of convicted murderer Cary Stayner was kidnapped as a young child and was missing for seven years. 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. On the show, Kay stated that the couple always planned on having a family. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. He told The San Jose Mercury News that watching his children play was 'like having another childhood - the childhood I didn't have.' "Steven was bravely going about reconstructing his life," JK Miller said. However, they ran out of time. As reported by The Famous People, the man, who was later identified as Ervin Edward Murphy, said he was a representative of a local church and was seeking donations for his parish. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. The Memorial Committee deliberated long and hard about what to say on the Plaque they had created for the sculptures pedestal base. On September 17, 1989, he succumbed to head injuries after being involved in a car accident while returning home from work in his motorcycle. Moreover, according to his testimony in 2002, when Steven went missing, he became fixated with finding him and neglected his four other children in the process, particularly Cary. 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. They had very few memories of their father and learned about his life the way most people did: through the media. He was just very well-grounded, for a person that had gone through what he had gone through. In the years after Stevens death, it was mentioned on the show that Jody remarried. He had a pretty sad life.. In 2014, she shared the tragic news that her partner had passed away. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. It will also recognize other victims of stranger abductions, and will serve as a permanent reminder of our inherent duty to protect our children. His older brother Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murders of four women in 2002. Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. On Dec. 4, 1972, the Stayner family's low profile permanently changed when 7-year-old Steven Stayner, the middle child, was abducted walking home from school. Stayner dropped out of school and started a drinking habit that strained his relationship with his dad. Assistant Sheriff Strength said Stayner was on the waiting list for a job as a county jail guard.. 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. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, . Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Edward Murphy, Parnell's accomplice from the Stayner kidnapping, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. Del is devastated too. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. In 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner went to school and never came home. During this time, he was working at Pizza Hut and later joined 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. He was raising hell at school and causing trouble with the law but things started to change when he met Jody Edmondson. Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Northern California town on edge after second fatal stabbing in a week, Photos: Opening day of trout season in the Eastern Sierra, CEO of Cookies pot brand accused of kickbacks, strong-arm tactics. 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". After all, the latter helped a 5-year-old child escape a pedophile as a teenager after enduring years of abuse. After that time he was in and out of juvenile custody for car theft and arson.[4][5]. Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. But what about the fellow kidnapping victim that the hero brother rescued? Furthermore, according to Steven Jr.'s Facebook page, he currently resides in Merced, Cali. Stayner became known as a hero and inspired a television miniseries, I Know My First Name is Steven.. Following his brother's death, History reports Cary worked as a handyman at a lodge near Yosemite National Park. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". 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. We tried to keep quiet and not upset our parents.. They had a daughter, Ashley, who was 3 at the time of her fathers death, and a son, Steven Jr., who was 2. have yall heard of Steven and Cary Stayner? During this time, he had grown very fond of his pet dog Queenie, a Manchester Terrier; Parnells mother has given the dog to Parnell. Russells monitored life in New Jersey. 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. Although Parnell was a convicted child predator, Murphy was described as "simple-minded," and somewhat naive. 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. Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. However, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. Unfortunately, ABC News reports authorities were eventually forced to admit "there was just nothing there." However, as we all know, that turned when pedophile Kenneth Parnell abducted Steven in 1972, and the Stayners allegedly began to neglect their children. He worked as a sheriffs 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. His family was happy to have him back, but things were different. The second man, who was later identified as Kenneth Parnell, offered to give Murphy and Stayner a ride. [16][17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. The kidnapping had a deep impact on Cary Stayner, his childhood friend, Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. After Timothy White, who had become a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy, died from pulmonary embolism in 2010, a statue of Stayner and White was built in Applegate Park in Merced, California. I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.. 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. 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. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? 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. Cary's defense team argued that he suffered from mental illness, in part from the trauma he suffered when Steven was kidnapped. The racers relationship with Sarah Lavin, Where is Katherine Russell today? Steven died nine years after he returned home. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. 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. [1] He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. However, little did she know that her uncle was the murderer. The prosecution successfully argued that sexual aids and pornography found in the apartment, along with Stevens' own testimony, were enough to prove that Parnell's intentions were criminal in nature. He had been under hospice care for some time.[10]. In 1981, Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping both White and Stayner in two separate trials and was sentenced to seven years in jail, even though he was released on parole after five years. Sadness engulfed the community as people mourned a life blighted with tragedy. The Famous People reports Parnell then took the boy to a remote cabin near Catheys Valley, California. In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. 