THE HERO
Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18th, 1965 in Merced, California to Kay and Delbert Foy Stayner. He was the third of five children. He had three sisters and one older brother. He was known as a shy and polite child who loved being outside.
Steven's dad grew up during the great depression. He had served as a staff Sargent in the United States army in the 1950's and then worked at a saw mill in Hyampom. This is how he met his wife, Kay Fayer.
Kay grew up on her family's dairy farm before going to boarding school. When she returned she met Delbert, who lived close to her house. After just a few weeks of knowing each other got married in July in 1960. This is when they moved to Merced and Delbert luckily got a job as a mechanic for the California Canners and Grower Association.
In 1961, Kay and Delbert had their first child, a son they named Cary. Kay was in charge of the household while Delbert worked the farm and as a mechanic. In 1963, their first daughter Cindy was born followed by Steven in 1965. After their second daughter named Jody was born in 1967, the family moved to an almond ranch in Snelling, California. The family lived in a pea green farmhouse, not too far from the railroad tracks. A year later Kay gave birth to their last child, a daughter they named Cory.
As Steven got older, he loved playing on the ranch and running around with his dog named Daisy. He loved to follow his hard working dad around. The family would escape the scorching heat by playing in their pool. Twice a week the family would drive 20 miles to a Mormon stake center. The kids loved to go.
In 1970, Delbert was shaving in the bathroom with Steven by his side. Delbert slipped a disk and passed out from the pain. Steven thought that his dad had a heart attack. Kay called an ambulance that took Delbert to the hospital where he underwent surgery. As he went back to work he decided he needed a partner to help him with the farm and his good friend Mac Scoggins and his family moved in next door to help.
Steven loved to play with the Scoggins children. He was a really good kid, but once in a while he did get into trouble like kids tend to do. One time Steven and his sister Cindy took the cap off of their dad's truck. They decided it would be fun to stuff something in there, so they grabbed gravel from the driveway. The next morning Their dad tried to start his truck with Steven and Cindy staring at him. When he asked them what happened they blamed each other. This whole situation kind of tickled their dad and made him laugh. Instead of really punishing them, he just sent them inside.
1971 was a particularly hot and dry summer, which was a big blow to the Ranch. The irrigation water had previously been just barely enough, so now the Stayner family had to sell their farm and to move, reluctantly, into town. This hit Steven especially hard. He used to wandering in their 20 acre farmland. Now he was constantly getting into trouble for unconsciously cutting through people's yards and flowerbeds. Steven and his family realized that Daisy wasn't happy being confined to a little yard. They all agreed she'd be better back on a farm, so they gave her to friends living in the country.
Besides giving up Daisy, Steven had lost all of his kindergarten friends. He started Wright Elementary School later than year and he was so unhappy that he'd cry and pick fights with his classmates. His siblings adjusted well to the move, but it was just about the end of the world to Steven.
The next year was better for Steven. He had made some friends and got two dogs named Puggy and Brownie. Steven and his family also made frequent camping trips with the Scoggin family. On one of the camping trips, Jody had accidentally been shot in the leg with a BB gun and Steven tried to comfort her.
Steven and his dad would often go off fishing alone. His parents laughed at their recollection of Steven never catching anything. Steven recalled, "The reason i never did, is that you had to sit there and be quiet, and i just couldn't...Another thing is that i was very good at snagging lines. Dad would try to break the line, but he'd wind up breaking the pole instead...And that would all the fishing for me for awhile. But i didn't mind, because then, while he kept on fishing, Dad would let me run around on the shore and play while he was in the boat trying to fish."
One time fishing with his dad, all his sibling went as well. While the dad was fishing, the kids were being rowdy in the boat and he couldn't get them to stop. Then, when the kids saw a catfish the boat started rocking with the dad holding on for dear life screaming, because he couldn't swim, but the boat didn't tip over like he thought it would.
