seen in Montana, according to our information three sisters. Dimmock credited Ashley"and her really trusting inthe weird process of going back over a story that ultimately has been told a lot of times, but digging some new things up and starting again," for helping the series come together with fresh insight from the family. 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. This story contains details from both cases Steven was 7years old whenErvin Edward Murphy approached the second-grader on his way home from Charles Wright Elementary School on Dec. 4, 1972. Steven was persuaded to get intothe car, whereKenneth Parnellwas waiting. I don't know sometimes if I should have come home. [25], In 1985, Stayner married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson,[2] with whom he had two children: a daughter Ashley and a son Steven Jr.[26] He also worked with child abduction groups, spoke to children about personal safety, and gave interviews about his kidnapping. Stayner's parents fear losing another son. I never recognized either one of them.". During the years Steven was missing, Cary's life continued, but it was never the same. Dimmock explained. And there was just nothing there. Little did they know, Steven was being held at a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley. On Dec 4, 1972 at age 7, he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell. On February 14, 1980, Parnell and a teenage friend of Stayner's named Randall Sean Poorman kidnapped five-year-old Timmy White in Ukiah. Today, the idea of a 7-year old walking home from school alone is almost unheard of. Although pleased with the dramatization, Stayner did complain that it depicted him as a somewhat "obnoxious, rude" person, especially toward his parents, something he refuted while publicizing the miniseries in the spring of 1989. And so Steven made it home, Timmy was returned to his parents, and two families could breathe again. Stayner dropped out of school and started a drinking habit that strained his relationship with his dad. "I didn't socialize with him," Del said. Stayner had a relaxed upbringing as his captor not only allowed him to roam freely wherever he wished to go, but also allowed him to start drinking at a very early age. In the epilogue to his book, Echols describes how he infiltrated NAMBLA. He now belonged to Parnell. Lainey Wilson Stuns in Paisley Bell Bottoms. He named the dog, a Manchester Terrier, Queenie. Hulus Captive Audience takes a look at this case through the eyes of the family, including interviews with Stevens children, sister, and mother. "I yelled at him a lot. I Know My First Name Is Stevenalludes to Cary, who was 18 when his brother reappeared, being jealous of all the attention Steven was getting, but there's no indication of him being seriously disturbed. Hewassentenced to three months in jailfor felony hit-and-run. Timmy White and Steven Stayner during a press conference. Both claimed they knew nothing of the sexual assaults on Stayner. ", "My son is very sick right now," he added. "Police say that Stayner seemed fond of Parnell, who he said 'spoiled' himStayner was defensive about Parnell in his talks with police and reluctant at first to reveal his name. Steven was beaten and allowed to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. 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. When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from school, it felt like . For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Cary was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002 for the murders of four women in 1999. Would I have been better off if I didn't?". Sister Cynthia Sartelltestified that their dad was "on a mission" after Steven disappeared, and looking for their brother consumed his time and energy, to the detriment of his other kids. Kay and Delbert Stayner married in 1960 and had five children together. Reminiscent of what happened when kidnapping survivorElizabeth Smartwas spotted in town nine months after she was taken in 2002, seeminglyfree to run but actually terrified of what her abductor might do to her,many would question why Steven didn'ttell someone or otherwise try to escape. He also convinced the little boy that his parents could not afford raising so many children and as such did not want him anymore. Source: Vimbuzz.com Related Posts [17], On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away at his night security job, Stayner left with White and hitchhiked into Ukiah. "Iwas really struck by the impact that Steven had in the years he was living as Dennis," series director Dimmock told E! Dena. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell. So, on December 4, 1972, Kay was supposed to pick him up from school but had stopped to pick something up from Delbert. ", Added Steven's father, Del Stayner, "I never stopped looking, every time I saw a crowd on TV or a picture of a lot of people in a magazine. FBI agent Jeff Rinek, one of the agents who arrested Cary and then spent 90 minutes in the car withhim driving to bureau headquarters in Sacramento, remembered to the San Francisco Chroniclein 2002 howthe suspect willingly talked about what happened to his brother. children: Ashley Stayner, Steven Stayner Jr. See the events in life of Steven Stayner in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJq6NyCMd6c, http://swordandscale.com/steven-stayner-kidnapped-and-held-for-7-years/, https://alchetron.com/Steven-Stayner-818809-W. Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965 in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Stayner was the third of five children born in Merced, California to Delbert and Kay Stayner. Murphy had a stack ofreligious pamphletsand, explaining that he was collecting money for his church, offered the boy a lift home. Where is he now spends much his! https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steven-stayner-34446.php. Stayner's parents proposed that one be named "Stayner Park". Particular attention was paid to how the events impacted the life of Cary Stayner. "I've never been this angry. Once more details emerged about his ordeal, some kids teased him about being molested. Steven Stayner spent seven years as the captive of a pedophile. He had sustained a fracture at the back of his skull. Knowing Steven wouldnt get him someone, Parnell bribed one of Stevens teenage friends, Randall Sean Poorman, to help with the promise of drugs and cash. Parnell created a new identity for Stayner, giving him the new name, Dennis Gregory Parnell, but retained his original middle name and his original date of birth. Parnell had also moved from one menial job to another, some of his work requiring travel and leaving Stayner unguarded, causing an adult Stayner to remark he could have easily used these absences as opportunities to flee, but was unaware how to summon help. Parnell had also told this little boy that he wasgoing to be his new dad because his parents didn't want him anymore. But the children in the family kept their feelings to themselves and didnt discuss their emotions. He even had a regular babysitter for awhile, a single mom namedBarbara Mathias, who ended up moving in with them for nine months. Ervin Murphy, who aided in Steven'sabduction but, according to Echolls' book,insisted that he really thought Parnell was a minister and never thought he'd hurt a little boy, was also convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap, and served two years of a five-year sentence. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". Aware of Parnell's past, she reported this to local police. She urged the jury not to sentence him to death, adding, If his dying [death] would bring these people back, Id say do it. We tried to keep quiet and not upset our parents.. He barely knew his parents, and his parents scarcely knew the teenager whod returned home. Barbara Mathias was never arrested. Cory . Before leaving for the nudist colony . [38] Timmy White, then a grown man, was subpoenaed to testify in Parnell's criminal trial. On February 14, 1980, in Ukiah, California, they were successful when Poorman found 5-year old Timothy White walking home from school. In 1989, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. Yet inanother perversely tragic twist of fate, Whitealso died young, suffering a pulmonary embolism on April 1, 2010, when he was 35. He didnt whine about lousy breaks. The memorable title came from thepolice'sfirst encounter with the teen, who was reluctant to talk, but said, "I know my first name is Steven. Hewasn't wearing a helmet and he was pronounced dead of a skull fracture at a nearby hospital. But for the Stayners, this seemingly closed hellish chapter of their lives turned out to beonly the first of the worst-nightmare scenarios that they faced. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. JP Miller, the co-screenwriter ofI Know My First Name Is Steven,a mini-series about Stayners abduction and escape, said Steven struck him as a man unafraid of death. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. He was described as a quiet kid, he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, going to the park, riding his skateboard, or even his bike. "He assumed that identity because he [had to], you know, what would any of us do with that choice, and he was just a young kid. News. He had three sisters and one older brother, Cary Stayner, who in 2002 was convicted of . We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. But it wasn't until the age of 37 that he would become a murderer. At the time, the concept of therapy was frowned upon, and his father insisted that he didnt need any counseling. Sadly, Stayners triumphant return didnt last long, as he died several years after the daring escape. But why doesn't my dad hug me anymore? Captive Audiencealsodelves into thecreative license taken during the making of the miniseries and the way in which the version of events that unfolded for an average of 35.8 million viewers over the course of two nights becamethestorythat everyone knew. I am fourteen years of age. I got put on the back burner, you might say," Cary told J.P. Miller, a filmmaker who wrote a screenplay about Steven's abduction. Timothy, back home with his family, adjusted well, and things returned to normal. It wasnt until 1980 that Kay and the family saw Steven again. After performing a background check, they discovered this wasnt his first offense he had been convicted in 1951 for sodomy. He gave lectures at local schools, and even testified before the Ways and Means Committee of the State Assembly on one bill that would increase penalties for kidnapping children, and another that would require parents to have their children fingerprinted. On July 24, hours after beingcharged withthe murder ofJoie Ruth Armstrong, a 26-year-old nature guidewho was found decapitatedtwo days beforehand in a densely wooded area of Yosemite just a few hundred feet from her home, Cary confessed in an off-camera jailhouse interview with San Francisco's KBWB-TV to also killing Carole Sund, 42,her daughter JuliSund, 15, and the girl's friend Silvina Pelosso, 16,that past February. Steven Stayner's parents were left with many questions when their 7-year-old son vanished into thin air in 1972. 