But the family has since dealt with several tragedies along the way, including Steven's death and his older brother's incarceration for murder. "Then you have Steven Stayner get kidnapped, and then he comes back and gets killed in a motorcycle accident. The trio was visiting colleges and enjoying Yosemite. By that point, Steven had gotten married and had two children, was working with child abduction groups to educate kids about kidnapping and had a job at a pizza parlor. I still don't think it's sunk in that it happened to us," Cory says. He skidded trying to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway and fatally struck his head. And now this. The two-hour special airs Friday. The separate stories of Steven and Cary Stayner made national headlines, first in 1980 and then nearly 20 years later. In March 1980, The San Francisco Examiner published a piece called Twisted Love: A Portrait of Kenneth Parnell which attested that Parnell had been disturbed all his life, beginning with trying to pull out his own teeth as a child, then moving on to theft and arson. It meant putting the victim through hell for a very modest increase in the sentence. More than seven years later, when Steven Stayner was 14, he and Parnell were living in Manchester along the coast of Northern California. "There was a lot of people at the funeral, and there was a lot of media there," Jody says in a somber voice. Authorities described it as his "murder kit. "He seemed like a nice guy. When he was 24, he died in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Carole Sund, 42, was Cary Stayner's first victim at the Cedar Lodge. Rape and molestation victims were seen as damaged goods, Horowitz recalled. Before the Stayners became one of the most recognizable names in the true crime genre, they were a modest family based out of Merced, Calif. At the helm were Delbert and Kay Stayner, with three daughters and two sons in tow. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated by the guidelines laid out in our comment policy. Lenna said she'd told no one this for 20 years. They remember Parnell as creepy and uptight. It's really important,'" Ashley remembers. I want to speak out for other people who are surviving victims. "I remember being very uncomfortable by it, but I turned around and went up the river and did not try to pay any attention to it at all," she said. On Valentine's Day 1980, Steven walked out of a Mendocino County cabin with Timmy, carrying the boy when he got tired. Shock was a familiar reaction in Merced, a San Joaquin Valley city about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, where residents considered Steven Stayner a hero for escaping from a child molester in 1980, only to die in a motorcycle accident nine years later. He had joined the Mormon Church. Hulus Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, dropped in April, but I didnt notice it until last week, and boy was it captivating! It seemed like she was alone," he said during his taped confession. The film explores the trauma and psychological impact of Stevens abduction and the difficulties he faced trying to adjust to life after his escape. One December afternoon in 1972, 7-year-old Steven . Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). "We've had things happen in our family, and we've dealt with the media. Linda Shertz, stepmother of Lynnea, said Cary Stayner was traumatized by his brother's abduction. 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. He graduated from Merced High School, and worked as a window installer for a glass company in nearby Atwater. Kenneth already had an extensive criminal record, including a conviction for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy back when he was 19 years old. Girls found him attractive, but introverted and aloof. She was packing her car as she prepared for a trip. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? At the age of 18, he married a 15-year-old girl, and they had a daughter and divorced four years later. The Stayner family home in Merced, Calif. Child kidnap victim Steven Stayner, 23, is seen smoking a cigarette inside a car about a year before his death. 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. "I think every actor that was worth their salt wanted to be that character.". Overall, I Know My First Name Is Steven is a must-watch for anyone interested in true crime stories and human resilience in the face of adversity. He was like a happy part of our life. But in 1972, the family would begin a traumatizing and highly publicized journey that spanned 30 years. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. 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. He was also convinced that he'd seen Bigfoot while out in the woods. "How could we have missed someone we felt was part of our family?" "Meeting with Jeff (Rinek) really brought it out that I can talk and I can have feelings about what happened," she said. Cary Stayner is shown in a booking photo Monday, Dec. 4, 2000, at the Mariposa County Adult Facility in Mariposa, Calif. Whatever damage that had [been] inflicted on Cary, I think he kept to himself. Speaking in an off-camera jailhouse interview, Cary Stayner, a motel handyman at the Lodge, said he strangled Silvina Pelosso, 16, and Carole Sund, 42, in their rented cabin at the Cedar Lodge in February 1999. Reminding us of her as she lived alone and powerful, under the moon in her bathtub, tending to her body, dreams, desires, and the world around her. Meanwhile, Cary grew increasingly bitter about his family and the entire worlds focus on Steven, telling an interviewer: The way I see, just about anybody would have done the same thing in his shoes 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. 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. Between February and July of 1999 he brutally murdered three tourists and a naturalist in Yosemite National Park: Carole Sund, 42; Juli Sund, 15; Silvina Pelosso, 16; and Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26. Kidnapping and Trauma. (AP Photo/The Modesto Bee, Al Golub). A closeup of child kidnap victim Steven Stayner. The pair then hitchhiked to the Ukiah police station. He became a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy in 2005. "He would show us how to point your toes or how to put your arms forward and dive perfectly into the pool," she told ABC News' "20/20" in an exclusive interview. Parnell died in prison in 2008. my leading theory is that the show simply didnt research deep enough to know this factoid! Neighbors, well-wishers, gawkers and the media crowded the street to witness the . "You can't make a movie about something like this happening," Kay says in the first episode. Soon after, two of the women's bodies were discovered in a charred vehicle, and later, the third victim was found dead. An exclusive trailer for the three-part docuseries is below. Parnell offered him a ride, but instead taking the boy home, he kidnapped him. "One time Cindy (Stayner) and I were outside at night and he exposed himself to us. Cary Stayner's July 29, 1999, booking mug. "He's a nice guy. Steven Stayner and Timmy White (Courtesy of Hulu), Stayners return to his family was televised in its entirety cameras and hundreds of spectators and journalists were waiting when the police brought Steven and his dog back to his family home in Merced. Fascinating story! "We had news people up on our roof, shooting pictures through the windows, and it was mayhem. And after reading this story, my blood froze in my veins! Stayner slashed her throat and left her to die. 