This Sunday's TCATT episode is on the senseless murders committed by Cary Stayner "The Yosemite Killer". He was perverted," Flores, 35, said. His death dealt another blow to the family - but not its last. "Hes ready to kill again. On July 23, when Cary Stayner was released from custody for his marijuana charge, he quickly packed up and left for Laguna del Sol, a nudist colony, according to ABC News. [11] Stayner was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Timothy "Timmy" White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell as he walked home from his Ukiah school in 1980. [] 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. Cary Stayner, shown in this March 2, 1980 photo, is hugged by his mother Kay Stayner outside the Stayner home in Merced County, Calif., on the day Stayner's brother Steven was reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 7 years. He also revealed a disturbing truth: he originally intended to kill his girlfriend and her daughters before he went on to target Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso on February 15, 1999. Linda Shertz, stepmother of Lynnea, said Cary Stayner was traumatized by his brother's abduction. 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. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. Strength said Cary Stayner's arrest has stunned the community. Publicity would prove to be the least of their worries. But Kay knew that child molestation, something she went through, was out of the question. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. "He was just very well grounded, for a person that had gone through what he had gone through.". He was a good student, a good artist, and he was very loving. She let go of all the values instilled in her as a child and cried while begging them to spare Carys life. Delbert even referred to Steven as his real son and pushed the other away. He had begun working as a handyman at a motel in El Portal in the 1990s. "He said, "OK,' and gave me these booklets and he asked me if I wanted a ride home. The Stayners' family history of pedophilia had long been a problem, one that may have lasted for three generations, according to SFGate. Presently, he remains incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. He stayed away from most of the other kids.". The Stayners admit they weren't always the best parents. This time, in July, Stayner told Damant that he intended to move to Oregon or Utah. He had two brothers: Richard S. Lee and Jonathan O. Lee. He was a good student, a good artist, and he was very loving. At the end of his murder trial in 2002, Cary Stayner was sentenced to death for the murders of Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. But he received it nevertheless, and he is in prison. The defendant's father, Delbert Stayner, testified that after Steven went missing, he became obsessed with finding his boy and neglected his other four children -- especially Cary. "Its dark and Timmy can't remember where he lives. After Steven's death, his parents sold the house. The world is a crazy place, full of unknown dangers. What happened to Steven Stayner? Then he took matters into his own hands. A note was sent to the police with a hand-drawn map indicating the location of the third victim, Sund's daughter Juli. But according to court testimony, the girls weren't safe. You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.". Although he was quiet and kept to himself, he was an avid cartoonist who spent time in his class for gifted students doodling and drawing caricatures of people. After Steven had been abducted, Cary and a cousin spent a night with their uncle, who showed them nude photos of underage girls. Steven died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. But Cary Stayner also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. Kay and Delbert had already lost Steven to a motorcycle accident in 1989, so they dreaded losing their other son. On Monday, Cary Stayner was to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Sacramento for the murder of Joie Armstrong, a Yosemite Institute naturalist. Nearly 20 years later, Stayner is still on death row, his prison record shows.California Department of CorrectionsCary Stayner's prison record. ET on ABC, Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. On July 23, when Cary Stayner was released from custody for his marijuana charge, he quickly packed up and left for Laguna del Sol, a nudist colony, according to ABC News. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". The trips always ended in a wild goose chase, according to testimony. His lawyers claimed that the Stayner family had a history of sexual abuse and mental illness, manifesting itself not only in the murders, but also his obsessive-compulsive disorder and his request to be provided with child pornography in return for his confession. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. Surrounded by endless complainers? 