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. It reads: "My name is Steven Stainer [sic]. On December 4, 1972, at the age of seven, Steven was approached after school by Edward Ervin Murphy, who claimed he was collecting money for church. Cary with his little brother, Steven . Thirteen days in, Steven was being raped. I know where Stevies at now., Read Next: Bonny Lee Bakleys death The accusations behind her unsolved murder, Is Bob Barker still alive? Unfortunately, less than a decade after his incredible escape, Steven Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24, leaving behind a wife and two children. Talking remotely toGood Morning Americaon March 14, 1980, Steven,his mom and dad on either side of him, said it was "great" to be back, but his siblings had "changed a lot. [7], After Stayner agreed, a white Buick driven by Parnell pulled up, and Stayner willingly climbed into the car with Murphy. Del Stayner passed away in 2013, but Kay and her grandchildren Steven Jr. and Ashley, who were only 2 and 3 when their father died and grew up knowinghim primarily from Nemec's TV performance, sat down to talk for Captive Audience. His accomplices, Ervin Murphy, and Ronald Sean Poorman were also convicted, though on lesser charges, claiming they knew nothing of the sexual assaults. This content is imported from youTube. An ex-con who had already spent three years in San Quentin formolestingan 8-year-old boy plus another six years in a Utah prison on armed robbery and grand larceny charges, Parnell told Steven that he wasgoing to adopt him because his parents didn't want him anymore. "We never really got along that well after he came back All of a sudden Steve was getting all these gifts, getting all this clothing, getting all this attention. He married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson in 1985 and together, they had two children, Ashley and Steven, Jr. This dog had been given to Parnell by his mother, who was not aware of Stayner's existence during the period when he was being held by Parnell. Parnell continued to abuse Steven for years, telling the boy that his parents weren't looking for him. By the time she got there, the 7-year-old was nowhere to be seen. [44] Fundraisers for the statue have stated that it is meant to honor Steven Stayner and give families of missing and kidnapped children hope that they are still alive.[44]. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013, at his home in Winton, California. In 1981, Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping both White and Stayner in two separate trials and was sentenced to seven years in jail, even though he was released on parole after five years. In 2002, Kay testified during the penalty phase of her son Carys trial for a triple murder. They stopped the car and Murphy got out. The FBI acknowledged at the end of March that, while they were looking closely at a few men who (unlike Cary) had criminal records, no arrests or charges were "imminent.". Steven was able to explain what had happened to him and to Timothy. The parents of five, who had kept all the presents their son never got to open after going missing a few weeks before Christmas in 1972, ultimatelygot their wish thanks to Steven's bravery. The driver of the car fled the scene (and later surrendered himself in Tijuana, and was returned to California to be arraigned on felony hit-and-run manslaughter charges). 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. In an interview with Good Morning America in 1983, Steven recalled, The first year was kinda hectic. . [43] Residents of Ukiah, White's hometown, carved a statue showing a teenage Stayner with young White in hand while escaping their captivity. It really made me think about shifting sympathies. Shockingly, Parnell allowed Steven to go to school. Yet Stayner also said that he had no desire to see him again.". 195 in 2010) in Mendocino County, Calif., and hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah. Hawkins said: She was the one who stayed so strong and calm and collected through that seven-year-ordeal. They found recordings of executives discussing proposed audience-friendly tweaks, and the Hulu series examines "both what really happened and also the way what really happened was digested and made into something with a Hollywood narrative.". All three episodes ofCaptive Audience: A Real American Horror Storyare streaming now on Hulu. They passed the street Stevens house was on, and when he told them, the men just said that theyd call his parents, see if he could stay the night. 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