But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. 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 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. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. "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. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. 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. FBI agent Nick Rossi said on February 26, "At this point, we have not yet uncovered evidence to allow us to determine conclusively whether this was a tragic accident or a criminal act. Two weeks later, FBI agent James Maddock, now placed in charge of the investigation, told the press, "We feel almost certain that the women were victims of a violent crime.". | By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. 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 The inn staff claimed that when they cleaned the room the next morning, they had detected no evidence of foul play or anything that made them suspicious. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. "He was spunky. 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. '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.'". She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. 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. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. On July 23, when Cary Stayner was released from custody for his marijuana charge, he quickly packed up and left for Laguna del Sol, a nudist colony, according to Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. 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. 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. A large search turned up nothing. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. 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. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. He demanded that his parents be given the reward money, that he be incarcerated at a prison near his parents home, and, to Stayners detriment, that he be given a large cache of child pornography. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. 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." Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. He remains on 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. 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. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Quotes In his interview, Stayner claimed that hair from his body was left on the bedspread in their motel room, but he returned later and changed the bed. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. 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. He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. 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. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. 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. Then he took action. It was the last time the women were seen alive. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. The boys were still in elementary school when on December 4, 1972, a man named Kenneth Parnell took seven-year-old Stephen, whilst walking home from school on Highway 140. When Cary Stayner was questioned by FBI agents, he immediately confessed to the four Yosemite Park murders and provided a detailed accounting of his crimes. 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 WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell | 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. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Part of TV News Archive. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. | WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. In (the) interview, Stayner said he had fantasized about killing women for the last 30 years and described in detail how he murdered all the women, He had strangled Pelosso and Carole Sund in their rented cabin in the Cedar Lodge motel, then took Juli Sund to a lake, where he killed her early the next morning. 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. He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. Jens had scheduled to meet them at the San Francisco airport that evening on his way to Arizona, to where the others were to accompany him. 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. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. He has been questioned about any involvement. 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. 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. 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. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. Ive never seen anything thats so close to black and white and evil and good as Stayner and our children, said Francis Carrington, the father of Carole Sund and grandfather of Juli. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. 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. 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. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". On February 12, 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli 15, and Silvina Pelosso 16, left their home in Eureka, California to go on vacation in the area near Yosemite National Park in the same state in the United States. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. 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. By the end of that evening, the FBI felt it had gathered enough evidence to arrest Cary Stayner for murder, Sunday morning, they rushed him to Fresno to officially lodge a complaint, then to Sacramento on Monday where he was put before the courts. 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. The revelation came in a six He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". He loved his brother. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. 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. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. He was a good student, a 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. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. In a 2003 jailhouse interview with The Chronicle, Parnell admitted that he had tried to buy the boy to experience the "love and respect" that a son has for a father. 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. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. Something was clearly very, very wrong. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. Soundtracks. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. 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. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. In 2002, Cary Stayner was convicted of first-degree murder on four counts and sentenced to death. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. 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. I guess I was jealous. 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. 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. 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. 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. Items included in the Television News search service. 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 the church. 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 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.". Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." Connections You know what I mean? Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. "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. 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. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? Management found him a hard worker and honest. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. 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. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards.
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