Steven, Cary, Cindy and Jody would all walk to school together, but in the afternoon Steven walked home alone because his siblings didn't get out until later. Steven enjoyed the independence and quiet of walking home alone. This led to Steven getting in trouble with his parents when he started going to friend's houses straight after school without asking first.
It was December 3rd, 1972, and Steven had been at a friend's birthday party and Santa Claus had been there. On the way home he was so happy that he couldn't stop talking to his mother about what he wanted for Christmas. Once home, Steven ran inside, jumped on his father's lap and told him about the party and that he really wanted a G.I. Joe set for Christmas. This would be the last Christmas Steven would have with his family for quite awhile.
THE KIDNAPPING
The morning of December 4th was began with a cold and gray dawn. It was just 35 degrees outside. 7 year old Steven ran down stairs for breakfast where is mom had toast and eggs waiting. After breakfast their mom stood at the front door to make sure her four oldest kids were prepared for the cold weather before leaving for school. Then Cary, Cindy, Steven and Jody walked the 12 blocks to school with their mom watching until they were out of view.
It was around one in the afternoon and Steven's dad, who was on vacation was working on his car as Kay left for the grocery and parts stores. It had warmed up a little, but now that a cold rain was beginning to fall, Kay planned on picking Steven up from school when he got off in an hour, but fate had other ideas.
It was just a little past 2 p.m. and sleeting as Kay ran back to her car, hoping that Steven would be waiting for her at school. Little did she know that once Steven went outside and she wasn't there, he started walking home in the sleet. Just two blocks from his house, Steven passed by a strange, short man wearing black rimmed glasses. His name was Ervin Edward Murphy and he was passing out gospel tracts. Murphy asked Steven if he would donate to the church. Steven said that his mother probably would. Murphy asked him where he is going. Steven informed Murphy that he was on his way home. Murphy then asked Steven if he could give him a ride home so he could talk to Steven's mother about donating. Steven turns the offer down, but Murphy continues to talk to Steven. He then asks Steven again if he would like a ride home and this time Steven accepted. Murphy then told Steven that, "The minster will give you a ride home." Kenneth Parnell drove up and called Steven over to the car. Murphy opened the door for Steven and he got in. Murphy got in the front passenger seat and shut the door then they drove off.
Kay drove the freeway to Yosemite parkway, exited and then headed east arriving at the back entrance of the school. Steven wasn't there so Kay went back up Yosemite parkway, past the Red Ball gas station, searching for Steven the entire way.
When Kay pulled into her driveway and Delbert was still working on his jeep. Kay asked him if Steven was home yet. An unconcerned Delbert told Kay no and he proceeded to ask her to go in and make a sandwich.
A little before 3 p.m., Steven hadn't arrived home as Delbert and Kay with Cory in tow, headed off to pick up Cindy and Jody, still searching for Steven on the way. When they pulled up, Cindy and Jody were waiting on the curb. Cindy and Jody hadn't seen Steven since lunch and emotions began to run high as they drove home wondering where Steven was or if he was ok.
When they arrived home, Steven's parents called his friends. None of the kids they talked to had any idea where he was. One friend said he himself was boarding the school bus when he saw Steven and waved, but had no idea where Steven was headed.
As they drove past his house Steven tried to let them know that they were going the wrong way, but no one listened. Instead of driving him home, Parnell drove Steven to his cabin in Catheys Valley, which (unbeknownst to Steven) was just only several hundred feet from Steven's grandfather's home. Steven was scared and didn't know what was going on. Parnell told Steven that he would call Steven's mom and ask him if he could spend the night at the cabin.
When the three arrived at the cabin, there was toys and clothes waiting for Steven. Parnell pretended to call Steven's mother and when he got off the phone he said that Kay gave Steven permission to stay the night. And that night began the sexual abuse of Steven by the hands of Parnell.
On December 5th at 2 a.m. police, reserve police and scouts from law enforcement canvass the area near the Stayner home again. Police also send out information about Steven to other law enforcement agencies in surrounding counties. They also interviewed Steven's teachers, classmates and friends.
On December 7th, Tulare county Sheriff deputies called the local police in Merced and told them that they had received a call on the night of the fifth. It was from a man who had been awakened at his house at about 11 p.m. by a man and a small boy needing help starting their car. The caller had said that the two had been acting strangely and so instead of letting them into his home, he called the sheriff's department. By the time the sheriff arrived, the boy and the man were gone, but the boy had left behind his shoes. The deputies told the description of the boy and the shoes to the Merced police. The description didn't sound like Steven, but they wanted to be sure so they mailed Steven's picture to the Sheriff's office in Tulare.
On December 8th, a 100 man search team was put together to search for Steven, but there was still no sign of him. There was also numerous calls to the police stations of people claiming that they saw Steven, but all of these were false leads.
Thinking that maybe someone snatched Steven and left the state, Mariposa county officers checked alone highway 140. Mariposa is in the foothills between Merced and Yosemite.
During the first week Steven told Parnell that he wanted to go home many times. Parnell told Steven that he had been granted legal custody of him because his parents could not afford so many children and that they did not want him anymore. He began calling the boy Steven Dennis Gregory Parnell and died his hair.
Delbert is getting desperate to find his son and so he reached out to a world renown psychic named Peter Hurkos. Hurkos was in the hospital and declined to help the family. The family did a call from a psychic from Texas named Carl Logan, saying that he saw Steven in the trunk of a car.
On December 13th, the Merced police receive a letter post marked December 10th mailed possibly from the San Joaquin Valley. In the letter it told police to look closer at a man in Mercer and that "he likes the company of little boys in reference to Steven Stayner."
On December 15th, Logan called back days later stating that Steven was dead and had been thrown in the trash with a pile of cans. Steven's family and others searched locations that matched the psychic's descriptions, but obviously they didn't find anything.
Christmas comes and the family leaves Steven's presents under the tree in hopes that he will be back soon. They end up leaving the tree up for months. Steven's family continued to search for Steven, never giving up. They search every abandon building that they came across and pass out flyers with Steven's picture to every school in California. For years both parents never left the house together, they always had one of them stay at home in case Steven showed up or someone might call with information.
Two people confess to murdering Steven. One man says that he kidnapped Steven, killed him and then buried him on a hill. Authorities dig up that hill and find nothing. The other man was in a mental hospital at the time of Steven's murder and is ruled out at credible.
At first, Parnell and Murphy drug Steven with sleeping pills while they went to work in order to keep him undiscovered. After a while, Parnel enrolled Steven in various schools passing himself off as Steven's father. Parnell and Steven moved frequently around California, living in locations including Santa Rosa and Comptche. Parnell allowed Steven to begin drinking at a young age. Steven made a lot of friends and was allowed to come and go virtually as he pleased. Parnell had also bounced from one job to another, some of his work requiring travel and leaving Steven unguarded.
Parnell got Steven a dog, a Manchester Terrier that he named Queenie. This dog had been given to Parnell by his mother, who was not aware of Steven's existence at the time.
For a period of eighteen months, a woman named Barbara Mathias lived with Parnell and Steven and joined in on the sexual abuse of Steven. In 1975, on Parnell's instruction, Mathias tried to lure another young boy, who was in the Santa Rosa Boys' Club with Steve, into Parnell's car. The attempt was unsuccessful.
It was now 1980, Steven was 14 years old now and 6 feet tall now and enrolled as a freshman at Point Area High School in Point Arena. It was up to Steven to get to and from school. He would usually have to hitchhike, on occasion a rancher that lived near by would give him a ride to the bus stop that was 8 miles away. Steven was a smart and quiet student who was briefly on the basketball team, but he had to quit because he couldn't find a ride to practice. Sadly, the schools that Steven went to had his missing flyers in them, but no one noticed it was him. Steven saw the flyers with his face on it, but didn't think his family was looking for him so he didn't tell anyone. There were times where he wanted to call his house, but he couldn't remember the phone number or address.
Parnell began again to look for a young child to kidnap. Parnell had used Steve to attempt to kidnap children on at least two prior occasions, but those attempts where unsuccessful. Parnell believed Steven lacked the means to be an accomplice, unbeknownst to Parnell, Steven intentionally sabotaged these failed kidnappings.
On February 13th, one of Steven's teenage friends named Randall Sean Poorman is spending the night at their house and Parnell offers him some money and to forgive a marijuana debt that Poorman owes if he will help get a little boy for him to add to his family. Parnell also threatens Poorman with bodily harm. Poorman and Parnell set out that night to Ukiah, so the next day they can find someone to kidnap.
February 14th, Parnell stops by some yard sales to get disguises. Later that evening, Parnell and Poorman drive around in Parnell's purple and white Ford Maverick and look for someone to kidnap.
Timothy James White was born on November 1, 1974 in California to Angela and James White. He lived with his mother and his step father Jim White, outside of Ukiah in the Russian River Estates.
Another One Is Kidnapped
It was February 14th and Timothy was five years old and a kindergarten student and after school he would walk to his babysitter's house that was just a couple of blocks away. School was let out at 11:30 a.m., Timothy put his Valentines in a plastic bag and walked to his baby sitters house with a friend part of the way and then he was on his own.
When Timothy got to his babysitter's house Parnell was parked by in front pretending to have car trouble. Poorman asked Timothy for a tire valve stem while Parnell sat in the front seat of the car. Timothy didn't want to help them and started to walk away and Poorman hesitated to grab him. That is when Parnell screamed at Poorman to grab him. Poorman freaked out and tried to grab Timothy and put him in the car, but wasn't able to and Timothy ran. Poorman caught up to Timothy and pushed him up against the fence. Timothy started to scream so Poorman put his hand over Timothy's mouth, put him in the back seat of Parnell's car and covered him with a blanket. Poorman sat in the back seat with Timothy who was crying. Parnell told Poorman to give Timothy a sleeping pill and make sure that he stayed covered.
On the way back to Parnell's house, Parnell threatened Poorman not to tell anyone or he'd frame Poorman for the kidnapping and no one would believe him if he said anything to the contrary. Parnell and Poorman have nothing to do with each other after this day. And once they get back to Parnell's house, he strips Timothy of his clothes, puts him inside and shuts the door. Poorman leaves, hitchhiking home.
No one saw Timothy's abduction and when he doesn't show up to the babysitter's house police are called and the search for Timothy begins. Police and the whole community search for Timothy and as they are searching, police find Timothy's Valentines at the side of the road. Search and rescue dogs are even brought in. It is very rainy and there are flood warnings that make it more difficult to find any trace of Timothy.
About 3:30 p.m. that day, Parnell takes Timothy with him to go pick up Steven from the bus stop. When Steven got in the car, he saw Timothy but didn't say anything.
Parnell made quick work in brainwashing, as he had done with Steven, repeatedly trying to get Timothy to think his new name was "Tommy". Parnell dyed Timmy White's blond hair dark brown and gave him new clothes and toys.
February 15th, a helicopter is brought in and again nothing else is found. Police also start getting reports of suspicious vehicles that had been seen around the time. A reward was put out for Timothy's safe return and bulletins were put out to other counties by police.
Police conduct a door to door search of the neighborhood and some take ATV's into more rugged areas. Nothing comes from this either.
25 to 30 calls a day are received of being saying they might have seen Timothy. Missing person flyers are sent all over the state.
On February 19th, police announced that Timothy had been kidnapped and that his parents haven't received a ransom note.
A hypnotist is brought in to try to get potential witnesses to maybe remember something about Timothy's abduction and it doesn't pan out.
Ukaih police are never given any information about Timothy's abduction, who is living in a cabin with Steven and Parnell just outside of Ukaih.
Guardian Angel
Steven and Timothy spent a lot of time together and they became pretty close. Steven took care of Timothy and missed school to stay home with him. Soon he saw Parnell tell Timothy the same lies he had been told and finally realized that Parnell had lied to him too.
Timothy doesn't believe the lies that Parnell tells him. Timothy is upset and pleads with Parnell to take him home to no avail.
Steven didn't want Timothy to suffer the same fate he had and wanted to return him to his family. After 16 days, they make their escape.
It had been getting harder and harder for Parnell to control Steven and he had realized that Steven had figured out what had really happened to him.
It was March 1st, 1980 and while Parnell was away at his night security job, Steven and Timothy left and hitchhiked into Ukiah. Timothy couldn't remember his home address, so Steven decided to have Timothy walk into the police station to ask for help, while he stayed behind. However, police officers spotted Steven and detained both of them. Police knew who Timothy was, but they had no idea yet who Steven was and were suspicious of him. They thought that maybe he is the one that kidnapped Timothy.
Unbeknownst to Steven or Timothy, Parnell had finished digging a grave that day for Steven. He was planning on killing Steven and burying him before taking Timothy across country.
Steven explained his story to police, but couldn't exactly remember what his original name was. He said that he was abducted by the same man as Timothy and said that, "I think my first name is Steven."
The next morning, the boys had been reunited with their families and Parnell had been arrested on suspicion of abducting both boys.
When the police checked into Parnell's background they found that in 1951 he had been convicted of sodomizing a young boy after showing him a false Sheriff's badge. He had been sentenced to four years in prison. Parnell escaped from the Norwalk State Hospital and eventually was caught and sent back.
BACK HOME
Steven received the reward for saving Timothy, who he remained friends with for the rest of his life. However, Steven had a tough time adjusting to life with his family. He had been allowed to smoke, drink and do as he pleased when he lived with Parnell and now he had to adapt to a more structured lifestyle.
In an interview Steven did shortly after his escape, he stated, "I returned almost a grown man and yet my parents saw me at first as their 7-year-old. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. But why doesn't my dad hug me anymore? ... Everything has changed. Sometimes I blame myself. I don't know sometimes if I should have come home. Would I have been better off if I didn't?"
Parnell was tried for kidnapping Steven and Timothy but not for sexual abuse. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence.
Edward Murphy was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. Steven remembered the kindness "Uncle" Murphy had shown him in his first week of captivity while they were both under the influence of Parnell's manipulation, and he believed that Murphy was a victim of Parnell's too.
Sean Poorman was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. Barbara Mathias was never charged with any violation and cooperated with authorities in Parnell's trials.
Steven underwent brief counseling but never sought additional treatment because his father said he didn't need it. Steven was teased by other children at school for being molested and he eventually dropped out. Steven began to drink frequently, and was eventually kicked out of the family home. His relationship with his father remained strained.
Steven's older brother Cary really resented all the attention Steven was getting from his parents and the media. Even before Steven's return he felt neglected. After Steven went missing his parents both withdrew emotionally. His dad swung between being consumed finding his missing son and suicidal depression. He pushed Cary away, saying his “real son” was gone. His mom was told by the grandfather to view Steven’s kidnapping as a good thing because now she had fewer kids to worry about feeding and clothing. The grand father also insisted the mom to never cry or show emotion because it would make her appear “crazy”.
In 1985, 20-year-old Steven married 17-year-old Jody and they had two children together, Ashley and Steven Jr. They lived in Merced where he worked as a delivery boy at a pizza shop. He also worked with child abduction groups, spoke to children about personal safety, and gave interviews about his kidnapping. He also joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Also in 1985, Parnell was released from prison.
On September 16th, 1989, 24-year-old. Steven was riding his motorcycle home from work when a car pulled out of the driveway of a migrant labor camp along the highway right in front of Steven. Steven hit the driver's side of the car and flew off his bike and landed on his head. He wasn't wearing a helmet, suffered massive head injuries and died less than an hour later. The driver fled the scene.
Steven's daughter was 3 years old and his son was 2. His wife Jody said, “I’m very, very, very angry. I’ve never been this angry. It would have been a lot different if this man who hit him had stayed. If it’s the last thing I do I’ll nail him.” Jody remembered Steven as evolving into “a very happy man living a normal life with two beautiful kids.”
Steven's mom and dad were devastated and Kay was heard to remark, It seems like he has just been on loan to us."
Five-hundred people attended Steven's funeral and now 14-year-old Timothy White was a pallbearer.
Witnesses identified the driver, who fled the scene, as Antonio Loera, 28, a worker at a local tomato-packing plant. Loera surrendered to police shortly before funeral services. He had pleaded no contest to a charge of felony hit-and-run driving for leaving the scene of the accident. He was sentenced to three months in jail. Lorea was also placed on probation for a year by Merced County Superior Court Judge George C. Barrett. A vehicular manslaughter charge against Loera was dropped after an investigation showed a defective carburetor and loose throttle caused his car to stall when he pulled out of a driveway.
Jesse Stayner was Steven and Cary's uncle and was 42 years-old when he was murdered in 1990. He was found with a single shot to the chest in his home while he was on his lunch break. His 1989 Chevrolet Silverado pick up truck was stolen by the killer or killers. His murder remains unsolved, although, some people theorize that it was Cary. Cary was living with Jesse at the time he was killed and Cary alleges that he was 11 when Jesse molested him.
Reportedly in 1991 Cary attempted suicide with carbon monoxide. In 1997 he had tried to start a drug business and was arrested for possession of marijuana and methamphetamine, but the charges were eventually dropped. He also lost his uncles trailer he had been living in. In 1995, Cary was admitted to a mental institution after claiming to have had a nervous breakdown and was released after receiving treatment.
In 1997 Cary was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, California. Living in an apartment at the Lodge, he became a well-liked employee, doing all kinds of work ranging from cleaning services to fixing electrical and mechanical problems.
THE YOSEMITE MURDERS
Feb 12th, 1999, 42 year old Carole Sund, her 15 year old daughter Juli Sund, and a 16 year old friend visiting from Argentina, Silvina Pelosso, left the Sund home in Eureka, California, and started on a vacation. After first flying to San Francisco, where Mrs. Sund rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they paused in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal, There, a room for three was reserved. They arrived at the inn early on the 14th.
On Feb. 15th, the ladies hiked and took in the wonders of the park.
The trio inspected the giant sequoia trees in nearby Tuolumme Grove. They had dinner at the Cedar Lodge restaurant and then strolled back along dimly lit pathways lined with wooden statues of bears and bald eagles to room 509, in the far west wing of the hotel. They had also rented movies from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room.
It was 11 p.m. and Carole was readying a book and the teenagers were watching a movie when Cary knocked on their motel door. Carole answered, and he told her he was there to repair a leak. Once inside the room, he pulled out a gun and said he was there to rob them. All three were bound and gagged. Carole was taken into the bathroom by Cary and immediately strangled to death. He then put her in the trunk of her rental car. Cary forced the two teenagers to take off their clothes and he sexually assaulted them. Silvina was crying uncontrollably so Carl took her into the bathroom and strangled her. He then carried her lifeless body out to the car, and she too was placed in the trunk. Carl then attempted to clean up the motel room in order to get rid of evidence. Juli was put in the car, still alive. Once Cary had traveled a short distance, he cut Juli's throat, nearly decapitating her head. He abandoned her body near a lake. He then left the rental car in the woods and call himself a taxi. He returned a few days later to set the car on fire. The women were reported missing when they did not appear at a prearranged pick-up location.
