what happened to cary stayner parents
What happened to Steven's older brother, Cary? Investigators initially didn't suspect Cary Stayner as a suspect, despite spending much of his time in the area. ABCs 20/20: Yosemite Serial Killer, as the title suggests, profiles the tale of the male who carried out four murders in six months near the Yosemite National Park in 1999. Stayner was tried in federal court for Armstrong's murder since it occurred on federal land. He was easy to spot because he was the only person wearing clothes, per ABC News. According to Cinemaholic, in the 1970s, their family consisted of Cary and Steven Stayner, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. After all, the latter helped a 5-year-old child escape a pedophile as a teenager after enduring years of abuse. Cary Stayner, also known as The Yosemite Killer, was convicted nearly 20 years ago in the deaths of four people in 1999 while he was working as a hotel handyman in California. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He was interviewed by Good Morning America a few times and his story was adapted into a book and movie. Five months passed without another killing, and the community surrounding Yosemite was lulled into a sense of calm especially when the FBI announced that those they believed responsible for the murders were in custody. On the day of those murders, Stayner spent most of his time with his girlfriend and her family, per ABC News. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" Rowlands said. He was discovered by police and gave this statement: "My . Stayner was sentenced to death for the four murders, and is still on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. After Stayner's first murder spree, he hired a cab driver to take him away from the area. Parnell changed Stayner's name to Dennis Parnell and enrolled him in a new school, 300 miles away from where his real siblings attended. Stayner's father, Delbert Stayner, was accused of sexually abusing his daughters, and Rinek wrote sexual abuse in the family went back at least five generations. "Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 - September 16, 1989) was an American kidnapping victim. Following the family tragedy, Steven Stayner's mother, Kay, has decided to live a quiet life. 11 min read. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. Steven Stayner became a national hero after escaping his kidnapper and rescuing his fellow captive Timmy White in 1980. [5] FBI agents John Boles and Jeff Rinek found Stayner staying at the Laguna del Sol nudist resort in Wilton, where he was arrested and taken to Sacramento for questioning. However, during Cary's murder trial, his attorneys argued that he never wanted fame or attention, calling him a "shrinking violet," per the Independent. When his sister had a sleepover, he crawled under the bed of one of her friends in order to touch her breasts. World's Most Evil Killers (2017) An in-depth look at the lives and crimes of some of the World's most evil killers including Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, Cary Stayner, Leonard Lake, Dorothea. The first time, he was a seven-year-old child on a missing person poster, having disappeared without a trace on his way home . Telling police, "I know my first name is Steven" became the most iconic moment in Stevens remarkable story later becoming the title of the book and a television movie. Steven Stayner escaped Kenneth Parnell when he was 14 years old. 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 . My son is very sick right now, the familys patriarch said while sobbing. His high school girlfriend said he later told her what happened. Stayner is reported to have attempted suicide in 1991,[6] and was arrested in 1997 for possession of marijuana[4] and methamphetamine,[7] although these charges were eventually dropped. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. But Stayner made some around him feel uncomfortable, particularly girls his age. ". And they searched. Later, she moved to the food and wine section, where she covered food and wine trends and news. Cary is still on death row and as of now, the court has not set the execution date for him. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. The case remains unsolved. By Gina Tron. Surrounded by TV cameras, Steven Stayner, right foreground, and and his brother Delbert Stayner are shown walking toward their Merced County, Calif., home, March 2, 1980, as Steven was reunited with his family following a 7-year kidnap ordeal. On trial for his life, Stayner sat just a few feet away. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. 1201), Attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death (18 U.S.C. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Cary Stayner was Steven's older brother, born on August 13, 1961. READ NEXT: Steven Stayner Death: How Carys Stayners Brother Died. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. < 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck, 'Really cool sight': Rare waterspout forms in Northern California, A different horse': Bay Area will likely continue to see rain, My meal at this landmark SF spot was too expensive to be so bad, Man shot dead near San Francisco Ferry Building, 'Lady in the fridge' murder victim ID'd as Bay Area mother of 3, Buster Posey has weak answer on Giants owner's politics, These East Bay gems are a haven for music lovers, Snow shuts down over 70 miles of I-80 in Northern California, 'Life threatening': Tahoe braces for massive blizzard, 10 beach essentials to pack for a spring break vacation, You can still overpack the smaller Monos check-in suitcase. "Cary was pretty much a loner. 