Casefile True Crime - Case 154: Steven Stayner

Episode Date: August 29, 2020

When seven-year-old Steven Stayner fails to return home from school on December 4 1972, life changes irrevocably for the Stayner family. As the years pass by with no sign of their beloved son and brother, they do their best to adjust to life without him. --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Researched by Jessica Forsayeth Written by Elsha McGill Creative Director: Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-154-steven-stayner

Is it me or do you have a good ear? Maybe it's just an impression. But the song likes to relax the sound of people who talk to you about super captivating topics for hours. It's good because I have something really interesting for you. The first mobility service by subscription to the country offered by the mobile audience. Yes, of course. At Star, you can subscribe to your 5G forfeits without being attached. Mobile audience.

You have the difference. Music Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. This episode involves crimes against children. It won't be suitable for all listeners. The small Californian farming town of Merced lies 130 miles southeast of San Francisco,

providing access to the Sierra Nevada mountains and California's central coast. Surrounded by almond groves and peach orchards, the town's slogan is Gateway to Yosemite. An 80-mile drive leads right into the heart of the famous Yosemite National Park, a remote area of rugged wilderness that spans close to 750,000 acres. The Merced community is close-knit, with residents enjoying the range of outdoor activities on offer, including skiing, fishing, hiking and swimming. Tree-lined neighbourhoods featuring numerous bike paths and parks make Merced an ideal place to raise a family. From 1967 to 1971, the Steiner family lived on a 20-acre farm ranch just outside of Merced County.

Parents Kay and Dell had married weeks after they first met and had gone on to have five children, Cary, Cindy, Steven, Jody and Corey. Dell worked as a mechanic at a local page cannery and also grew almonds on the family's farm. The Steiner's were a loving family. As practicing Mormons, they enjoyed attending church services twice a week, and in their spare time, the children loved exploring their large property. Once a month, the family would spend the weekend camping at a nearby lake. Middle child Steven loved the great outdoors and would explore the farm for hours with his dog Daisy.

He and his father often went fishing together, but it was a running joke that Steven couldn't keep quiet long enough for them to catch anything. The summer of 1971 was hot and dry, and Dell's almond crops struggled due to poor irrigation. He and Kay decided to sell the ranch and move their family to suburban Merced. They purchased a three-bedroom single-story home in a lower middle-class neighborhood that had a swimming pool in the backyard to provide relief from the summer heat. The move was difficult for seven-year-old Steven, who missed rural life. At first, he struggled to adjust to his new school of Charles Wright Elementary,

but by September of 1972, he was settling down and making friends. On the evening of Sunday, December 3, 1972, Steven attended the birthday party of his friend Sharon, giving her a stuffed koala bear as a present. When he returned home, Steven raved to his parents about how much fun he had had at the party and told them how much he was looking forward to Christmas in a few weeks' time. He was so excited that he had trouble falling asleep that night. The next morning, Monday, December 4, was a regular day in the Steiner household. After breakfast, Kay inspected her four eldest children to make sure they were presentable for school,

while the youngest, Cory, wasn't yet old enough to attend. Cory, Cindy, Steven and Jodie then walked the 12 blocks to Charles Wright Elementary together, with sixth grader, Cory, keeping watch over his three younger siblings. Steven finished school at 2pm, which was an hour earlier than his brother and sisters. He usually walked the half-mile home with friends, but it was raining and cold, so Kay decided to pick him up on her way home from running some errands. She arrived at the school at 2.10, hoping Steven had anticipated that she would pick him up and was waiting for her. However, there was no sign of him.

Kay drove home, keeping an eye out for Steven along the way. She didn't spot him on the streets, and when she arrived home at 2.20, he wasn't there either. At 3 o'clock, Kay and Dell returned to Charles Wright Elementary to pick Cindy and Jodie up from school. Cory wasn't there, as he typically walked home with friends. Both Cindy and Jodie told their parents they hadn't seen Steven since lunchtime. This wasn't an immediate cause for concern, as Steven had recently been in trouble for going to his friend's house after school without seeking his parents' permission first. Dell had punished him with a belt to the backside as a deterrent, but they were certain he had disobeyed them again.

When they arrived home, Kay phoned several of Steven's friends in an effort to locate him. His friend Sharon said she and Steven had walked side by side until parting at their usual spot on Union Avenue just before the Yosemite Parkway. Steven usually walked the rest of the way with a boy named Hector, but Hector's mother had picked him up from school that afternoon to go shoe shopping. The Stainers drove around town, checking with any of Steven's friends that they passed on the street. When there was still no sign of him by 5pm, they phoned the Mossad police station to report him as missing. An officer arrived at their house shortly after and took a statement regarding Steven's appearance. His parents described him as 4ft 8in tall, weighing 60lbs, with shaggy light brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a light tan coloured coat and cowboy style boots.

