Featuring interviews with family members, someof whom are speaking in depth for the first time, the show delves into the aftermath of Steven's abduction, the retelling of his story in theindelibly titled1989 miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven, and the unraveling of his older brother Cary Stayner, who's currently on death row. Steven told him she would probably want to, and the men offered him a ride home. For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. The teen, by then 5-foot-10 and barely resembling the little boy who disappeared, haddecided he had to escape inorder to save his abductor's latest victim, 5-year-old Timothy White, who was taken not far from his elementary school inUkiah, Calif.about 200 miles away from Mercedon Feb. 14, 1980. Dnde ver Entfhrt: Der Fall Stayner? 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. He was released after five. According to Stayner, Mathias, along with Parnell, raped him on nine occasions at the age of nine. Your IP: By the time Steven was nine, Mathias and Parnell had raped him on at least nine separate occasions. I got put on the back burner, you might say," Cary told J.P. Miller, a filmmaker who wrote a screenplay about Steven's abduction. Around the time Steven disappeared, they lived in an area with lots of children. "A lot of attention went to Steven we all got a little jealous," says one of the Stayner sisters in Hulu's upcoming docuseries Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story. 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. He was bullied, teased, and his sexuality was always called into question. Its late and dark when they arrive, and Timothy cant remember where he lives, so they went to the police. I know my first name is Steven, he said, ditching the name Parnell had given him. White, despite losing touch with Steven and remembering little about his brief abduction, was a pallbearer at Stayners funeral. A police investigation didnt trace the deaths back to Cary, although he was interviewed. As Steven Stayner got older, Kenneth Parnell began planning to kidnap another, younger, boy. He was about 14 years old and had been kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell, who sexually abused him. "He was spunky. Born on April 18, 1965, Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner. This caused Parnell to believe Stayner lacked the means to be an accomplice. Parnell used Steven in his next attempts to take a boy, but none were successful. Despite his efforts, Parnell had another young boy. The retired TV host rarely leaves his home due to illness, Everything We Know About Vanessa Hudgens Parents, Who is Charlie Kirks wife? Ervin Murphy, who aided in Steven'sabduction but, according to Echolls' book,insisted that he really thought Parnell was a minister and never thought he'd hurt a little boy, was also convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap, and served two years of a five-year sentence. Cary, his older brother, was one of three sisters he had. He was raising hell at school and causing trouble with the law but things started to change when he met Jody Edmondson. I don't know sometimes if I should have come home. Shockingly, Parnell allowed Steven to go to school. 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. "Iwas really struck by the impact that Steven had in the years he was living as Dennis," series director Dimmock told E! I guess I was jealous. Steven eventually married and had two children. According to reports, Cary Stayner and Cory Stayner are Steven Stayner's two siblings. He was 79 years old. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? 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. Steven Stayner was a typical 7-year old boy. While at school, Steven never revealed to anyone that he had been kidnapped. His relationship with his father remained strained. Steven was beaten and allowed to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. [7], After Stayner agreed, a white Buick driven by Parnell pulled up, and Stayner willingly climbed into the car with Murphy. 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. [44] Fundraisers for the statue have stated that it is meant to honor Steven Stayner and give families of missing and kidnapped children hope that they are still alive.[44]. How does it feel to be "brought through the experience of feeling a deep sympathy for a family, for a mother, and then to have a sudden left turn?" ", He added, "Everything has changed. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. That statement later became the title of a book and movie. Of course Cynthia Sartell knew him; he was her older sibling. Originally published January 20, 2007 at 12:00 am. Steven Stayner got married to Jody Edmondson in 1985. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven.". "It happened to me, and I didn't want to see it happen to anybody else.". Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of 7, became a national hero after helping another child escape from abuse. As reported by The Famous People, Parnell dated a woman named Barbara Mathias for a period of time. Realizing how the young boy would suffer at the hands of his captor, Stayner decided to return Timmy to his parents. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. The alleged driver of the car was later identified by witnesses. [27] At the time of his death, Stayner was living in Merced and working at a pizza shop. [4] Murphy, described by those who knew him as a trusting, nave, and simple-minded man,[4] had been enlisted by Parnell (who had passed himself off to Murphy as an aspiring minister)[5][6] into helping him abduct a young boy so that Parnell could "raise him in a religious-type deal," as Murphy later stated. [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. Kay remembered how she never left the residence unattended for the next two-three years because she thought Steven would call. Timothy James White (November 1, 1974 - April 1, 2010) was an American man who was abducted in 1980 by pedophile Kenneth Parnell, and held a few weeks before he was rescued by fellow child captive, 14-year-old Steven Stayner, who escaped and guided the 5-year-old to safety. Lainey Wilson Stuns in Paisley Bell Bottoms. 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). Things were pretty rough for a while, bouncing from one job to another, some would say wandering aimlessly. Then he met Jody Edmondson, and in 1985, when he was 20 and she 17, they married. Spouse. He was allowed to come and go virtually as he pleased, he could have fled, gotten help, but he didnt know how. Hewassentenced to three months in jailfor felony hit-and-run. 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. 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. In 1975, Parnell felt he needed another boy. "It's a lot to imagine that any one family could undergo,"Jessica Dimmock, director of the three-part docuseries Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, now streaming on Hulu, told E! Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. 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. They hitchhiked to Ukiah. 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.". After they were unable to locate White's home, they went to a police station. Steven was able to explain what had happened to him and to Timothy. A woman named Barbara Mathias moved in and lived with them for eighteen months. According to a TIMEmagazinereport from March 17, 1980, Steven hadn't yet fully divulged what really happened to him. This case just breaks my heart And the whole story about his big brother, too. 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. When 800,000 children disappear every year worldwide 460,000 of these from the United States alone, you tend to keep your children close. Murphy had a stack ofreligious pamphletsand, explaining that he was collecting money for his church, offered the boy a lift home. "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. Jody emotionally described how she and Stayner planned to visit their favorite restaurant after he got home. What a case! But by then he was too afraid of being physically harmed by Parnell to run away. Yet inanother perversely tragic twist of fate, Whitealso died young, suffering a pulmonary embolism on April 1, 2010, when he was 35. Juli's body was discoveredMarch 25 next to a reservoirabout 30 miles away from the car with help from an anonymous letter to the FBI that Cary said he sent himselfbut had someone else lick the stamp, so his DNA couldn't be traced. [1] He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. ), Barely four months after the series premiered, Steven, 24, was on his motorcycle heading home from work at a pizza shop on Sept. 16, 1989, when a car turned in front of him. [] Everything has changed. 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. Hereturnedto school, where he was always an object of curiosity. Stayner later claimed that Murphy asked him if his mother would be willing to donate any items to the church. Parnell passed himself off as Stayner's father, and the two moved frequently around California, living in locations including Santa Rosa and Comptche. Children. His wife, Jody Edmondson, lashed out at Antonio for leaving the scene. And there was just nothing there. Little did they know, Steven was being held at a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley. Steven Stayners incredible story features in the captivating Hulu crime dramaCaptive Audience. He told Steven he was a minister, and asked if his mother would like to make a donation to the church. Cary had been interviewedearly on in the investigationa massive undertaking involving local and federal authoritiesand ruled out as a suspect. Would I have been better off if I didn't?". "We thought we were prepared and, of course, we weren't," Carole's father, Francis Carrington, told theLA Times after his granddaughter was found. If its the last thing I do, Ill nail him if I possibly can. The morning of March 2, 1980 Parnell was arrested. "I remember going out one night after Steve disappeared and wishing on a star that my brother would come back home," Cary reportedly told Mike Echols, author of the book I Know My First Name Is Steven. In the 20/20 special, Cary, the older of the two, is described as being a loving brother who enjoyed spending time with Steven. Reminiscent of what happened when kidnapping survivorElizabeth Smartwas spotted in town nine months after she was taken in 2002, seeminglyfree to run but actually terrified of what her abductor might do to her,many would question why Steven didn'ttell someone or otherwise try to escape. For the sexual assaults carried out in Mendocino County, prosecutors chose not to prosecute. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! Stayner began to drink frequently, and was eventually kicked out of the family home. ), "None of the women were sexually abused in any way,"Cary told KBWB's Ted Rowlands, who goes over the surrealinterview inCaptive Audience,after admitting that he was guilty of all four murders. I don't know sometimes if I should have come home. So, if youre wondering where she might be today, heres what we know. For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Would I have been better off if I didn't? Stayner revealed later that he had intentionally sabotaged these failed kidnappings. They found recordings of executives discussing proposed audience-friendly tweaks, and the Hulu series examines "both what really happened and also the way what really happened was digested and made into something with a Hollywood narrative.". 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. Parnell had used Stayner to attempt to kidnap children on prior occasions, but all the kidnapping attempts were unsuccessful. Steven Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. Steven was declared a national hero, and within days made an appearance on Good Morning America. There, he told the host, David Hartman, that it felt great to be home, that his parents didnt change that much, and regarding his brother and sisters, they changed a lot. Much of the testimony that the defense has tried to introduce, such as the molestation of one of Stayners sisters by their father, has been barred because of objections by the prosecution. Steven, his memory of his family fading under the strain of the trauma, took to calling Parnell "Dad" and went to class clean and neatly dressed, and otherwise showing no obvious outward traces of being held against his will. He turned to alcohol to suppress his feelings, and eventually dropped out of school. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. ", 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.''. While there's not much information about what Steven was like as a child, there is some insight to Cary's early life. [17] Both children were reunited with their families that day. Article continues below advertisement We expected him to come back. 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. 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. If you enjoyed this story, read about another kidnap victim who returned home safely Jayme Closs. A school friend recalled to20/20years laterthat the boy she knew as Dennis had "a great personality. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". Stayner looked forward to raising his children, Ashley and Steven Jr, with Jody. Steven was persuaded to get intothe car, whereKenneth Parnellwas waiting. He had problems adjusting because, with Kenneth, there were no rules; he was used to drinking and smoking. Claiming full legal custody of Steven, Parnell changed his name, calling him Dennis Gregory Parnell, allowing him to keep his real middle name. 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. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013, at his home in Winton, California. But her strength is waning now. Steven Stayner (R) with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. But she said it wasnt the brother she remembers. Altogether, Parnell was sentenced to seven years and was paroled after serving five. More than 450 peopleturned out for Steven's funeral and Timothy White, the boy he saved, wasa pallbearer. 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. 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. However, prosecutors were intent on seeking the death penalty for the murders ofCarole, Juli and Silvina; he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was convicted on all charges in August 2002. But as Kay also said that night, "We expected him to come back. He didnt complain. Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, was behind the Yosemite murders that rocked the small farming town of Merced, California in 1999. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. ", Though the ready assumptionwas that Steven's sadly short lifehad been defined by his troubles, Jody said he'd been "a very happy man" of late, and they'd been living "a normal life with two beautiful kids.". On December 4, 1972, he was walking home from school when he was spotted by Kenneth Parnell and his friend Ervin Murphy. Kenneth told Steven that his parents had given him away and that his new name was Dennis. Stayner's parents fear losing another son. In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his sister, Cory, said He got on with his life. [40], White later became a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy. He was spunky. His accomplices, Ervin Murphy, and Ronald Sean Poorman were also convicted, though on lesser charges, claiming they knew nothing of the sexual assaults. On September 17, 1989, he succumbed to head injuries after being involved in a car accident while returning home from work in his motorcycle. 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