He was given a new identity . In December 1972, his 7-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was abducted in Merced, California, by pedophile Kenneth Parnell and accomplice Ervin Murphy. Courts, lawyers, and investigators seemed especially sensitive to the shame that seemed to surround such crimes.. its so fascinating to hear about the reverberations stories like this have on our personal lives, like the fear that you developed around visiting national parks as a woman. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Lenna said she could remember one occasion in which Cary Stayner had made her feel uncomfortable. "I'm just shocked that he would be involved in something like this.". "Cary still didn't talk to anyone about Steven. But Steven and his mother didnt want to go through a second trial. Kay says. In February 1999, Carole Sund; her 16-year-old daughter, Juli Sund; and friend Silvina Pelossa, an exchange student from Argentina, were staying at the lodge. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. The boy didn't exist. A San Francisco Gate article from 2003 also digs in to why Parnell was not charged with sex crimes, quoting former Mendocino County district attorney Joe Allen. Cary eventually developed acute paranoia after years of consistent marijuana use, but kept on smoking regardless. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story rehashes the series of horrific events spanning the '70s, '80s and '90s that captivated a nation and destroyed a family. Tragedy struck the Stayner family again 15 months later, in December 1990. The case remains unsolved . He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund and friend Silvina Pelosso were missing for a month before their bodies were found. During this time, Parnell kidnapped a 5-year-old child in Ukiah, California and held him captive for two weeks before Steven Stayner escaped and took the child to the police. and promptly dropped off the radar of friends and family. A cabin where Parnell lived with Dennis (Courtesy of Hulu). The murders were all over the news and remained unsolved in July, when 25-year-old Joie Armstrong was found headless in a creek. The window was open, the curtain was open, and I can see inside that there was two young women and the mother and no man," Cary Stayner said in his 1999 taped confession, obtained by ABC News. [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. When Rinek took Cary Stayner's confession it should have been the highlight of his career. Cary later said he and his cousin had been repeatedly molested by Uncle Jesse. When she was murdered, her family and the park created the Yosemite Armstrong Scholars to keep Joies dreams and actions alive. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of protecting children and supporting victims of abuse and trauma. [4] Im a Lesbian and I Want to Hate-Fuck These 9 Men So Hard Their Kindergarten Teachers Forget Their Own Names, FRIDAY OPEN THREAD: Lets Warm This House Up, Autism Is Not a Trend, but There Are Problems With How Its Discussed Online, The Sounds of Gen-Z: Five Queer R&B Artists That Blend Sultry with Sweet, Its Time To Face Facts: Ill Never Be a Lipstick Femme. As a teenager, Cary loved smoking weed and so did his Uncle Jesse, who Cary eventually moved in with, until Uncle Jesse was murdered in 1990 with his own gun, allegedly by a home intruder. Barbara was somehow also hailed as a good guy in the story. Welcome toOBSESSED, in which I provide you a reading list / media consumption list that speaks to my primary hobby: doing obsessive amounts of research into a singular topic or story for no reason. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor. The Stayner family Delbert and Kay and their two sons and three daughters lived in a small farming town of Merced, California, known as the gateway to Yosemite Park. Its so wild how formative these two events were for me. "He knew everyone and talked to everyone, but I can't say anyone was his best friend or not.". In 1985, at the age of 20, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. Her other son, Robert, was in jail for drug, firearm and oral copulation charges. "My mom and my stepdad sat us down, and they said, 'We have to talk to you, we have to tell you guys something. In 1959, he was arrested for robbery in Salt Lake City and spent six years in prison this would turn out to be the longest sentence hed serve for all the crimes he committed in his life. For seven years, Steven was held captive and sexually molested by Parnell, who forced Steven to call him "Dad" and told him his parents had abandoned him. The boy was asked if he wanted to donate something to a church. This response from a judge to Kenneth Parnells motion (1981) that charges against him her either unsupported by probable cause or barred by the statute of limitations is really choice. Cary, his older brother, was one of three sisters he had. Others say he seemed quiet but otherwise normal. He smoked cigarettes. Every summer for the past twenty years, a group of 15-18 year old women and non-binary femmes go to Yosemite for twelve days. Carole Sund and Pelosso's bodies were found in the trio's burned-out rental car a month after they were reported missing. Speaking to the FBI, Cary Stayner admitted to killing Armstrong and the three women at Cedar Lodge but he also caught agents unaware, telling them about Lenna and her sister and mother. Would I have been better off if I didnt? Undoubtedly, Steven was carrying around so much unprocessed trauma, its a wonder he was making it through the day at all. "There's a big part of me that still wonders if he still thinks of those two little girls that adored him so much because we think about him all the time, and I wonder if he still thinks about us.". Unlike the first three murders, where he left virtually no evidence, he knew that he had left a very easy trail for investigators," Rowlands said. The photographs were released by family members before a jury began deliberations in the murder trial of Cary Stayner. The new Hulu docuseries pulls back the curtain on how one of the most prominent true crime families complete with a child kidnapping victim and his serial killer brother navigated trauma under a microscope. Hulu's latest true-crime documentary, "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story ," traces the nearly unbelievable tale of the Stayner family. ", Thus began a seven-year ordeal in which Parnell held and sexually molested Stayner, forcing the boy to call him. "My mom still struggles every day. 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? ", "To realize that the monster that did that was your own family, like, that's crazy. 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. My sister and I would be walking up the driveway and wed see Cary Stayner coming up in his Scout, and jump in the truck and hed give us a ride up to our house," she said. Decades after the Stayner family dominated the news cycle, they are back in headlines once more following the release of Hulu's newest true crime docuseries. When he got into the room, Cary pulled out a .22-caliber pistol, claiming he intended to rob the them. An investigation into Steven's reappearance uncovered that he was motivated to plan an escape after his captor abducted Timmy. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. He goes, "OK. Don't worry. Back in Merced, Stevens parents were growing increasingly alarmed. (AP Photo/Ben Margot). "I want to speak out for my family, who's been affected. Not long after Steven Stayner died, Cary Stayner's uncle was fatally shot in a home the two men shared. Bafflingly, she was given a reunion with Steven, apparently became friends with Stevens Mom, testified against Parnell and claimed she had no idea he wasnt Stevens own kid. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In the same episode, she asks: "How much more could happen in our lives in one lifetime?". 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 one does. (AP Photo/Fresno Bee), Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. Cary was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002 for the murders of four women in 1999. "I knew both of them. "Cary started acting wildly inappropriately towards females. 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. While his brother was outgoing and popular at Merced High, Cary Stayner was known as more of an introvert. Abducted at the age of 7, a teenage Steven Stayner was finally returning to his family in Merced, California. asked Lisa Hansell, then Cedar Lodge restaurant general manager. Parnell was convicted for both kidnappings and served five years of his seven year prison sentence. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Parnell returned to prison in April 2004, for offering his caretaker $500 to kidnap a 4-year-old boy for him to abuse. He worked for Cedar Lodge and I work for Yosemite View Lodge. "He came home.". 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.