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. Stayner had been arrested the same day Joie Armstrong's body was found but for a different crime. Seven years later, after escaping his captor, he returned home. "He said we should be glad that Steven was gone. The head turned up, 27 feet away. He had joined the Mormon Church. The results showed that his mental issues were aligned with schizophrenia and other mental disorders. The penalty phase is scheduled to resume today, and closing arguments are planned for Monday. A month later, Juli's body was found 40 miles away. Stayner was questioned several times by law enforcement and eventually confessed to the 1999 murders of 42-year-old Carole Sund, her 15-year-old daughter Juli, their 16-year-old family friend Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old Yosemite naturalist, according to History. San Quentin is a notoriously tough place to live with a checkered human rights history. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. On March 19, 1999, law enforcement officials discover the charred bodies of forty-two-year-old Carol Sund and sixteen-year-old Silvina Pelosso in the trunk of their burned-out rental car, a day. READ NEXT: Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died. In 1972, when he was eleven, his seven-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was abducted by a pedophile, Kenneth Parnell, and didn't escape until eight years later. It happens to all families, I guess." In the documentary, Steven's younger sister, Cory, says that the family wanted to return to normal after Steven's return home, but the media attention made that task difficult, according to People. Steven Stayner's story reflects the horror and tragedy that the family went through in their life. "The Yosemite Park Killer," or simply "The Yosemite Killer," is an ephebophilic serial killer, serial rapist, thrill killer and abductor. "He was spunky. "There wasnt really much time for us to speculate on whether this was related, I mean it quickly became related," said Des Kidd, former medical director at Yosemite who participated in search and rescue. In high school, he served as the cartoonist for the student paper and was voted "most creative" by his classmates, per ABC News. Years later, his brother Cary Stayner would go on to murder four people. When he was 2 years old, Stayner began pulling out his own hair. They then slept in the same bed, and Cary awoke to his uncle attempting to molest him, according to SFGate. Jesse Houtz, co-owner of Cedar Lodge Restaurants, said Cary Stayner would hang out at the bar, but often kept to himself. I dont think he should be executed because hes sick. But Cary still got the death penalty. And he wanted the same treatment. He started chatting with one of the bar's regulars, Janet Damant. Stayner was born on August 13, 1961. He taught them how to dive into the water and bought them a new Beanie Baby with every visit. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". The film was a two-part mini series that debuted in 1989, per TCM. ", "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. He said, 'I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Then his uncle gets killed in a homicide. He loved his brother. The FBI provided a number in case anyone saw him, which Damant called, per Esquire. His next victim was 26-year-old park naturalist Joie Armstrong, who had been staying in a cabin at the park. "Then you have Steven Stayner get kidnapped, and then he comes back and gets killed in a motorcycle accident. By Gina Tron. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. So, of course, we can not help but wonder more about their family, particularly their parents. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. 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, that Stayner believed when he was giving his confession that he would be sentenced to death. "Cary was very upset," childhood friend Mike Marchese told ABC News in a 1999 interview. Getty. He had been a young patrol officer in 1972 when Cary Stayner's younger brother, Steven Stayner, was snatched off a Merced street in the county's most infamous kidnapping. I'd play basketball with them, hang out with them," said Tim Tatum. Now we only had four children to clothe," she told the court. He was sentenced to death in 2002 and remains on death row. Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund and friend Silvina Pelosso were missing for a month before their bodies were found. In fact, the wrong men were custody. "He's a nice guy. He was always nearby and on hand, opening rooms at the Cedar Lodge for investigators to search for evidence. Investigators went to the location depicted on the map and found the remains of Juli, whose throat had been cut. [5] The bodies were burned beyond recognition and were identified using dental records. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters. 11 min read. While both of them are fairly well-known, its for entirely different reasons. And now this. After her friends reported her missing, police found signs of a struggle at her cabin and half a mile away, they found her body. Not only was Steven able to explain to police what happened to him and Timothy, he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. 