The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. 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. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. 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. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. Very seldom did he get into trouble. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. From the Archives: Friends surprised by Cary Stayner's arrest On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. 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. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. 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. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. 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. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows 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. He remains on 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. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. Soundtracks. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". 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. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Part 9 Two FBI agents were eating pizza with Stayner when he suddenly admitted he murdered Joie 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.'" The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. 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 said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. But, to no avail. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. 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's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. He loved his brother. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. 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. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. Cary Stayner Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. They no longer want you.. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. 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. Management found him a hard worker and honest. 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 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. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. FBI Accused Of Botching Yosemite Case / Agency 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. 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. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. A Shade Of His Brother - TIME Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? | Heavy.com 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. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. "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. 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. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. The American Court TV (now TruTV) television series Mugshots released an episode on the Stayner case titled "Cary Stayner The Cedar Lodge Killings". [29] In 2018, the Reelz channel aired an hour-long documentary about the murders titled Yosemite Park Killer. 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. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. 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. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? 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. Quotes By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. Then he took action. 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. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. | And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. 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. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. CNN.com Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. 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. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. 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. 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. 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.". He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. 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.". In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. 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. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. 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. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. And he wanted the same treatment. 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. 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. 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. Captive Audience Revisits Steven And Cary Stayner's Stories 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. 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 know what I mean? 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. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. Connections After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". A large search turned up nothing. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? where Stayner was employed as a handyman. 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. 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. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. 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. Sandy Cox, whose husband owned the window company where Stayner worked for in Atwater, says, "We've known Cary since he was a little boyIt just doesn't match up. 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. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." Suspect at Yosemite Had Fantasy of Killing Women Stayner When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. You have the other brother who's left at home. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. "He was spunky. In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. 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. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. . Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. He has been questioned about any involvement. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. 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. 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. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. 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. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. '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.'". "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. Stayner Stayner Raped 2 Teenagers, Affidavit Says The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. 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. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. "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. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. It was the last time the women were seen alive. Stayner He wanted the world to take note.. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Crazy Credits 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. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. Goofs | 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. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Then there was another murder. Yosemite killer Cary Stayner born
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