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. Parnell began sexually abusing Stayner almost immediately. Unfortunately, Parnell eventually convinced another teenage boy, named Randall Sean Poorman, to help him kidnap 5-year-old Timothy White. Adjusting to post-abduction life was no easy task for Steven. Returning home, Steven Stayner felt that his parents were still treating him as their seven-year-old child, and had trouble adjusting as he no more had the freedom to smoke, drink, or do whatever he wanted. He fled on foot along with White, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight once they got to safety. Its final this time,he said. While Jody said her husband did blame himself in some ways but ultimately seemed at peace with everything. 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. He didn't whine about lousy breaks. 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. He is now 59 and on death row in San Quentin State Prison, according to his prison records. But before we get into that, lets get to know Stevens two kids: Ashley and Steven Stayner Jr., who are both featured in the documentary. Steven eventually escaped after Kenneth abducted another boy named Timmy White. Timmy White, the boy saved by Steven, learned of his death through his grandfather. For the families of missing children, a new statue unveiled in Merceds Applegate Park today,now stands as a beacon of hope, a reminder of survival and heroism in the face of a childs worstnightmare. He married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson in 1985 and together, they had two children, Ashley and Steven, Jr. Former reporter Ted Rowlands said, "Stayner had a new father figure who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist.". In addition to believing his parents no longer wanted him, The Famous People reports Stayner was simply unsure how to get out of the situation he was in. In addition to the molestation, Stayner later claimed that Parnell's attitude altered from severe beatings to sometimes "spoiling" him. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. Being a mother, we assume Kay continues to miss her sons, but likes to keep it private, as made clear on her Facebook account. If its the last thing I do, Ill nail him if I possibly can. The Truth About The Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner, California Department of Corrections/Wikipedia. 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. Parnell was arrested that day,[14] subsequently telling authorities "I wanted a family". But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. As Steven got older and entered puberty, Parnell's sexual interest in Stayner waned and Parnell sought a new boy to "build his family". 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. ABC News reports it was a "sleety, wintery day," and Stayner willingly followed Murphy into Parnell's car, as he expected the man to take him home. He was a survivor.. It was a sad end to a tragic life,Allen Maxfield, CHP traffic safety officer, said. Hulus Captive Audience delves into the circumstances surrounding Steven being taken and how he finally escaped, saving a 5-year-old in the process. He loved his family, his career and boating, especially at Lake Pyramid, the obituary states. When he returned, he told the boy that he called his parents and they said they did not want him anymore. The statue tells the story of Steven Stayner, a Merced youth who was abducted in 1972 andTimothy White, the 5-year-old boy he rescued from suffering the same fate. Fortunately, the police spotted him as well and detained both of them, following which he revealed his identity and narrated his own story. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. According to The Press Democrat, Kay Stayner said she "never did lose [her] hope" of finding her missing son. Steven unexpectedly died in a motorcycle crash in 1989 when he was 24 years old. He loved his brother, his former calssmate, Jack Bungart, told the news outlet. As Steven reached puberty, Purnell preference for younger boys drove him to abduct 5-year-old Timothy. However, he always enrolled the boy in school and often allowed Stayner freedoms that a kidnapper would not traditionally grant a captor. But at the same time, they dealt with a lot of disagreements. According to a psychiatrist who would later evaluate Stayner for his defense team, the Stayner family tree was riven with mental illness and sexual abuse going back five generations. 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. See what Ashley and Steven Jr. Stayner have to say about their father and uncle in Captive Audience, which is now streaming on Hulu. Kay and Delbert Stayner married in 1960 and had five children together. A report from 2007 placed her in Montana, but beyond that, not much else is known about Jody. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. One of the most curious cases Steven Stayner was kidnapped and held captive for man years under child predator Kenneth Parnell; he would get away, get married and have children only to face another tragedy; his older brother Cary, would go onto a whole other path.an extremely violent one. Steven refused to reveal the details of his sexual abuse and endured bullying in school for being molested. Stevens parents, Kay and Delbert, were on a camping trip when they learned of the passing. White became a Los AngelesCounty sheriffs deputy. According to Crime Investigation, the boys hitchhiked more than 40 miles to reach Ukiah, California, where White was abducted from. a Hulu docuseries streaming today, first revisits the 1972 kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner by convicted child molester Kenneth Parnell. Sandra Hawkins, a family friend, toldPeoplethat Kay stayed strong during the abduction but was totally crushed after learning of Stevens death. However, Stayner skillfully sabotaged Kenneths plans. Ive never been this angry. He sure led a rough life, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Years later in interviews, Stayner admitted to intentionally sabotaging the kidnappings. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. In 1972, a Young Boy Was Kidnapped and Abused for 7 Years Before Escaping Where Is His Torturer Now? I feel bad for him,White said. [8], More than a decade after the sodomy case, Parnell was convicted of armed robbery in Utah. He died in his home, according to. Of course Cynthia Sartell knew him; he was her older sibling. Mike Echols, who wrote the manuscript for the series, later published a book with the same title in 1991. After convincing the boy his parents did not want him anymore, he changed his name to Dennis Parnell. According to SFGate, his friends and coworkers described him as being impulsive and prone to seemingly abrupt and violent fits of rage. 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. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. For eight years, he abused Stayer while posing as his legal guardian and moving around California with him. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, a Hulu docuseries streaming today, first revisits the 1972 kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner by convicted child molester Kenneth Parnell. Born In: Merced, California, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Jody Edmondson (m. 19851989). On February 14, 1980, Parnell employed Randall Sean Poorman, a teenage friend of Stayner, to abduct a five-year-old Timothy "Timmy" White in Ukiah, California. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. But the children in the family kept their feelings to themselves and didnt discuss their emotions. So, if youre curious about where she might be today, heres what we know. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Parnell had lured the child through use of a deputy sheriff's badge he bought at an army-navy surplus store. Unfortunately, the entire incident was part of an elaborate plan to kidnap the boy. That statue was revealed inApplegate Park Saturday morning for a crowd of hundreds that included friends and family ofSteven Stayner and Timothy White. Parnell, a sex offender, molested him the very first night, and began raping him thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972. JP Miller, the co-screenwriter ofI Know My First Name Is Steven,a mini-series about Stayners abduction and escape, said Steven struck him as a man unafraid of death. [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. Steven had become a famous figure, and not everyone liked all the attention he was getting. In fact, he became the subject of the two-part television movie I Know My First Name Is Steven, which aired in 1989. in 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner was kidnapped while walking home from school. The rest is spine-chilling history, made famous by exhaustive mediacoverage, books and a film in 1989, I know my name is Steven, based on the book of the samename. 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. Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children. Her battle with dementia explained, How did Dr. Charles Stanley die? 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. According to The Famous People, Murphy offered to walk Stayner home, as he wanted to ask his mother for a donation. [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. 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. As the older brother, Stayner felt a natural if undeserved sense of responsibility for not protecting Steven from harm. However, she has preferred to stay away from public attention. Here's what Ashley and Steven Jr. Stayner, who appear in 'Captive Audience,' are up to now. 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. 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. By that time, Cary Stayner was already having grotesque fantasies, the agent wrote. 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. Born on April 18, 1965, in Merced, California, Steven Gregory Stayner had an older brother named Cary and three sisters. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. children: Ashley Stayner, Steven Stayner Jr. American Men Aries Men Died on: September 17, 1989 Cause of Death: Accident U.S. State: California Childhood & Early Life Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Bill Balestra said of Stayner, who was . "He didn't complain. Instead, he tried to make the best of it. Steven, then nearly 15, bravely managed to escape with Timothy to a local police station, from which both boys were returned home. He grew up alongside his siblings named; Cynthia Sartell, Cory Stayner, and Cary Stayner. As long as I can see them and hear their voices, Im OK. But in September 1989, the family was dealt a terrible tragedy when Steven met with a road accident while on his way back home. The officers soon realized that both of the boys had actually been kidnapped, and the one identifying himself as Dennis Parnell was actually Steven Stayner. The boy agreed and gave the man his address. The driver, Antonio Loera, drove off, leaving Stayner helpless on the rain-soaked highway. When Steven passed away, Ashley was 3 years old and Steven Jr. was 2 years old. He spent more than seven years in captivity, routinely abused byPurnell. The devastation of losing their son twice within 10 years was excruciating for Steven Stayner's parents. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. But her strength is waning now. We were kind of on our own, Sartell said. Cary Staynar tried to protect his younger brother and looked out for him, according to ABC News. Parnell died in 2008 while incarcerated. At the time, the 24-year-old was driving a motorcycle and collided with a car in the front. Years after Timmy White was rescued by fellow kidnapping survivor Steven Stayner, he became a sheriff's deputy. He also had a small, speechless role in the TV series as one of two policemen who escort his 14-year-old self to his onscreen parents. She said her father became obsessed with finding the youngster, who was held and sexually abused by a kidnapper for seven years. It was at this point that Stayner decided to escape with White and return the young child to his parents. Over the next few years, he had some trouble adjustingto living with his family. Under the belief that Parnell has been given legal custody of him, and that his family has moved away, he stays with Parnell for seven years, enduring repetitive sexual abuse the entire time. Around the time Steven disappeared, they lived in an area with lots of children. 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. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to. The family avoided watching the 10 p.m. news, and any mention of Steven on TV would make their father cry. Copyright 2023 Distractify. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him had stayed. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. 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. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. He [Steven] got on with his life but he was pretty messed up,Stevens sister said in 2007. According to The Famous People, the couple eventually had two children, named Ashley and Steven, Jr. A new documentary revisits the stories of Steven Stayner, who escaped from a seven-year captivity aged 14, and of his brother Cary Stayner, who was convicted of four murders years later.. Delbert even referred to Steven as his real son and pushed the other away. Very seldom did he get into trouble. Their case inspired the much-watched 1989 TV movie I Know My First Name Is Steven. Stayner died in a motorcycle crash the same year the movie was released. 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. 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, 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. This memorial reminds families and friends of other missing children that their loved one may someday return. When Stayner was 14, he ran away with another kidnapped boy, Timmy White, and went to the police, ABC News reported. He died in his home, according to his obituary which features a photo of him in a sheriffs uniform. Surrounded by endless complainers? 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.