Dennis Parnell
| Steven Stayner | |
|---|---|
Steven Stayner
|
|
| Born |
Steven Gregory Stayner April 18, 1965 Merced, California, U.S. |
| Disappeared | December 4, 1972 (aged 7) Merced, California, U.S. |
| Status | Found |
| Died | September 17, 1989 (aged 24) Merced, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Road accident |
| Resting place | Merced Cemetery District |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Jody Edmondson (m. 1985–89) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Cary Stayner (brother) |
| I Know My First Name is Steven | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Docudrama |
| Written by |
Mike Echols J.P. Miller Cynthia Whitcomb |
| Directed by | Larry Elikann |
| Starring |
Corin Nemec Luke Edwards Arliss Howard Cindy Pickett John Ashton |
| Theme music composer | David Shire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Kim C. Friese |
| Editor(s) | David Ramirez Peter V. White |
| Running time | 180 mins. |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | May 21 – May 22, 1989 |
Steven Gregory Stayner (April 18, 1965 – September 17, 1989) was an American kidnap victim. Stayner was abducted from the Central California city and county of Merced, California at the age of seven by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He lived with his abductor 200 miles away in Mendocino County, California until he was 14, returning to his family when he was discovered while returning another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White, to his own family.
Stayner died in 1989 in a motorcycle accident while driving home from work.
Stayner was the third of five children born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. He had three sisters and an older brother, Cary. In 2002, Cary was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of four women.
On the afternoon of December 4, 1972, Stayner was approached on his way home from school by a man named Ervin Edward Murphy, who had become acquainted with Kenneth Parnell as both worked at a resort in Yosemite National Park. Murphy, described by those who knew him as a trusting, naïve, and simple-minded man, had been enlisted by convicted child rapist Parnell (who had passed himself off as an aspiring minister to Murphy) into helping him abduct a young boy so that Parnell could "raise him in a religious-type deal," as Murphy later stated.
Acting on instructions from Parnell, Murphy passed out gospel tracts to boys walking home from school that day and, after spotting Stayner, claimed to be a church representative seeking donations. Stayner later claimed that Murphy asked him if his mother would be willing to donate any items to the church; when the boy replied that she would, Murphy then asked Stayner where he lived and if he would be willing to take Murphy to his home. After Stayner agreed, a white Buick driven by Parnell pulled up, and Stayner willingly climbed into the car with Murphy. Parnell then drove a confused Stayner to his cabin in nearby Catheys Valley instead. (Unbeknownst to Stayner, Parnell's cabin was located only several hundred feet from his maternal grandfather's residence.) Parnell molested Stayner the first night.Parnell began raping Stayner thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972.
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