Like Steven's parents, the police officer wasn't overly concerned. Missing children in Mossad usually turned up playing at a friend's house or in someone's backyard, and foul play was almost unheard of. Additionally, the officer hadn't noticed anything untoward at the Stainer residence. The police searched the neighborhood while tracing all the possible routes Steven may have taken home from school. They focused on Yosemite Parkway, now known as the Central Yosemite Highway, as it was Steven's usual path home. An employee at a petrol station recalled seeing Steven walking eastbound towards his home sometime before 3pm, but hadn't noticed anyone suspicious in the area. At 6pm, reserve police officers and members of the local Boy Scouts troop joined in on the search in the cold rain. An announcement about Steven's disappearance was also broadcast on the local radio station.

Del and Kay left their other children in the care of family friends and headed out to a nearby junkyard to scour through the darkness for any sign of their son. Just after midnight, Del was summoned to the police station. Given that most missing children cases end up involving one or both of the parents, the police captain blatantly asked Del if he had killed Steven. Del was furious at the allegation and volunteered to participate in a polygraph test to prove his innocence. The station didn't have one on hand, but the captain agreed to send for a polygraph examiner from the nearby city of Sacramento within the next few days. The following morning of Tuesday, December 5th, the police arrived at the Stena residence to install recording equipment in case someone called demanding a ransom for Steven's safe return. The FBI offered them a said police use of their laboratory in Washington if needed, but because there was no evidence that Steven had been taken across state lines, they were unable to become actively involved in the case. A bulletin was sent out to other Californian law enforcement agencies, while the media picked up the story and started reporting on Steven's disappearance statewide.

Police continued a thorough search of Merced County, with assistance from members of the Mormon Church. Officers on foot and in flat-bottomed boats searched the overgrown shoreline of the nearby Bear Creek, while a search and rescue boat dragged through the waters, but found nothing more than an old tire. The police were working on an early theory that the Stenas may have been in debt and had sold their son to bail them out. Later that day, the polygraph equipment arrived in Merced, and both Kay and Del were tested. The results indicated that the couple had no financial issues, and that neither of them were involved with Steven's disappearance. The search efforts continued for days with no results, and on Friday, December 8, the community bent together to conduct a wide-scale search. The police announced it would likely be the last major search of the area unless any evidence was discovered. The weather was still cold and rainy, with temperatures the previous evening falling below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 1 degrees Celsius, causing puddles on the ground to freeze over.

Police held concerns that if Steven was still alive, he could die from exposure to the elements. Over 100 off-duty police officers and firefighters were joined by county jail inmates and concerned citizens who had taken the day off work to hunt the Merced County area for any sign of Steven. They checked fields, drainpipes, and other potential hiding spots, and door-knocked in a one square mile area from where Steven was last seen. The neighbouring sheriff's department in Mariposa County searched a 50-mile radius in their district. Del searched night and day, checking empty buildings, abandoned houses, and garbage dumps for any evidence that might lead to his son. Nothing of interest was found, prompting the Merced Police to issue a statewide bulletin confirming they were now considering the possibility that Steven had been kidnapped or had met with foul play. They created a list of all known sex offenders living in Merced and surrounding counties, but were unable to link any of them to Steven's disappearance. Given Merced's proximity to Yosemite National Park, police theorised that Steven may have been abducted and taken there.

The park was and is a tourist hotspot, featuring 1,200 square miles of deep valleys, grand meadows, giant forests, and vast wilderness. Visitors participated in a range of outdoor activities there, including hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, rock climbing, and fishing. A search for Steven had been conducted by US Forest Service Rangers throughout the park's campgrounds and meadows, but had failed to uncover anything of note. Police requested a list of all the park's employees, including those working within its lodges and hotels. The list was provided, but the park ranger was uncooperative. He didn't feel that Steven's disappearance had anything to do with the park and didn't want posters of a missing child put up in case it deterred tourists. By Monday, December 11, one week had passed without a single sign of Steven, and the search was officially called off. The Stena family were devastated and struggled to come to terms with Steven's disappearance.

