'Captive Audience' Summary: Hulu Revisits the Stayner Family - People He told The San Jose Mercury News that watching his children play was 'like having another childhood - the childhood I didn't have.' "Steven was bravely going about reconstructing his life," JK Miller said. 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. According to The Famous People, Parnell also enrolled Stayner in school. The statue tells the story of Steven Stayner, a Merced youth who was abducted in 1972 andTimothy White, the 5-year-old boy he rescued from suffering the same fate. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. In 2014, she shared the tragic news that her partner had passed away. The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. At the time of Stayner's kidnapping, Parnell was employed at the Yosemite Lodge, which according to ABC News, was approximately two hours away from Merced. In 1972, 7-year-old Steven Stayner went to school and never came home. Cary Stayner was convicted in 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. Both Kay and her husband confessed that they were not the best parents even when Steven returned feelings were still never discussed. He said, They dont go out unless I go with them or theres someone outside watching. As reported by People, Stayner struck the driver's side of the car at a high rate of speed. Jody Edmondson Now: Where Are Steven Stayner's Wife and Kids Today? Update Unable to avoid the collision, Steven hit the drivers side of the vehicle. This memorial reminds families and friends of other missing children that their loved one may someday return. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. According to ABC News, Parnell stopped to make a call from a payphone shortly after Murphy and Steven Stayner got into his car. In a 2000 interview about his 1951 crime, Parnell said he kidnapped and molested the boy because his wife Patsy Dorton (died 2018) was pregnant and that he "had to find another outlet. Adjusting to post-abduction life was no easy task for Steven. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. Steven Stayners incredible story features in the captivating Hulu crime dramaCaptive Audience. Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. Steven Stayner was kidnapped when Cary Stayner was 11, Rinek wrote. Dwarfed by his tall andlanky frame, Timmy takes his hand to set out on the dark road from the remote home where thechildren were being held. However, his sexual abuse of the boy never stopped. On February 14, 1980, Parnell abducted five-year-old Timothy White from Ukiah with the help of Sean Poorman, a minor and an acquaintance of Stayner. 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. Cary was very upset, he said. The prosecution successfully argued that sexual aids and pornography found in the apartment, along with Stevens' own testimony, were enough to prove that Parnell's intentions were criminal in nature. The Famous People reports Parnell then took the boy to a remote cabin near Catheys Valley, California. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him had stayed. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, . While they were lovingly raised among almond groves and peach orchards by Delbert and Kay Stayner, their lives in the farming town of Merced were unfortunately in dangerous proximity of a monster. According to The Famous People, Murphy offered to walk Stayner home, as he wanted to ask his mother for a donation. He loved his family, his career and boating, especially at Lake Pyramid, the obituary states. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, a Hulu docuseries streaming today, first revisits the 1972 kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner by convicted child molester Kenneth Parnell. In 1989, Steven was killed in a motorcycle accident, leaving behind a wife and two young children. He died in his home, according to his obituary which features a photo of him in a sheriffs uniform. He died in his home, according to. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Assistant Sheriff Strength said Stayner was on the waiting list for a job as a county jail guard.. Stayner waited until Parnell had gone to his night shift job as a clerk at a local motel on March 1, 1980 and, carrying White on his back, hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah. Stayner family's woeful history - SFGATE However, Timothy could not remember his address, so Stayner took him to a police station instead. When Stayner was seven, he was kidnapped in Merced, California, by Kenneth Parnell who was a child molester. 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. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. He fell in love. He was not kept in captivity, and in the following years, was enrolled into a number of schools where Parnell identified himself as his father. However, little did she know that her uncle was the murderer. Copyright 2023 Distractify. A report from 2007 placed her in Montana, but beyond that, not much else is known about Jody. An FBI Agent Recounts a Repulsive Request by Serial Killer Cary Stayner He is now 59 and on death row in San Quentin State Prison, according to his prison records. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. We were kind of on our own, Sartell said. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. Hulus Captive Audience sheds a light on the Stayner family and how the media can influence the publics perception of a case. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison. His older brother Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murders of four women in 2002. This is the hardest thing she has ever had to face, and she just cant talk to anybody. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. The couple became estranged albeit, they were actively trying to fix things. In 1980, the same man kidnapped another child, 5 year old Timothy White. Ashley Stayner (Steven Stayner's Daughter) Bio, Wiki, Age, Parents A new docuseries dives into the unbelievable tale of two brothers, one of whom was a child kidnapping victim-turned-national hero and the other who became a serial killer. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. It was a sad end to a tragic life,Allen Maxfield, CHP traffic safety officer, said. Jody expressed her frustration with the hit-and-run, saying, Im very, very, very angry. [2] In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of four women. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. In 1999, a proposal to name a park after him was rejected as the officials feared that 'Stayner Park' may point to his brother Cary, who had just confessed to killing four women in Yosemite. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. He didnt whine about lousy breaks. However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware how to summon help. 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. 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. She named the sculptural design, Coming Home and it was unanimously approved by the committee. Stayner lived as Parnell's "son" for seven years, during which he was repeatedly sexually abused. Instead, he tried to make the best of it. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story,. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. On July 24, 1999, Cary confessed to killing four women, who had all been guests at the lodge where he was employed. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Jody emotionally described how she and Stayner planned to visit their favorite restaurant after he got home. Cary Stayner was convicted in the 1999 murders of 42-year-old Carole Sund, her 15-year-old daughter Juli, their 16-year-old family. On September 16, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his motorcycle home from work when a car suddenly pulled out of a driveway onto the highway. He had been abducted in plain sight. Born In: Merced, California, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Jody Edmondson (m. 19851989). By that time, Cary Stayner was already having grotesque fantasies, the agent wrote. Mathias also helped Parnell in the abduction of another boy who was in the Santa Rosa Boys' Club with Stayner, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Kenneth Eugene Parnell was born in Amarillo, Texas[1][2] to Cecil Frederick and Mary Olive (ne Pollard) Parnell, during the region's dust bowl era during the Great Depression. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to. The title of the TV series and the book on Steven Stayner, 'I Know My First Name is Steven', was inspired by a line in his official police statement given after being rescued. At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972 by Kenneth Parnell, who had previously been convicted for sodomizing a young boy and for armed robbery in Utah. The fact that Stayners brother was kidnapped by a pedophile and abused for seven years adds an almost unfathomable dimension to the tragedy that enveloped this family. He was spunky. 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. Star Original Captive Audience - A Real American Horror Story aired on Hulu with all 3 episodes available immediately on the release date of April 21, 2022. He said, Whats dying? like so much had already happened to him, what was dying compared to that?. As the older brother, Stayner felt a natural if undeserved sense of responsibility for not protecting Steven from harm. Stayner was walking home from school December 4, 1972, when the men lured him into their vehicle, saying they had just talked to his parents and they no longer wanted him, ABC reported. Where Is Kenneth Parnell, Who Kidnapped Steven Stayner, Now? | True "He didn't complain. And while Captive Audience focuses mostly on the Stayner family and how Stevens brother Cary grew up to be a serial killer, Whites life and story was changed forever by his ordeal. 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. Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He was a survivor.. For seven years he was held captive by a man who routinely abused him. Kay and Delbert had already lost Steven to a motorcycle accident in 1989, so they dreaded losing their other son. How Did Steven Stayner's Dad Del Stayner Die? - The Cinemaholic In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to pick . On March 1, 1980, two weeks after Timothy White was abducted, as Parnell went on duty at his night security job, Steven Stayner left the house with Timmy and hitchhiked a ride to Ukiah. Soon after, Parnell reached there, driving a white Buick, which Stayner got into willingly, along with Murphy, but instead of his home, he was taken to a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley. Stevens parents, Kay and Delbert, were on a camping trip when they learned of the passing.