"Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. 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 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. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. Then all of a sudden it's gone. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. You have the other brother who's left at home. 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. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. | Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. "He was spunky. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. The Bureau relocated its headquarters from Yosemite to Modesto at this point and, on February 28, twelve days after the women's disappearance, hinted that was is no longer treating the Sund incident as a missing persons case, but as murder. They no longer want you.. I was the oldest and all that. "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. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. 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. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary. And he wanted the same treatment. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. 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.". 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. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. A large search turned up nothing. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. 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. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. On the way to his police interview he confessed to a detective in the car to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. Although most of the stains were likely to include Armstrong's blood, Stayner was observed to have a laceration on his hand during his interrogation, and therefore may have been cut and bled during the attack. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Connections After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. 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. 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. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows 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. But, to no avail. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. ", 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. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Crazy Credits Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. 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. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. 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. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. "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. It was the last time the women were seen alive. | Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. 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. 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. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. The revelation came in a six Then there was another murder. Stayner's father, Delbert, admitted that he thinks son Cary may have suffered a trauma at age 11, when younger brother Steven, then seven, was abducted in 1972, disappearing for eight years. Very seldom did he get into trouble. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a 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. He remains on Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. Soundtracks. "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. 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. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. 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. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. 51K views 3 years ago 20/20 Extra: For the first time, 20 years after the Yosemite murders, Lenna speaks out exclusively on what she learned about Cary WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. 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. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. Steven was a national hero. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. 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 wanted the world to take note.. 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. Something was clearly very, very wrong. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. But, as the Hulu doc frames it, the media attention that Steven got after escaping his abductor and also saving Timothy White had a dark side both for Steven and for the rest of his family. 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. 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. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. Alternate Versions 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. Silvina Pelossos mother, Raquel, said, I just cannot understand how so many peopledidn't realize that maybe (Stayner) was the man since I heard that he was interviewed some time ago. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". 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 He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. 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. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. Against the odds, he flourished there. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. 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. 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. 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. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. 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. 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. The trivia item below may give away important plot points.
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