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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. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a 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. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. 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 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. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. 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. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. 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 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. He grew up, got married and had two kids. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. 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. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. I guess seven years changed him, too. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? 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. 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. I guess I was jealous. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. Management found him a hard worker and honest. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. 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. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. 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. 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. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. 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. 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. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. 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. He has been questioned about any involvement. A large search turned up nothing. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. "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. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. 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. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Then all of a sudden it's gone. 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. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. 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. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. Then he took action. 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. 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. The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. | But, to no avail. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". He loved his brother. "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. 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. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". However, there were warning signs during his younger years. Very seldom did he get into trouble. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. 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. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. | He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. 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. Part of TV News Archive. You know what I mean? Steven was a national hero. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. 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. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. 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 was the oldest and all that. 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. 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. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. 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. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. 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. 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."