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Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. 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. I was the oldest and all that. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. 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. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. 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. 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. 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. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. Very seldom did he get into trouble. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. 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 Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. 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. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. 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. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. 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. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Crazy Credits However, there were warning signs during his younger years. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. 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. The revelation came in a six 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. 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. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. 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. "He was spunky. 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. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. You have the other brother who's left at home. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. "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. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. 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. 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. 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. "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. She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. | In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. 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.". Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. 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 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. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. 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. 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. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. I never recognized either one of them.". Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. 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. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. 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. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. 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. 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 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. And he wanted the same treatment. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. 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. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. | Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. He was a good student, a Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. 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 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. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. 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. 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 went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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. 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. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. 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. Part of TV News Archive. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. 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.". 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. Connections After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. 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. It was the last time the women were seen alive. "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. Cary, as the older brother, had a very strange relationship now with his younger brother, Steven, who was getting all of this attention and who was a different person, former KNTV reporter Ted Rowlands told ABC News. 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. 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. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. 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. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. The FBI Laboratory has also found possible bodily fluid stains on a bed sheet taken from her residence. Alternate Versions WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. But, to no avail. Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. 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. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. Against the odds, he flourished there. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. 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. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. 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. Then all of a sudden it's gone. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Quotes Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. Management found him a hard worker and honest. He loved his brother. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. Goofs I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". In 1972, Stayners 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. Then he took action. 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. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. He remains on By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. . 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. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. 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. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. A large search turned up nothing. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. 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." They no longer want you.. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a Over the next few weeks, a task force including FBI agents and law enforcers from four surrounding counties, arrested several known sex offenders, drug users, and ex-convicts with a record of violence from within a 75-square-mile area between Modesto and Sonoma. 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. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. 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. 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. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. 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. 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. I guess I was jealous. | In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room.