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. "I don't think he did it. In 2021, it was penalized around $400,000 for safety violations that resulted in a COVID-19 outbreak and 28 inmate deaths, per CNN. During that time, he was physically and mentally abused by Kenneth which deeply affected him as a person. He would joke around with us workers, but he was also kind of quiet," said Albert Sanchez, who worked with Stayner on a month-long gardening project earlier this year. She appears content to be beside her family and friends. She had spoken to him before during his March trip, so she was aware of his employment at Cedar Lodge. [2] His seven-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was 11, and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. After several weeks, the bodies of all three women were discovered. Kay Stayner said that although her father molested her as a child, she allowed him to live in the Stayner home but kept him away from her daughters. After all, the latter helped a 5-year-old child escape a pedophile as a teenager after enduring years of abuse. To avoid a possible death sentence, he pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder, felony first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death. 190.14.37.124 Steven's older brother, Cary Stayner, took his disappearance particularly hard. She had to tell him to leave a second time, per SFGate. "For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Unlike his brother, Cary Stayner wasn't abducted, but that hardly meant his home was safe. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. Stayner saved White from his captor after he was kidnapped. What happened to Steven Stayner parents? "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. Stayner and White left while Parnell was at work and took refuge at a police station, where they informed authorities of their abduction. Cary Stayner was the oldest of Delbert and Kay Stayner's five children, who included Steven and three sisters. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". On December 4, 1972, Steven Stayner was walking home from school on the side of a highway when a white Buick pulled up beside him. "I was just talking to someone about this. Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. The case sparked national . 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. Cary Stayner is now 57 years old. Cary Stayner is led into a van by a U.S. Following the family tragedy, Steven Stayner's mother, Kay, has decided to live a quiet life. 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." Steven was kidnapped at 7 years old (12/4/72) by a child molester who he lived with for 7 years. Today, the idea of a 7-year old walking home from school alone is almost unheard of. The case remains unsolved. As he was walking home from school on December 4th 1972, he was approached by a man named Ervin Murphy claiming to be a representative of the church who was looking for donations. In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agents Relentless Pursuit of the Nations Worst Predators, Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Lenna was just 10 or 11 years old when her mother began a relationship with Cary Stayner, a maintenance worker at the Cedar Lodge right outside of Yosemite National Park. [16], Kidnapping resulting in death (18 U.S.C. That year Parnell recently kidnapped another young boy to replace the aging Stayner, 5-year-old Timothy White. But Rinek recalled Stayner saying he would die with a clear conscience. Her mother was a waitress at the California lodge in 1998 and Stayner lived in an apartment above the restaurant. Steven Stayner and Timmy White at a police press conference in 1980. Five months after killing the trio, he decapitated Joie Armstrong, a 26- year-old Yosemite naturalist. Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. "We got Steve back, not Stevie," said Kay Stayner, who spent a lot of time telling the jury about the toll her youngest son's disappearance took on the family and how it affected Cary. In the little time I worked with him, he just seemed like a regular person.". Joie Ruth Armstrong, a naturalist at Yosemite National Park, was brutally murdered by Cary Stayner, a motel handyman at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, Calif. (The . Her stories include full coverage of the Yosemite murders and the Scott Peterson case, the beleaguered California olive industry and farming and ranching issues. "You have one brother who's been subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances he's a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. A true crime book and TV movie, both titled I Know My First Name Is Steven, were made about the ordeal. Stayner's days of freedom were soon over once he visited the colony's bar. But after he and a fellow victim escaped in . State authorities said Delbert Stayner molested them. His brother Steven was held captive for more than seven years before escaping and reuniting with his family. On Sept. 20, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle without a helmet in the rain. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? "They call [Merced] the gateway to Yosemite," said Ted Rowlands, a former reporter who covered Cary Stayners story at KNTV for the San Francisco Bay area. Parents today are very protective of their children, and for good reason. Against the odds, he flourished there. "Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. That night, he talked his way into their room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered all three. He smoked cigarettes. Cary Stayner is shown in a 1979 Merced High School yearbook photo. Stayners parents withdrew emotionally after Steven went missing, Rinek wrote. His abductor kept and sexually abused Steven for seven years. The driver was taken aback by his strange behavior but did nothing about it since the FBI had publicly announced that the killer was likely in custody, according to ABC News. 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. I never recognized either one of them.". We were talking about the Kennedy family, and all the bad things that have happened to them," Strength said. Cary at 6, watching television from the couch. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. "As far as I know, hes never talked to anyone about the effect Steven might have had on his crimes. Kay Stayner, left, and her son's attorney, Marcia Morrissey, right, leave the Santa Clara Superior Court during a break in the penalty phase of her son's murder trial Thursday, Oct. 3, 2002. Born In: Merced, California, United States 26 7 Quick Facts Also Known As: Steven Gregory Stayner Died At Age: 24 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Jody Edmondson (m. 1985-1989) father: Delbert Stayner mother: Kay Stayner siblings: Cary Stayner, Cory Stayner children: Ashley Stayner, Steven Stayner Jr. American Men Aries Men Died on: September 17, 1989 Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the other murders in state court. Merced, California, U.S. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. The contrast between the two brothers is "surreal," Flynn said. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Steven Stayner escaped Kenneth Parnell when he was 14 years old. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner was on his way home from school when Ervin Edward Murphy approached him, pretending to be a dude from the church handing out gospel tracts, as. Currently, she is a business reporter, covering the food and wine industries, agriculture and tourism. Lynnea Shertz, who grew up two doors down from the Stayners, remembered Cary Stayner as a scrawny teenager who liked to draw figures. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. Stayner's resolve to rescue White made him a national hero. Some of the older children, including Cary Stayner, had moved out by then. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. In 1972, a seven-year-old was abducted 200 in Mendocino County, 200 miles away. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. His mother, Kay, had been late to pick him up at school, and instead of walking . Authorities had already interviewed him once before about the other three murders, but at the time he hadnt raised any red flags. "Cary was the ideal son," Kay Stayner told the jury. He skidded trying to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway and fatally struck his head. ", Thus began a seven-year ordeal in which Parnell held and sexually molested Stayner, forcing the boy to call him. Eight years later, Cary Stayner took a job as a handyman at Cedar Lodge, a motel just outside the El Portal entrance to Yosemite National Park. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Hulu's Captive Audience tells the tragic story of two Stayner brothers: Steven, who was kidnapped by a pedophile as a child, and Cary, who later became a serial killer. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. He had told her then that he left because the police presence was overwhelming. Parnell proceeded to sexually abuse Stayner for the next seven years. Panda's thread on parents of murderers reminded me of the Steven Stayner case and his parents. By then police had charged two other men for Stayner's initial murders two brothers who had a criminal record, per ABC News. [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. Docuseries To Explore Tale Of The Stayner Brothers: One A Hero Kidnapping Survivor And The Other A Serial Killer. [13] He was nevertheless found sane and convicted of three counts of first degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping by a jury on August 27, 2002. In 2002 Cary Stayner was convicted of first degree murder on four counts. While his brother was outgoing and popular at Merced High, Cary Stayner was known as more of an introvert. On trial for his life, Stayner sat just a few feet away. So, Steven figures the best thing to do is to take him to the police station," Flynn said. Cary Stayner's death sentence was automatically appealed a long process that, at the time, could have meant more than a decade of waiting, per SFGate. ". They. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Cary Anthony Stayner, a.k.a. "Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. Cary Stayner is an American serial killer and the oldest brother of Steven Stayner. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). From the time Cary was a small boy, the Stayner family vacationed together in Yosemite and the surrounding high countrypiling into the family van and driving 60 miles east to camp, fish, and . But Stayner made some around him feel uncomfortable, particularly girls his age. In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions, halting the process for 700 inmates, including Stayner. He'd also told one of his coworkers that he'd been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but that he was able to cope by smoking a joint. When Cary Stayner was just 11, his younger brother, Steven, 7, was snatched from a Merced street on his way home from school. His father worked for the Shoe Corporation of America, founded by his father-in-law, Robert Schiff and later was chairperson of Shoe Corporation of Canada and Clark International Corp. have yall heard of Steven and Cary Stayner? The first two victims, Carole Sund and Pelosso, were found in the trunk of the charred remains of Sund's Pontiac rental car. The description is echoed by Cary Stayner's co-workers and friends at the Cedar Lodge near Yosemite Valley, where he lived and worked as a handyman. Stayner's brother, Cary, is in San Quentin State Prison awaiting execution for killing four women in Yosemite National Park in 1999. At first, Cary was concerned for his brother's safety, but later on, he started feeling neglected by his parents, and only found comfort in crime. The two brothers are both famous and both knew unspeakable horror. 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. However, it took several months for investigators to realize Stayner was behind the killings. Steven Stayner, then 24, had married and had two children. He also felt more directly responsible. And I said, "Well, it's just a little ways, I can walk.' Steven Stayner and his parents, Kay Stayner and Delbert Stayner, reunited after seven years of losing their son in abduction. "He literally said, 'I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. Steven was famous, and now Cary was living in his shadow. In addition to his fraught life at home and at school, Steven, still just a teenager by this point, also had to face Parnell in court. Cary had been a doting older brother who played with Steven. I know theyre going to give me the death penalty. Psychiatrist George Woods, who evaluated Cary while he was in prison, said Steven's return was stressful for Cary since he was dealing with mental health issues and obsessive thoughts at the time, per SFGate. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. Most people now know him as "The Yosemite Park Killer". He was held captive by his abductor, Kenneth Parnell, for over seven years, during which time Parnell sexually abused him and forced him to live as his son. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. This includes a 9-year kidnapping and a serial killing pic.twitter.com/WgWQCdDk7h, may queen (@syanarchy) February 19, 2020. Stayner's parents fear losing another son. Steven Stayner was 7 years old when he was approached on his way home from school by a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell. Del Stayner and his family resided on Betty Street, a lower-middle-class suburb in Merced, California, a tranquil farming town nestled in the shadows of Yosemite National Park. When 800,000 children disappear every year worldwide - 460,000 of these from the United States . "He knew everyone and talked to everyone, but I can't say anyone was his best friend or not.". Stayner, already serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Joie Armstrong, faces the death penalty for the murders of Carole and Juli Sund and Sylvina Pelosso. He was attractive, and girls would tell his friends that they would like to date him, but Stayner never pursued a relationship and remained alone. Its senseless." 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. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, "everyone was smiling, there was a lot of jubilation, but if you look in the background, there's something worth noting, and it's Cary in his baseball cap, and he's not smiling at all," according to Flynn. In 1989, Steven tragically died in a motorcycle accident at 24 years old, per A&E. FBI agents caught up with Stayner at a nudist colony, where he had fled to after Armstrongs murder. The Stayners were not only parents to a child who was the victim of a kidnapping (Steven) but also of the Yosemite serial killer (Cary Stayner). Cary Stayner had been sexually abused by his uncle, while his sisters were abused by their father, Delbert Stayner. Their remarkably dark and tragic lives are told in Hulu's recent documentary "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story." Kay lost her son Steven in a motorcycle accident, and even though his son was found guilty of murder, she begged the jury to not give her son the death penalty. Cary Stayner is now better known as 'The Yosemite Park Killer' after being convicted of the serial murders of four women in the grounds of the national park. "They said they wanted to get away and wash away some bad memories.". He finally ran away and turned himself over to a nearby police department. What happened to the Stayner brothers? Steven Stayner and his parents reunited after his abduction. When a tip was called in about Stayner's car, which had been parked near the crime scene, investigators only thought of him as a potential witness, per ABC News. It was common for the couple to load the kids in the car and take off in search of a new tip that could lead them to Steven.