"Parnell wanted another kid that he could sexually assault.". 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. 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. Sometimes I blame myself. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. The men kidnapped Stayner, and he endured sexual and physical abuse for the next seven years at the hands of Parnell. Parnell regularly raped him, and by sixth grade, Stayner was used to being beaten, smoking substances, and getting drunk. Cary is 60 and remains in prison. Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life under California's "three strikes" law. Date Of Death: September 16, 1989 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: White Nationality: American Steven Stayner was born on the 18th of April, 1965. Would I have been better off if I didnt?. Purdy said Cary Stayner always wore a hat. "Hes ready to kill again. He was not wearing a helmet because someone had stolen it from him two months prior (via the Los Angeles Times). Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. He was 79 years old, and from what we can tell, the cause of death has not been made public. He was 76. I yelled at him a lot. According to another report, Del was ordered to undergo therapy because he molested his daughters. The boy agreed and gave the man his address. According to People Magazine, on September 16, 1989, Steven was heading home on his motorcycle from his job delivering pizza when a "car pulled out of the driveway of a migrant-labor camp along the highway." Steven was only 24 but was married with two children: Ashley (3) and Steven Jr. (2). Del was born in New Mexico in May 1933 and moved to Merced County, California, in 1951. I always looked very closely in hopes of spotting Steven. On the show, Kay mentioned that Del would often drive around looking for freshly dug ground because he thought Steven was dead. When Parnell kidnapped 5-year-old Timothy White that year, Stayner fled on foot along with the kindergartner and then hitchhiked to safety, a journey that thrust the two kidnapping survivors into the national spotlight. 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. After White had been with Stayner and his captors for 16 days, Stayner realized he needed to save White from the same abuse he had endured (via the Los Angeles Times). They kicked him out of their house twice. Meanwhile, his captors had renamed Steven as Dennis Parnell and he was enrolled in schools as Parnells son during seven years of abduction and sexual abuse, as reported by the LA Times. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. Watch: The Truth Behind Our Obsession With True Crime Stories. "Whatever demons were clamoring around in his head, by being naked, by smoking pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed," LaLama said. I never recognized either one of them.". Steven Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 and died on September 16, 1989. And he was 38 when he brutally tortured and murdered 4 females in Yosemite National Parka dream he wanted to fulfill since the age of 7. When he returned, Stayner was constantly in the public eye, and he struggled with returning to his normal life after being kept captive for seven years. Find a Grave traffic collision. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent." Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. Steven Stayner, who as a child was kidnaped from his Merced home and held captive until he escaped seven years later, died Saturday in a motorcycle accident, a coroner's spokesman . A plaque bearing the names of other missing children in Merced County will later be added.. The brother of convicted murderer Cary Stayner was kidnapped as a young child and was missing for seven years. While investigators were checking into Parnell's past, the 1951 sodomy conviction came to light, although at the time Stayner insisted that Parnell had not sexually abused him.[11]. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, Steven was walking home from school in Merced, a city in California, when a man handing out religious pamphlets approached him. 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. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61 km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with . According to Rowlands, "He was wearing a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. 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. "It was outrageous. Jeff Rinek, at the time an FBI agent handling Cary Stayners case, said the search for the women was the "largest ever mounted in Yosemite at any time." In fact, the wrong men were custody. The driver was later caught (per LA Times). I Know My First Name Is Steven: With Cindy Pickett, John Ashton, Corin Nemec, Luke Edwards. Cary was very upset, he said. While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. The Famous People reports Parnell then took the boy to a remote cabin near Catheys Valley, California. Parnell went on to tell Stayner that his parents couldn't afford to keep him any more, that a judge had given Parnell legal custody of him, and that his new name was "Dennis". And he wanted the same treatment. "Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. Hours after Steven Stayner reported Parnells crimes, he was arrested and convicted of kidnapping. 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.". In addition to the molestation, Stayner later claimed that Parnell's attitude altered from severe beatings to sometimes "spoiling" him. He also began manipulating the boy into believing his parents did not want him anymore, as they could not afford to financially support him. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. At that point Stayner decided to save White from the abuse he had endured and the two escaped. Sitelinks. Steven died in 1989, aged 24. In the time after Stevens disappearance, Del dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. In March 1951, Parnell was arrested for raping a young boy and impersonating a police officer; he was sentenced to four years in prison. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". Kenneth Parnell kidnapped Steven Stayner and Timothy White, abductions that later inspired the 1989 TV movie "I Know My First Name is Steven.". After he was brought in for questioning, he confessed to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. At time of Cary Stayner's trial, stories regularly noted the high-profile abduction . He grew up, got married and had two kids. In February 1980, Parnell brought home a 5-year-old White, who, like Stayner, had been walking home from school. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.[12]. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In February 1999, Carole Sund, 42, was on vacation with her daughter Juli, 15, and Silvina Pelosso, a 16-year-old Argentinian exchange student. Steven Stayner's grave./Steven Stayner. Stayner recently talked candidly with reporters of his life with Parnell, who alternately molested him and passed him off as his son. [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. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to research conducted by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and ranked in the top nine leading causes of death for people between the ages of 10 and 64, as well as . Steven Stayner died in 1989. Stayner went on to marry his wife, Jodi Stayner, and have two children. Accident or not, someone lost their life. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. According to the Los Angeles Times, she said after his death, "But he's not hurting anymore. FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. 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. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. (Parnell's cabin was, unbeknownst to Stayner, located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) Then he took matters into his own hands. [16][17] According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. molesting an 8-year-old boy in Bakersfield, California in 1952 when he kidnapped Stayner. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from . I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" Rowlands said. The miniseries was released on May 23, 1989, only about four months before he died in a hit-and-run accident. He found someone else to help him find another boy, only this time he was caught and he was sent to prison again -- where he died in 2008.". Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. Steven Stayner was just 7 years old when he was kidnapped in California in 1972 (via theLos Angeles Times). Stayner, the subject of an NBC miniseries in May, lived as the son of his abductor, Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester. 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. Steven Stayner Death - Obituary: On April 23th,2022 celebrityexit learned about the death of Steven Stayner through a Social Media post. However, he was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death. Ten years after Stayner's death, the city of Merced . You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.".