Several days after the ladies went missing, a wallet, driver's license, and credit cards belonging to Carole were found, but there was no sign of the rental car. A month went by before a hiker discovered a vehicle in the mountains, which turned out to be the rental car. The car had been torched and, once police looked inside the trunk of the vehicle, they discovered the remains of Carole and Silvina. The same week the two bodies were found, an anonymous letter was sent to the FBI with a hand-drawn map. The disturbing note, later determined to have been identified as written by Cary, read, "We had fun with this one." The map ultimately led police to Juli's body.
Detectives began interviewing employees of the Cedar Lodge motel where the first three victims had been staying just before their deaths. Cary was not considered a suspect at that point.
SHE FOUGHT BACK AND HE WAS CAUGHT
Four months later, twenty-six-year-old Joie Armstrong was working at Yosemite State Park as a nature guide. Joie was full of energy and enthusiasm and she loved children, nature and teaching. She was outside her cabin loading her car for a trip. Cary began talking to Joie and then pulled a gun and forced her into her cabin. Cary said he was going to rob her. He bound her mouth and hands with duct tape and forced her into his truck. In attempt to escape, Joie dove headfirst out the window of the moving truck and ran. Cary tackled her, dragged her deeper into the woods of Yosemite and, as she vigorously fought back and tried to pin her chin to her chest to block the knife, he slit Joie's throat. He dragged her farther into the forest, down a hill and put his foot on her head and began cutting again and her body went limp. He tried to cover his tracks but it was difficult to hide the trail of blood with pine needles and dirt. He went back to his truck and then decided he would return to the creek where he had dragged her body and cut her head off. He tried to hide the head in some reeds.
On July 22nd, 1999, acting on a tip from a caller who was worried about the whereabouts of his friend Joie Ruth Armstrong, park rangers found her mutilated body. It was discovered beyond a campground adjacent to her living quarters in the Foresta community, an enclave of some 30 cabins for use by park workers. After the police looked into footprints and tire tracks left at Joie's cabin and spoke to a witness who was able to give a vehicle description, police were able to make a match on the vehicle. The SUV belonged to Cary, who they interviewed before on several occasions, but never got the impression he was a suspect. Cary was located in the Laguna Sol nudist colony. He was clothed and eating breakfast. He was arrested and taken to Sacramento for questioning. During his interrogation, Cary shocked the agents when he confessed not only to Armstrong’s decapitation, but to the murders of Pelosso and the Sunds, and the sending of the map for finding Juli's body as well. They found evidence in his vehicle of killing Joie.
Cary told authorities that he had fantasized about murdering women since he was seven years old, long before the abduction of his brother.
On August 6th,1999, entered a not guilty plea in court to the murder by reason of insanity. He was nevertheless found sane and convicted of four counts of first degree murder by a jury in 2001.
In 2002, during the penalty phase of his trial, he was sentenced to death and thereafter entered housing in the Adjustment Center on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California. Cary remains on death row as of December 2018.
HE IS AT IT AGAIN
It was 2003 and Parnell was at it again.He was arrested again after trying to coerce his caregiver into buying him a four-year-old boy. 71 years old and suffering from diabetes and emphysema, plus other ailments brought on by a stroke that he had suffered earlier, requiring near 24-hour-a-day nursing care in his cluttered apartment in the 2600 block of Mathews Street in Berkeley.
By now Timothy had a family and was a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy. Like Steven, he gave lectures to children about his experience and the dangers of kidnapping. He was a magnificent friend to many. Timothy also liked baseball and basketball.
In 2004, Parnell was tried for human trafficking and attempt to kidnap a child, and White was summoned to testify. Also summoned was a full-grown Sean Poorman, who reacted with shock, not having seen White since the 1980 kidnapping. The two spoke briefly and hugged, White having forgiven Poorman.
Parnell remained incarcerated until his death in 2008 at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes.
White died April 1, 2010, from a pulmonary embolism.
On August 28, 2010, a statue of Steven and Timothy was dedicated in Applegate Park in Merced. Residents of Ukiah also erected a statue representing Stayner and White escaping hand in hand.
