In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. The FBI task force investigating Yosemite issued a federal warrant for her arrest after she failed to appear in Stanislaus County drug court in June. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. But, as the Hulu doc frames it, the media attention that Steven got after escaping his abductor and also saving Timothy White had a dark side both for Steven and for the rest of his family. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. Stayner Raped 2 Teenagers, Affidavit Says Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. Cary Stayner, also known as The Yosemite Killer, was convicted nearly 20 years ago in the murders of four people in 1999 while he was working as a hotel He was a good student, a Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? FBI Accused Of Botching Yosemite Case / Agency Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? | Heavy.com During the session, an unexpected event occurred. The issue of whether his confession was coerced seemed to be resolved when on July 24, the court heard the recorded demands that Stayner made to the FBI agents that he wanted to be satisfied before he would give them his confession. Yosemite Victims Were Raped - CBS News After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them, but he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. He has been questioned about any involvement. 'I try to stay strong because I know that's what you'd want your baby to be, but, Mommy, I don't want you to leave me.'". "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. They had been hosting Silvina, who was a foreign exchange student from Argentina and a friend of Juli's, She was spending three months with the family. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. How intended victim of 1999 Yosemite killer views the tragedy He loved his brother. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. He paid a local kid to ride with him to the town of Ukiah, California and he told to go and find him a boy. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. 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. "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. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell ", The FBI was reluctant to finger Stayner because, they, and many others, did not believe that Stayner acted by himself, given the brazen killing of the three women in the Cedar Lodge Motel and the disposal of the bodies. He grew up, got married and had two kids. She was working for the Yosemite Institute for the past year and had worked on education programs through a partnership with the National Park Service. Acting on a tip from a caller who was worried about the whereabouts of his friend, Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, park rangers found her decapitated body on the morning of July 22, 1999. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. The issue was no longer who committed the murders but whether Stayner was insane at the time and whether the confession to the FBI agents was coerced. Silvina Pelossos mother, Raquel, said, I just cannot understand how so many peopledidn't realize that maybe (Stayner) was the man since I heard that he was interviewed some time ago. | During an off-camera jailhouse interview in Sacramento following his arrest, Cary admitted to Armstrong's murder as well as the murders of Carole Sund, 42, her It then came out that Steven had been kidnapped by Parnell, who had been sexually abusing Steven while also posing as his father and forcing him to go by the name Dennis Parnell. And he wanted the same treatment. I was the oldest and all that. "He was spunky. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Stayner said he thought he had gotten away with the earlier crimes, but could not resist the urge to kill Armstrong after he struck up a chance conversation with her. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 He abandoned the group's rental car with the bodies of Carole and Silvina inside, returning two days later to burn the evidence and retrieve the wallet, which he dumped in Modesto to confuse authorities. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. You know what I mean? Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. After first flying to San Francisco, where Carole rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they stopped in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. Connections Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. At the time of the murders, Cary was working as a mechanic at the Cedar Lodge, which is where he met his first three victims Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund, and her friend Silvina Pelosso. Alternate Versions Cary, the motel handyman and champion underachiever who was arrested at a nudist colony, said in a jailhouse interview that voices told him to kill Carole and Juli I never recognized either one of them.". But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. Stayner, clad in a red jail jumpsuit, bowed his head but showed no emotion as Judge Hastings sentenced him to death three times, once for each murder, after returning to the courtroom. Those sources say it is difficult for some investigators to believe Stayner could have gotten the jump on all three women without any help, let alone dispose of their bodies.". Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. | Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. But it took less than six months for another murder in the area to show them that the killer was still at large this time, the victim was 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong. Then there was another murder. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. Against the odds, he flourished there. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. The Sund family's worst fears were confirmed when a hiker wandered onto the site of a burned-out red 1999 Pontiac, hidden off Highway 108, in the Stanislaus Forest region on March 18. In December 1972, a 7-year-old Steven was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell, a man who worked at the Yosemite Lodge at the national park near Stevens hometown of Merced, California. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years and Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell and they would need to find someone else that they could sexually abuse. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. Because he was the handyman at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal where the Sund & Pelosso group had stayed before they were murdered, his questioning at that time seems to have been more routine than anything. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. On the way to his police interview he confessed to a detective in the car to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. He received the death penalty for killing four women, three of whom had been staying at the Cedar Lodge, where Stayner was employed as a handyman. Caroles parents, Francis and Carole Carrington, appeared on the Good Morning, America TV show, to ask for the prayers of Americans and their help in locating their daughter and the children. Something was clearly very, very wrong. Items included in the Television News search service. A large search turned up nothing. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. But he was surprised that did not find his wife at the airport and assumed she had flown ahead, The next day, he tried to contact them again and failed and he called the police. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. CNN.com He wanted the world to take note.. Steven was a national hero. Cary Stayner yosemite murders True Crime For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. Part of TV News Archive. The case of a lifetime / For Cary Stayner, there was something Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, Randy Roth From 'A Rose For Her Grave' Is Still In Prison, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. While Steven was a freshman at Mendocino High School, some 300 miles to the south, his older brother Cary was an upperclassman at Merced High School. | Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. IMDb Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous - one experienced horror in the hands of a child molester, Steven, and the other, Cary, the serial killer in Yosemite. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 TV NEWS : Search Captions. Borrow Broadcasts : TV Archive : After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. They no longer want you.. I guess I was jealous. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. Yosemite Park Killer: When A Victim Turns Into A Murderer The American Court TV (now TruTV) television series Mugshots released an episode on the Stayner case titled "Cary Stayner The Cedar Lodge Killings". [29] In 2018, the Reelz channel aired an hour-long documentary about the murders titled Yosemite Park Killer. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. She was seen that day at the Institute offices and was planning to visit a friend in Sausalito, California, that day but never made it. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. However, when they found Cary at a nudist colony nearby and brought him in for questioning, he quickly confessed to Armstrongs murder, and soon after admitted he was also responsible for the first three killings. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. In 1972, Stayners | Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. Very seldom did he get into trouble. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Part 9 Two FBI agents were eating pizza with Stayner when he suddenly admitted he murdered Joie Im just horrified when I think of what happened in that room, what my daughter felt when she realized she was in serious trouble, said Carole Carrington as she asked the judge to sentence Stayner to death. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. It was discovered beyond a campground adjacent to her living quarters in the Foresta community, a group of 30 cabins for use by park workers. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. Stayner Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. The brothers, four years apart in age, shared a room, but didnt get along, Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. "Her mother, sisters, and a family friend had been missing for a month by the time Gina Sund read her poem in front of a thousand or so people who gathered in Modesto," writes Time. Crazy Credits He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. However, given Californias statewide moratorium on capital punishment, it doesnt appear that hell be executed anytime soon the states last execution was held in 2006. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. Stayner He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. Cary didnt emerge as a suspect during the initial investigation, and the FBI actually believed they had the people responsible for the killings in custody. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Goofs Quotes Although most of the stains were likely to include Armstrong's blood, Stayner was observed to have a laceration on his hand during his interrogation, and therefore may have been cut and bled during the attack. Steven Stayner helped another child escape from a pedophile, after enduring years of abuse and not wanting to see the child experience the same fate. Many local residents were convinced that no one person could have created so much horror, "'The logistics of it say it had to involve more than one person, said Letty Carolyn Barry, owner of the Yosemite Rosebud Lodge, west of Cedar Lodge. Then all of a sudden it's gone. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. Steven told the police what happened to him and Timothy and he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Real Crime 1.23M subscribers Join Subscribe 6.7K 562K views 1 year ago Also known as the Yosemite Park Killer, Cary Stayner murdered four women in 1999 The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. Stayner Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? He remains on Because of the discovery of Sund's wallet in suburban Modesto, police, and FBI searched "the logical routes in and out of that spot, interviewing homeowners and business owners and others who may have seen them." Stayner said he thought he had gotten away with the earlier crimes, but could not resist the urge to kill Armstrong after he struck up a chance conversation with her. It was the last time the women were seen alive. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. | WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. I guess seven years changed him, too. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. The new three-part Hulu docuseries Captive Audience explores the tragic story of the Stayner family specifically the fraught lives of their two sons, Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, See more StrangeOutdoors True Crime Stories, The horrific rape and murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden, The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorados Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer, The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer, https://casefilepodcast.com/case-161-the-yosemite-sightseer-murders-part-1/, https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stayner-cary.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Stayner, https://abcnews.go.com/US/steven-cary-stayner-tale-brothers-horror-heroism/story?id=60529944, https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/me-timothy-white10-2010apr10-story.html, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a26040174/cary-stayner-steven-yosemite-murders/, https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/july-25-1999-cary-stayner-arrested-murder-yosemite-60263995, https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-recalls-moment-family-learned-target-1999-yosemite/story?id=60364987, https://www.theunion.com/news/local-news/stayner-sentenced-to-death/, Tagged: The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, Carole Sund yosemite murders, Juli Sund yosemite murders, Silvina Pelosso yosemite murders, Cary Stayner yosemite murders, Yosemite park murders, Joie Ruth Armstrong, Sign up now for a one-time fee for access to over 55 exclusive member articles, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia, Robert Hansen Butcher Baker - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness, The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, The unsolved murder of Scott Lilly on the Appalachian trail, The disturbing case of James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer.