| Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. 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. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. 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. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. 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. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. 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. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. He loved his brother. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. The FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. The revelation came in a six I guess I was jealous. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. 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. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. Steven was a national hero. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. "He was spunky. 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. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. 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. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. I never recognized either one of them.". 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. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. It was the last time the women were seen alive. 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. 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. 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. 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. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. 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. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. 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. 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. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. 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. Cary, the motel handyman and champion underachiever who was arrested at a nudist colony, said in a jailhouse interview that voices told him to kill Carole and Juli 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. Soundtracks. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. But, to no avail. A large search turned up nothing. 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. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. 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. Connections 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. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. 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." There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. 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 Stayners fame was short-lived. He has been questioned about any involvement. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. 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. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows I guess seven years changed him, too. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? 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. 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. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. He grew up, got married and had two kids. 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. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. 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. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. After first flying to San Francisco, where Carole rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they stopped in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Something was clearly very, very wrong. 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 The issue of whether his confession was coerced seemed to be resolved when on July 24, the court heard the recorded demands that Stayner made to the FBI agents that he wanted to be satisfied before he would give them his confession. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. 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. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. 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 never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC | 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. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. 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. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. ", The FBI was reluctant to finger Stayner because, they, and many others, did not believe that Stayner acted by himself, given the brazen killing of the three women in the Cedar Lodge Motel and the disposal of the bodies. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him.