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. Steven Stayner was 7 years old when he was approached on his way home from school by a Ukiah hotel clerk named Kenneth Parnell. Ive never heard about this sad case :( Thank you so much for covering it here! Cary later said he and his cousin had been repeatedly molested by Uncle Jesse. She also recalled that he always carried a backpack, which authorities described as his "murder kit." For the first two or three years of his absence, she refused to leave the house unattended in case Steven called. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's 'Captive Audience' Now? (Remarking on people calling his brother a hero, Cary once said, "The way I see it, just about anyone would have done the same thing in his shoes."). Two months later, the police said the murder remained a mystery but also had a very involved story of exactly what they thought happened. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. He bound and duct-taped the trio, then herded Juli and Silvina into a bathroom while he choked Carole to death. To be clear, Im not an advocate for incarceration as a solution or as a measure of justice in general, but! Jesse Houtz, co-owner of Cedar Lodge Restaurants, said Cary Stayner would hang out at the bar, but often kept to himself. The obvious question is whether what happened to Steven caused Cary to do what he did," Flynn said. Soon enough, an opportunity presented itself: Screenwriter JP Miller wanted to write a made-for-television movie about his life. Lenna said that at the time, Cary Stayner, in his 30s and handsome, appeared "safe" to her, her mother and younger sister. Steven's brave act thrusted him into the national spotlight. "When Steven came home, Cary was kind of put on the back shelf. Lenna said her family had learned from the FBI that Cary Stayner had tried to kill her family on three separate occasions. But the night before the Emmys, Steven's life was tragically cut short on his way home from work, on the motorcycle that he used his Hollywood money to buy. Miller began conducting interviews with family members to get to work on the script, and soon enough, the acclaimed movie I Know My First Name Is Steven was born. 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. Stayner talked to her about Bigfoot, which he claimed to have seen in the area years before. LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now, The Autostraddle Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema, Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, it was the second-most-watched unscripted series in Hulus history, the local paper called the search for Steven, whod brainwashed him out of attempting an escape, Steven Stayner from ABC News in March 1980, a new bout of press attention to the Stayners, Parnells appeals lawyer explains it like this, a psychiatrist called by the defense testified, response from a judge to Kenneth Parnells motion, podcast did TWELVE episodes on this topic, Good Trouble Episode 411 Recap: The Year of Yes, 30 Goat Cheese Recipes That Are the Greatest Of All Time, Five Girls You Will Bring Home In Your Twenties, So You Want to Remember What Clothes Are? He was perverted," Flores, 35, said. (AP Photo/The Modesto Bee, Ted Benson), The Cedar Lodge in El Portal, Calif., just outside Yosemite's western boundary, is shown in July 1999. 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. 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. Steven Stayner, celebrity savior of a young boy, was dead at 24. She told journalists that Steven was always a nice boy and he called me Mother like my own kids did.. The case was never solved. And my recollection is that, at the time, the sex crimes would have only tacked on two to three years more. "Everything they did and everything they had, it was about Steven," she said. On my way home every day Carey would be pulled over to the side of the road next to the Merced River and would be there sun bathing. They . Her work has appeared in nine books including "The Bigger the Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image & Other Hazards Of Being Female," magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. Eventually, he found work doing odd jobs at the Cedar Lodge outside of Yosemite. His seven-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was 11, and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. Stars Todd Eric Andrews Ashley Stayner Kay Stayner See production, box office & company info Watch on Hulu S1 on Hulu.com and the Hulu app Add to Watchlist Added by 4.4K users Cary, his older brother, was one of three sisters he had. Hi! 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. In the same episode, she asks: "How much more could happen in our lives in one lifetime?". All the TV cameras," Kay says. Overshadowed All His Life, by Stacy Finz and Meredith May for San Francisco Gate (1999) About Carys life and history prior to the murders. This was, you know, his fantasy was to, that nobody's supposed to fight back. "He was just our friend," she said. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. 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. Nobody could have known.". The direction and cinematography also add to the overall impact of the film. You can also watch it in multiple parts on YouTube. He died in prison in 2008 of natural causes.. Steven was hailed as a hero for rescuing the youngster. 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. Parnell returned to prison in April 2004, for offering his caretaker $500 to kidnap a 4-year-old boy for him to abuse. Reportedly, Parnell also abused some of Stevens friends who came over, and as soon as an outraged parent was onto him, they moved again, this time to Manchester. In 1981, Parnell was tried for the kidnappings. The entire time he was right there!". He told Newsweek that Sometimes I blame myself. Lenna, who asked that ABC News withhold her last name, said he also taught the two how to dive. When Steven Stayner returned home, the whole family's focus was on him, she said. Hi! That's a crazy realization. Steven Stayner as a child (Courtesy of Hulu). This letter from the editor was also just what I needed it pretty much sums up my April and, Hurrah! The murders were all over the news and remained unsolved in July, when 25-year-old Joie Armstrong was found headless in a creek. "Now it's, 'Oh yeah he did this thing, but his brother did this horrible, worse thing. That's when our lives were flipped upside-down. He was constantly hounded by reporters and classmates were irked by the attention he was receiving. Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier. Television crews followed him through the school hallways, watched him at home and looked for any update on his current state as he assimilated back into his life as Steven Stayner. The total worth of goods stolen from that Salt Lake City store was $50. Lenna said he was like a "big teddy bear" toward her and her sister. One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. "The only good part about him being missing," Kay says, "is there was always hope that he would be found.". You've decided to leave a comment. 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 .