By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven had been walking home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into a stranger's car with the promise of a ride home. I dont know sometimes if I should have come home. Kay says. Two of the women's bodies were found burned in the trunk of their charred vehicle, one had her throat cut and the final victim had been decapitated. "Knowing that he had this kit inside of his backpack when he was around us every time is terrifying to me, and it's almost like a slap in the face to [know] how close it came for us. "My mom said, 'You know the girls that went missing? Steven Stayner was eventually reunited with his family and hailed as a hero. 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Their childhood, until his disappearance, was typical of the era. . Joie Armstrong, the last of Cary Stayner's victims, was beheaded. He actually was not working at the time he had been laid off for the winter off-season but the guests, Carole Sund, her teen daughter, Juli, and their friend Silvina Pelosso, didn't know that. The photographs were released by family members before a jury began deliberations in the murder trial of Cary Stayner. Despite Stayner being outed as a victim of sexual abuse, Parnell wasnt, ultimately, charged with any sex crimes, as under the laws of the time, they apparently wouldnt have added any significant jail time. "He said, "OK,' and gave me these booklets and he asked me if I wanted a ride home. When Steven Stayner returned home, the whole family's focus was on him, she said. He stayed away from most of the other kids.". "They got him to a mental health center, but he left. He made some money consulting on a TV film written about his horrifying ordeal and got a reward for rescuing the 5-year-old boy. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. "He was off. Bee), Juli Sund, the teenage daughter of Carole Sund, was sexually assaulted and then driven by Cary Stayner along with the bodies of her mother and friend to a wooded area near the Don Pedro Reservoir. Cary later said he and his cousin had been repeatedly molested by Uncle Jesse. Friends, they did not give him a ride home! Steven's brave act thrusted him into the national spotlight. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers. Child predator Kenneth Parnell, convicted of kidnapping Steven Stayner and paroled to Berkeley, was sentenced 25 years to life in 2004 for trying to buy a 4-year-old boy for $500. They felt slightly better about the two-part TV mini-series that debuted in 1989, for which the family was consulted. My mom went off the deep end, and um, harbors a lot of guilt. In 1981, Parnell was tried for the kidnappings. Then, investigators made a connection: Cary Stayner, Steven's older brother, worked at the lodge where three of the victims had stayed, and was soon deemed the sole suspect in the murders. I wanted to share the happiness we had, the good outcome, but then that had a bad side too.". I was really excited, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, finally.' Steven Stayner with his parents In their four years together, they welcomed daughter Ashley, followed by son Steven Jr. August 2022: Whats New and Gay on Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Hulu, Paramount+, Disney+, Apple TV+ and AMC+? "He knew everyone and talked to everyone, but I can't say anyone was his best friend or not.". One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. Steven Stayner was 7 years old when he was approached on his way home from school by a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell. "I was just over there throwing rocks in the creek and just happened to notice her walk out again and again. "I could not believe what Id just heard," the FBI's Rinek said. Cary Stayner is shown in a booking photo Monday, Dec. 4, 2000, at the Mariposa County Adult Facility in Mariposa, Calif. Parnell was convicted for both kidnappings and served five years of his seven year prison sentence. "My mom and my stepdad sat us down, and they said, 'We have to talk to you, we have to tell you guys something. Friends and co-workers would say later that he struggled with impulses he didn't understand and was susceptible to fits of rage. By 1997, hed moved to the Yosemite valley and was working as a maintenance guy at a 206-room motel, Cedar Lodge. He told doctors at a hospital where he was treated that he began to participate in homosexual activities at the reform school where he was sent for stealing a car. It took me so long to move past that and see that these were pretty extraordinary happenings that were mostly coincidentally connected to each other. Kenneth Parnell is shown in a June, 1981 file photo testifying at his trial for the kidnapping of a 5-year boy. 27 of 38 28 of 38 The Stayner family home in Merced, Calif. SUSAN RAGAN Show More Show Less 29 of 38 Child kidnap victim Steven Stayner, 23, is seen smoking a cigarette inside a car about a year . As Strength tracked down the information for the FBI, he made the connection. At the time of the murders I was down in San Diego so I was never a suspect or interviewed by the FBI, but people wanted to rent the room that the murders took place in, they eventually turned it into a storage room. On December 4, 1972, Steven was abducted walking home from school - the beginning of a traumatizing, media-heavy journey for the Stayner family. As hed feared, the revelation had dire consequences. "Then finally, things were getting to be normal and things were getting good, that's when Steven gets killed," she said. The direction and cinematography also add to the overall impact of the film. For two years in Santa Rosa, Barbara Mathias, a girlfriend of Parnells, moved in with them, and she participated in Stevens abuse.