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. As a child, Stayner suffered from intrusive images in his head, including thoughts about his mother being kidnapped. Detectives began interviewing employees of the Cedar Lodge motel where the first three victims had been staying just before their deaths. The panel has rejected his insanity defense and found him guilty of killing Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and their 16- year-old Argentine friend, Silvina Pelosso. He was seven years older and no longer the little brother Cary had once bonded with. And he wanted the same treatment. The older brother of Steven, Cary. It was nominated for four Emmys and a Golden Globe, according to theIndependent. Cary Stayner, who had been working as a handyman at Cedar Lodge for less than two years, was responsible for the murders. On Sept. 20, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle without a helmet in the rain. After Steven had been abducted, Cary and a cousin spent a night with their uncle, who showed them nude photos of underage girls. Stayner is now 60 years old and is currently being held in San Quentin State prison, per California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Marshal from the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, Calif., Aug. 6, 1999 on his way to an arraignment in federal court. 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. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. Its a story of a happy ending turned rathertwisted. Her mother was a waitress at the California lodge in 1998 and Stayner lived in an apartment above the restaurant. Stayner's attorneys request that the location of his trial be moved away from the area surrounding Yosemite in order to guarantee him a fair trial was granted, per The Los Angeles Times. In February 1980, Parnell decided to capture a new, younger boy. He graduated from Merced High School, and worked as a window installer for a glass company in nearby Atwater. I'll just give you a ride home.' 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. 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. 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. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". He is also the prime suspect in the Sund-Pelosso case. Click to reveal Stayner's parents, who apologized to the families of the victims, advocated against the death penalty. When Cary Stayner was just 11, his younger brother, Steven, 7, was snatched from a Merced street on his way home from school. 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. What happened to Cary Stayner, and where is he now? Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "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. Very seldom did he get into trouble. 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. "I don't think he did it. And I said, "Well, it's just a little ways, I can walk.' Some. He was found smoking marijuana and brought in for questioning. Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the other murders in state court. "I knew he was kinda weird, but I never knew he would get to that level of actually murdering anyone.". A third brother, Cary Stayner, is seen in a ball cap in the background between his brothers Steven and Delbert. The boys were still in elementary school when a man named Kenneth Parnell entered the picture. Steven Stayner and his parents reunited after his abduction. "It was a sleety, wintery day," Sean Flynn, a journalist who wrote about both Stayner brothers for Esquire, said. 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." Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. On GMA in March 1980, Steven shared with former host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. And on July 21, Stayner killed again. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents, so he asked as a condition of his confession that a $250,000 reward offered by his victims family members go to his own family, Rinek wrote. 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. 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. What happened to the Stayner brothers? He started chatting with one of the bar's regulars, Janet Damant. Presently, he remains incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. 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. have yall heard of Steven and Cary Stayner? California Department of CorrectionsCary Stayner's prison record. Steven Stayner was kidnapped when Cary Stayner was 11, Rinek wrote. 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. An FBI agent believed they would've been Stayner's next victims had he not been caught,per ABC News. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". Then in 1999, Cary murdered two women and two teens and was sentenced to death a few years later. Im not sure there is any direct cause and effect," Flynn said. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Jerry Stayner and. ", "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. Lesli Armstrong, Armstrong's mother, started crying as she listened to Stayner, and said afterward that she believed his apology was genuine. By then police had charged two other men for Stayner's initial murders two brothers who had a criminal record, per ABC News. There was out and out fury over the sentence," Flynn said. They no longer want you,'" investigative journalist Pat LaLama said. "My son is very sick right now," Delbert Stayner told the court while sobbing. "One time Cindy (Stayner) and I were outside at night and he exposed himself to us. In December 1990, Jesse "Jerry" Stayner, 42, Cary and Steven's uncle, was shot to death in his Merced home. He also felt more directly responsible. And for a brief moment, a wave of good memories appeared to wash over her face. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. "I didn't socialize with him," he said. However, she remembers feeling uncomfortable with him when he once stripped completely bare in front of them at the Merced River. A true crime book and TV movie, both titled I Know My First Name Is Steven, were made about the ordeal. "The Yosemite Park Killer," or simply "The Yosemite Killer," is an ephebophilic serial killer, serial rapist, thrill killer and abductor. [9] His vehicle yielded evidence proving his link to Armstrong. The following year, Cary's uncle, Jesse, with whom he was living at the time, was murdered. 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. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. 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. When Steven was abducted, Cary had wished upon a star every night that Steven would return, per SFGate. In the little time I worked with him, he just seemed like a regular person.". 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. He had visited the resort before in March after his first murder spree, and he lived there in a tent beside a lake. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? 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. #truecrime #PodernFamily #perspective #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/IItIDruGTI, It Could Always Be Worse (@alwaysbeworse) March 21, 2018. "Hes ready to kill again. His abductor kept and sexually abused Steven for seven years. "Cary, as the older brother, had a very strange relationship now with his younger brother, Steven, who was getting all of this attention and who was a different person," Rowlands said. Once taken into custody, Cary Stayner was soon put on trial. Steven Stayner and his parents, Kay Stayner and Delbert Stayner, reunited after seven years of losing their son in abduction. I know theyre going to give me the death penalty. In 2021, it was penalized around $400,000 for safety violations that resulted in a COVID-19 outbreak and 28 inmate deaths, per CNN. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. 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. 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. When Cary Stayner was just 11, his younger brother, Steven, 7, was snatched from a Merced street on his way home from school. However, it took several months for investigators to realize Stayner was behind the killings. Cary's mother, Kay Stayner, had also been molested by her own father, per SFGate. It means I can die with a clear conscience now, whenever that day comes, Stayner said, according to Rinek. He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso, and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. Steven Stayner was a child who was abducted in Merced, California, in 1972, at the age of seven. Now Steven Stayner's brother, Cary, 37, was the prime suspect in the decapitation killing of a young naturalist, and the FBI suggested he had a role in the murder of three Yosemite tourists in February - Carole Sund, her daughter, Juli, and family friend Silvina Pelosso. Im so sorry. As the older brother, Stayner felt a natural if undeserved sense of responsibility for not protecting Steven from harm. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Stayner's resolve to rescue White made him a national hero. According to local reporter Ted Rowlands, Stayner wanted to connect sexually with girls but struggled to have normal relationships with them (via ABC News). Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. What happened to Steven Stayner parents? Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. Two weeks later, fellow kidnap victim Steven Stayner . Stayner's 1972 abduction was originally treated like a local news item about every parent's worst nightmare. Only 13 were executed, according to KMPH News. Steven Stayner tragically died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. I think my mom might donate something,' " Stayner told authorities years later. But for the murders of the three female tourists, prosecutors were not going to let him get off so relatively easy; they were determined to give him the maximum penalty. Stayner's defense attorneys positioned Stayner as a victim of mental illness and trauma, stemming from his brother's abduction and having been molested as a child, according to SFGate. "Everything they did and everything they had, it was about Steven," she said. "I'm just shocked that he would be involved in something like this.". In 1989, Steven tragically died in a motorcycle accident at 24 years old, per A&E. "He was kind of a quiet guy. "They did mention about finally getting a chance to get out of here," said Ennis Mayberry, 36, who bought the house from the Stayners 10 years ago. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. The Stayner family thought they lost their 7-year-old son, Steven Stayner, when he disappeared in 1972. [1], Cary Stayner was born and raised in Merced, California. "He literally said, 'I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. When Steven Stayner returned home, the whole family's focus was on him, she said. "As far as I know, hes never talked to anyone about the effect Steven might have had on his crimes. 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. 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. He. Shawn, who was missing since Oct. 2002, was. 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). In high school, he served as the cartoonist for the student paper and was voted "most creative" by his classmates, per ABC News. He said, 'I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. In 2002 Cary Stayner was convicted of first degree murder on four counts. "His idea of serenity was to maybe smoke a little pot and to sunbathe naked.". This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. "Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. A child abductee's journey back. Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, was a handyman at the Cedar Lodge just outside the park where the women were staying, according to the Modesto Bee. Del, Steven's father, died on April 9, 2013, at his house in Winton, California. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The Florida Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Gary Michael Hilton,Read More Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He wanted the world to take note. When he returned home, he was a promiscuous teenager with an alcohol problem and later died in a motorcycle crash. "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. He returns to Merced triumphant. Courtesy of Hulu The relentless attention was difficult. Sadly, even though she kept her father away from her daughters while he stayed with them, they were still unsafe as Delbert reportedly carried on the cycle of parental molestation. 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. Its senseless." She started at the Chronicle as a general assignment reporter, covering breaking news, catastrophes, crime, criminal and civil trials. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. Peterson had been condemned to death row, but his sentence was overturned and he is awaiting a new trial in the death of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner. When 800,000 children disappear every year worldwide - 460,000 of these from the United States . On top of that, cameras were constantly following Stayner. Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was accused of sexually abusing his daughters, and Rinek wrote sexual abuse in the family went back at least five generations. In 1997, Stayner was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, California, just outside the Highway 140 entrance to Yosemite National Park. He sure led a rough life, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Staynerwhose young brother Steven was abducted as a child and later received nationwide attention through the TV miniseries, "I Know My First Name is Steven"murdered two women and two teenage girls near Yosemite National Park in 1999: Joie Armstrong, Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. 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. His father, Delbert Stayner, admitted that he became so obsessed about finding Steven at the cost of his relationship with his other children, according to SFGate. The two brothers are both famous and both knew unspeakable horror. One of those employees was Stayner, but he was not considered a suspect at that point because he had no criminal history and remained calm during the police interview.[8]. And I go, "Well, OK,' and so I got in the car. 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. 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. He loved country music and animals. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. Here are some untold facts about Cary Stayner's grim past and his monstrous crimes. The two brothers now had to share a room, but they didn't get along. Then his uncle gets killed in a homicide. He usually ordered a rum and coke. [4], When Steven escaped Parnell and returned home in 1980, he received massive media attention. His next victim was 26-year-old park naturalist Joie Armstrong, who had been staying in a cabin at the park. While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. Carole and Pelosso's bodies were found burned and in the trunk of Carole's rental car. His brother Steven was held captive for more than seven years before escaping and reuniting with his family. Seven years later, after escaping his captor, he returned home. He had begun working as a handyman at a motel in El Portal in the 1990s. ", "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. When he was an adolescent, he began having dark, sexual fantasies involving rape. Stayner had a traumatic childhood involving sexual abuse, the kidnapping of his younger brother by a pedophile, and feelings of guilt that he could not protect his brother, Rinek wrote in his book. Stayner later told investigators that he had bound Armstrong and forced her into his car, and she heroically escaped before he caught up to her, according to ABC News. Parnell proceeded to sexually abuse Stayner for the next seven years. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. Stayner's father, Delbert, admitted that he thinks son Cary may have suffered a trauma at age 11, when younger brother Steven, then seven, was abducted in 1972, disappearing for eight years. "Then finally, things were getting to be normal and things were getting good, that's when Steven gets killed," she said. After her friends reported her missing, police found signs of a struggle at her cabin and half a mile away, they found her body. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years. The brothers, Cary and Steven Stayner, were dual opposites; although Cary didn't experience the same abduction ordeal as his younger brother, Steven, he dealt with his own demons and ultimately succumbed to them through rape and murder. One of her daughters, Lenna, was interviewed by ABC's 20/20 in 2019 and said she and her sister were excited whenever Stayner visited. Some of the older children, including Cary Stayner, had moved out by then.
Comments are closed.