The trio stayed at the lodge in February 1999, during which time Cary talked his way into their room, where he sexually assaulted and murdered all of them. How intended victim of 1999 Yosemite killer views the tragedy In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park, where he worked for 2 years before the murders.. 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. Connections Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Soundtracks. Against the odds, he flourished there. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. TV NEWS : Search Captions. Borrow Broadcasts : TV Archive : It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. According to court documents filed Monday, Cary Stayner told the FBI he assaulted Silvina Pelosso and Juli Sund before killing them. On Saturday, July 24, FBI agents announced at a press conference that a man was in custody on strong suspicion of murder and that a "significant announcement" would be made shortly. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. 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. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? | Heavy.com For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. But when Parnell kidnapped another young boy, this time 5-year-old Timothy White, Steven knew he couldnt let another child be subjected to the abuse and torment he had faced for years. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. 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. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. '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.'". According to Special Agent Christopher Hopkins , both the FBI's Evidence Response Team and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office collected items of potential interest from Room 509 at the Cedar Lodge Motel, the room in which Stayner sexually assaulted Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso and murdered both Carole Sund and Silvina. | 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. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. He wanted the world to take note.. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. 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. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. 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 Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. Items included in the Television News search service. He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. "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. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. Something was clearly very, very wrong. 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. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. 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. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. What followed turned out to be one of the most shocking crimes in both National Park and American history, involving a man whose family had already been involved in a notorious crime, literally the two faces of evil. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. 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. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Steven later said in an interview, I returned almost a grown man, and yet my parents saw me at first as their seven-year-old. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. Larwick, who grew up in Tuolumme County near where the bodies of Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso were found, was jailed on March 16 after he allegedly shot a Modesto police office. Timothy Lee White, 5, gets a piggyback ride from 14-year-old Steven Stayner at a news conference in Ukiah, California, in 1980, Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, Your parents, I just spoke to them. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" There was a movie made about his brother, Steven Stayner, and he wanted the same and for the world to take notice. 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." The suspect, Cary Stayner, 37, had been one of the people questioned after the triple killings in February, but, at that time no evidence linked him directly to the crime and he had been released. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. 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. Stayner 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.". Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Alternate Versions 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. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. CNN.com ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. 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. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, The trivia item below may give away important plot points. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. He had talked his way into the room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered Carole Lund and Silvina Pelosso in the room. Goofs In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. Stayner Crazy Credits So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. 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. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. 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. Stayner's father, Delbert, admitted that he thinks son Cary may have suffered a trauma at age 11, when younger brother Steven, then seven, was abducted in 1972, disappearing for eight years. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin At that time, the Bureau stated that, while no one had yet been charged, it felt that those responsible for killing the three women at Yosemite were already behind bars. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. | His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. 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. 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. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. One brother was subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances, he was a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. 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. 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. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". 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. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. An FBI Agent Recounts a Repulsive Request by Serial Killer Cary Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. 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. Rachel Lou Campbell, 36, of Modesto, was charged in April with stealing checks and credit cards, and converting them into cash and merchandise worth $365,000. You have the other brother who's left at home. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. In this, he calmly reviewed how he strangled 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso in the motel bathtub and how he sexually assaulted Juli Sund for hours before brutally cutting her throat. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. 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 According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "(A witness claimed that) Stayner was angry about authorities seizing his backpack after he was questioned earlier that day. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. 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. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. 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. Cary Stayner yosemite murders True Crime IMDb Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Web6,597 views Jan 24, 2019 56 Dislike Share ABC10 172K subscribers On July 26, 1999, former ABC10 reporter Tim Daly went down to the Cedar Lodge where Cary Stayner Yosemite Park Killer: When A Victim Turns Into A Murderer A large search turned up nothing. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. 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 had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. | They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. Then he took action. Then there was another murder. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. And he wanted the same treatment. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 51K views 3 years ago 20/20 Extra: For the first time, 20 years after the Yosemite murders, Lenna speaks out exclusively on what she learned about Cary Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. 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. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. On Dec. 4, 1972, Steven, 7, was walking alone to his familys home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into the car of convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell, who was posing as a minister. Captive Audience Revisits Steven And Cary Stayner's Stories The case of a lifetime / For Cary Stayner, there was something 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 During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. 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. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. 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. "I remember going out one night after Steve disappeared and wishing on a star that my brother would come back home," Cary reportedly told Mike Echols, author of the book I Know My First Name Is Steven. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. The Bureau relocated its headquarters from Yosemite to Modesto at this point and, on February 28, twelve days after the women's disappearance, hinted that was is no longer treating the Sund incident as a missing persons case, but as murder. 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. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". Cary Stayner But, to no avail. Among other things, the FBI Laboratory has found hairs in vacuum sweepings taken from Room 509 and possibly body fluid stains on a blanket (and) a latent palm print from the window sill. FBI Accused Of Botching Yosemite Case / Agency He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. ", 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. 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. 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. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. Quotes 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. Yosemite killer Cary Stayner born I never recognized either one of them.". 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. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. 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. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. 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. He remains on But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females.
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