Dell told reporters that Kay was handling things better than he was, and that she had been reassuring their other children that Steven would return home. Dell added, quote, But late at night, after we have said our prayers, I can hear her crying. Three weeks passed and Christmas came and went without any further sign of Steven. Kay and Dell tried their best to make Christmas Day a happy time, and several townspeople, including one dressed as Santa Claus, stopped by with presents for the Stena children in an attempt to cheer them up. Presents for Steven were left under the tree, with his parents deciding they would stay there until he came home. The Stenas believed that Steven had been kidnapped on his way home from school, or had accepted a ride from one of the many tourists who passed through town during trips to Yosemite. Several psychics contacted the family to offer their services. One said Steven was locked in the trunk of a car, while another said he had accepted a ride on a motorcycle and had been thrown off and was buried under some leaves.

Although the Stenas thought these theories sounded foolish, they followed up on every single lead possible. In late December, local newspaper The Sacramento Bee offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Steven's safe recovery. On December 28, the police announced they had followed up on several leads, but none that had led anywhere. They confirmed to the press that they still had an uncovered any evidence to indicate that Steven had been kidnapped, or had met with foul play. The new year passed by with no breakthroughs. Then, in early 1973, a child's cowboy boot similar to the one Steven had been wearing, washed up on the bank of Bear Creek in North Merced. Officers recommenced their search of the creek in anticipation of discovering Steven's remains, but it was determined that the boot didn't belong to Steven at all. In a bid to keep the case in the news, the Stenas contacted numerous television stations across the United States to see if they would run Steven's story, but were told it was now old news and no channels were interested. On May 15, 1973, Dell and Kaye announced a $5,000 reward was available for Steven's safe return, or for the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for his disappearance.

The reward money was raised by members of the community and not-for-profit organization, The Elks Club, but no credible leads emerged. Steven's school friends had difficulty comprehending his sudden disappearance, with one friend telling Kaye that his birthday wish was that Steven would come home. Over the following months, Merced police received the occasional phone call from citizens wanting to report small details, but nothing substantial came to light. Whenever a child went missing under similar circumstances in California or surrounding states, the police checked for any parallels to Steven's case, but failed to find a connection. As the one-year anniversary of Steven's disappearance approached, Kaye Stena told the Fresno Bee newspaper, We know that someday we will be a family again. Of course, it gets rougher as Christmas approaches. I just don't know what I'm going to tell the other kids when they ask about buying gifts for Stevie. Just last night, Corey asked me if Stevie was going to bed. I told her, yes, he's going to bed somewhere. Kaye told the Mercury newspaper that Steven got along well with everyone regardless of their age, and that he particularly loved babies, dogs, and kittens.

She fondly recalled Steven's habit of writing his name on everything in the Stena residence, from the outdoor fences to his bedroom wall, leaving constant reminders of him throughout their home. When asked about her hopes for her son's return, Kaye said, I know there is a 50-50 chance that Steven is dead, and that anytime they could come and say, well, we found him. That's not good, but we found him. I pray that if he is dead, please let us know, because this not knowing is enough to drive you insane. Del was adamant that the family would never relocate in case Steven ever came looking for them. By 1974, the police continued to receive an average of three to four potential leads per week, and were still dedicating around six hours each week to the search. Their presiding theory was that Steven had met with foul play with a perpetrator from outside the Merced area. On the second anniversary of Steven's disappearance, Kaye told the Indiana Gazette newspaper that her belief that Steven was still alive was stronger than ever. She said, We know he's alive. There's no other way. After two years, a body would be found. Every group of children we see, every child walking, by check.

In late 1975, just after the third anniversary of Steven's disappearance, the Merced police were summoned 160 miles southeast to a mental health facility in the city of Bakersfield. A patient in his mid-20s named Tom Wilson, who had a long history of mental illness, wanted to confess to participating in Steven's disappearance. He told the attending officers that he had been motivated to do so after recently hitching a ride with Steven's grandfather. Police looked into Wilson's claims, but concluded he was lying and wasn't involved in any way. The false confession left to Del Steyner completely dejected, as he was already struggling to cope. He often took Steven's old clothes out of his cupboard hoping to remember what he smelled like. Del was convinced someone in Merced knew the truth about what happened to his son, but were choosing to remain silent. One day, the Steyner family were out driving when Del spotted a suspicious looking man standing on the roadside next to a mound of dirt.

He pulled over and stared at the man, until the man eventually walked away. Del became convinced that Steven was buried under the mound of dirt and pleaded with the police to dig it up. But with no evidence to support his suspicion, no further action was taken. By 1980, eight years had passed since Steven went missing. At 11.30 am on Thursday, February 14, 1980, five-year-old Timothy White finished kindergarten for the day at UKO Elementary School in Ukaia, a picturesque wine-growing region 237 miles north of Merced. Known by friends and family as Timmy, he had spent the morning making Valentine's Day cards with his classmates, which he had tucked away in his lunchbox. The young boy was just three feet six inches tall with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles, a cheeky grin, and a faint scar on his chin.

On this particular day, he was wearing brown pants, a long-sleeved checkered shirt, blue jacket, and a pair of brown cowboy boots. Like usual, Timmy was expected to walk the three blocks from school to his babysitter's house, which he had done many times. He walked the majority of the way with the classmate, then the two parted ways when they were less than a minute from Timmy's destination. At 11.30 am, Timmy's babysitter Diane and several of the other young children she looked after stood on the front porch waiting for Timmy to come into view. As the minutes passed, there was no sign of him. Diane began to worry, and at 12.30 she called Timmy's mother Angela White to let her know that her son never arrived. Angela immediately called the police, and two officers were dispatched to search the area between UKO Elementary and Diane's home. Similar to Steven Steiner's case, the police weren't immediately concerned, as they were sure Timmy had wandered off or was just playing with a friend.

When there was still no sign of him by 3.00 pm, the police became concerned that Timmy may have gotten lost or met with foul play. They ramped up their search efforts, enlisting the help of reserve officers and police cadets to canvass the town and retrace Timmy's last known steps. Two days later, on Saturday, February 16, tracking dogs were led between Diane's house and the elementary school. However, it had been raining heavily for several days, and they weren't able to detect anything. The rain also hindered police efforts to search the mountainous terrain by helicopter, and the air searches were cut short. The search continued on land, with officers checking all nearby creeks amid concerns Timmy may have drowned. The whites plastered missing person-flyers around town, and the community band together to offer a $15,000 reward for Timmy's safe return. As with Steven's case, there wasn't a single piece of evidence to indicate what had happened to Timmy, and two weeks passed with no breakthroughs.

Then, just after 11 pm on Saturday, March 1, 1980, Officer Bob Warner was on duty at the Ukiah police station when he saw a small boy with tears in his eyes peering through the station's glass door before quickly walking away. Aware that it was very late at night for a young boy to be out, Officer Warner followed the child outside and saw him run down the street towards an older boy. Concerned that the pair would flee if he tried to approach them, Officer Warner called for backup. Shortly after, Officer Russell Van Voris arrived in a police car and pulled up beside the two boys, asking for their names. The younger one replied, Timmy what? Officer Van Voris was so shocked, he had to ask the boy to repeat himself to make sure he had heard properly. The older boy then said, My name is Steven, and I've been missing in Merced for seven years.

Angela White was called with the news that there was a boy at the station claiming to be her son. She rushed to the station, but when she saw the boy, she didn't recognise him. He was filthy dirty with dark brown hair, unlike Timmy, who was platinum blonde. Angela fainted on the spot, and when she came to, she realised it was Timmy after all, but his hair had been dyed and he clearly hadn't bathed in weeks. The two hugged in silence for 20 minutes, after which Timmy cheered up and asked about his six-year-old sister and their cat. The older boy, claiming to be Steven, told the police that Timmy had been kidnapped by the same person who had been holding himself captive for just over seven years. He said he wanted to make sure Timmy didn't go through the same thing he himself went through, and had been planning to bring him home for a week and a half, but his plans had been delayed by the stormy weather. At first, he refused to provide any information about their kidnapper, whom he referred to as his dad.

But he eventually broke down and told them the person responsible was Kenneth Parnell, who worked at the Palace Hotel in Ukiah, less than half a mile from the police station. Steven vehemently denied that Parnell had subjected him or Timmy to sexual abuse. An officer from Ukiah telephoned the Mased police station to confirm if they had a missing child named Steven Steiner on their records. Another officer then called the Steiner household to inform Kay and Del they would be over shortly with some news about their son. At the time, their eldest son, Kerry, was away camping with friends in Yosemite National Park, and the Steiner's assumed the news related to him. The officer arrived at approximately 3am and delivered the news that Steven had been found alive. The family were in shock, but overcome with joy, with Del sitting down and weeping. They were informed that they couldn't see Steven immediately, but the parents and children stayed up all night talking excitedly.

In the morning, Steven's siblings ran up and down the street knocking on their neighbour's doors to let them know the good news that their brother was coming home. The Ukiah police had Steven write a brief statement about his life with Parnell. It began, My name is Steven Steiner. I am 14 years of age. I don't know my true birthday, but I use April 18, 1965. I know my first name is Steven. I'm pretty sure my last name is Steiner, and if I have a middle name, I don't know it. Through this statement and future interviews with law enforcement and journalists, it emerged that on the afternoon of December 4, 1972, Steven had been approached by two men, one of whom was then 41-year-old Kenneth Parnell. The men were giving out religious pamphlets and asked Steven if his mother would like to make a donation to the church, offering him a ride home so he could ask her. Steven agreed and got into the car they were driving, but the men drove straight past his street, telling him they were going to their place for a while and would call his mother from there. Steven thought the two men seemed nice, so he trusted what they said. He recalled sitting back and enjoying the car ride, taking in the new scenery as they drove further out of town than he had previously been.

At some point during the drive, Parnell stopped the car to use a payphone. Upon his return, he said he had spoken to Steven's parents, who agreed that Steven could stay with him for the night. The men drove into the Kathies Valley area of Yosemite National Park, to a small trailer park where Parnell rented a redwood cabin. Unbeknownst to Steven, his own grandfather lived at the trailer park at the time and was only 200 feet from their rental cabin. Much to Steven's delight, Parnell had a selection of toys waiting for him. While he played with them, Parnell began asking Steven about his family as well as his likes and dislikes. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, and the next day, they moved to the employee dorm building where he had a small private room. When he went to work, he drugged Steven with sleeping pills. This continued for several days, with Steven given a bucket to use as a toilet. The other man involved in the kidnapping stopped by to bring Steven food, toys, and to keep him entertained. Steven found this man to be friendly and kind, and he liked having him around.

A week later, on Sunday, December 10, Parnell drove Steven back to the cabin at Kathies Valley. In mid-December, he brought Steven a six-week-old Manchester terrier puppy named Queenie, whom Steven adored. Parnell used Queenie to soften the blow as he delivered the news to Steven that his parents could no longer afford to keep him and that a judge had therefore granted Parnell permanent custody. Steven started crying, saying his family needed him at home. But Parnell replied, Well, I don't think they really need you right now. That night, Parnell dyed Steven's hair dark brown and cut it into a different style. On December 17, 1972, Parnell quit his job and traded his car for a run-down Rambler American. He drove Steven and Queenie 200 miles to the Californian city of Santa Rosa, where they spent the next few weeks checking into various motels.

On January 2, 1973, Parnell enrolled Steven at Steel Lane Elementary School under the name Dennis Parnell, telling the faculty he was Steven's divorcee father. He listed Yosemite Elementary as Steven's previous school, but nobody at Steel Lane contacted the former school to ask for Dennis Parnell's records, nor did they ask Parnell to produce Dennis's birth certificate. The Stainers had actually sent a letter and a copy of Steven's missing person poster to every elementary school district in California. But administrators at the Bellevue Union School District, where Steel Lane Elementary was located, had thrown it out without passing it on to the local schools. Had a copy made it to Steel Lane, Steven might have been recognized. Parnell got a job at the front desk of the Santa Rosa Holiday Inn and also made extra money as a door-to-door Bible salesman. He used a local agency to hire babysitters for Steven, threatening to spank him if he ever said anything about being taken from Merced. Steven became accustomed to his new life as Dennis Parnell and slowly accepted that Parnell was his new father.

On February 24, 1973, they moved into a dilapidated trailer at the Mount Taylor Trailer Park in Santa Rosa, and Steven changed schools to Kiwana Springs Elementary. Steven liked it at his new school and made many new friends, including Kenny Mathias, who became his closest. His teacher noted that he was adjusting well and was well liked by his classmates. On April 18, 1973, Steven turned to eight years old. One night after Parnell fell asleep, he snuck out of the trailer with the intention of finding his real family. He made it a few blocks, but became lost and scared and returned to the trailer before Parnell woke up. Later that year, Steven fell ill with the mumps and impotigo, two highly contagious infections common among schoolchildren. Parnell had no choice but to take him to the doctor, who didn't pick up on anything out of the ordinary between the pair, as Parnell answered all questions on Steven's behalf and wouldn't let Steven speak at all.

In November 1973, Parnell rented a house in Santa Rosa with a backyard for Queenie. Steven liked the new house, but was upset that he had to move schools again, this time to Doyle Park Elementary, which meant leaving behind his best friend Kenny. Regardless, he had become used to moving schools and quickly settled in to Doyle Park. Parnell became more relaxed and would sometimes take Steven to the local Denny's Restaurant, which was often filled with diners from all over California due to its proximity to the freeway. But no one ever recognized Steven. In February 1974, Parnell quit his job at the Holiday Inn when new laws dictated that he was no longer allowed to smoke at the front desk. He took a job delivering newspapers, but it didn't pay well, so he and Steven moved back into Santa Rosa's rundown motels. Steven returned to Kowana Elementary to attend fourth grade, where he was reunited with Kenny, and soon after, Parnell started dating Kenny's mother, Barbara Mathias.

In June 1974, Parnell resumed his job at the Holiday Inn, and he, Steven and Barbara moved into the North Star Trailer Park. Kenny and his other siblings continued to live with their father, only seeing Barbara on occasion. In December 1974, Parnell attempted to convince Steven to help him kidnap another young boy to join their family. They drove to the Coddington Shopping Mall in Santa Rosa, where Parnell made Steven approach any boys who were on their own and try to convince them to come with him. Steven deliberately foiled the plan, lying to Parnell about the conversations he had with the boys, and saying they refused to go with him. After two hours, Parnell gave up, and they finally went home. In May of 1975, Parnell ordered Barbara to try to coerce a boy from Steven's boys club to come home with them, but the boy ran off, leaving Parnell furious. To escape detection, they moved to Willards, a remote area in California's Mendocino County, where Steven once again changed schools.

Parnell was unable to find work, so a month later, they moved to the rundown Harbour Trailer Park in Fort Bragg, a coastal town in Mendocino County. Parnell used his mother's money to open a Bible store called AAA Bibles Books and Gifts, which was a financial flop. Ten-year-old Steven, still living as Dennis Parnell, enrolled in the fifth grade at Dana Gray Elementary School and was free to walk around town on his own during his spare time. At one point, he was caught shoplifting and was escorted home by the police, but it didn't occur to him to tell them who he really was. Parnell was furious about the shoplifting, telling Steven he had crossed the line into becoming a criminal. In the spring of 1976, Barbara gained custody of her four children, and with Steven and Parnell, they moved out of the trailer and into an old converted school bus containing eight wooden bunks. The Bible shop went out of business, and in June, Barbara left Parnell for another man, and she and her children moved out of the bus. In July, Parnell and Steven moved to a mobile home in the small rural town of Comchy, where Steven was thrilled to have his own room.

He settled in, making friends at the Mendocino Middle School, where he joined the football team and went on his first date with a girl. He spent most of his time outdoors and helped Parnell grow vegetables and raise rabbits, pigs and chickens. Comchy was a very liberal town, with easy access to cannabis, which Steven began using, along with alcohol and cigarettes. One night when he was drinking, he told his girlfriend at the time that he wanted to go home to his real family, but she dismissed the statement as drunken nonsense. In July of 1979, Parnell and Steven moved 50 miles south of Comchy to an isolated cabin on the unoccupied Mountain View Ranch in the Mendocino County town of Manchester. The owner of the property grew an abundance of cannabis crops and wanted someone there to guard against trespassers. As a bonus, Parnell realised he could take small amounts of cannabis from the crop owners without them noticing. Steven was devastated by the move. Not only did he love Comchy, but the cabin in Manchester was small with only one room, no electricity, an outhouse and an outdoor shower.

Parnell got a job 50 miles northeast in Ucaya working as a desk clerk at the Palace Hotel, while Steven enrolled at Point Area High School, where he attended classes sporadically. On February 14, 1980, Steven was horrified when Parnell showed up to pick him up from school with 5-year-old Timmy White in tow. When they returned to the cabin, Steven did his best to take care of the young boy, playing with him and taking him to feed the farm animals. When Timmy said he wanted to go home, Steven promised to take him. On his first attempt, it was raining heavily and he tried to piggyback Timmy away from the cabin, but Timmy was distressed and asked to go back. On the evening of Saturday, March 1, Parnell left for his night shift at the Palace Hotel. Steven made dinner for himself and Timmy and then dressed them both in warm clothing, slipping a buoy knife into his right boot. He said goodbye to his beloved dog Queenie, promising to come back for her.

At approximately 7pm, the pair left the cabin. Although the area had very little traffic, they managed to hitch a ride with a Mexican driver who spoke very little English. From Steven's limited Spanish, he understood that the driver was following another car all the way to Ucaya. He spent the whole journey with Timmy on his lap, worried that Parnell would find them before he could get Timmy to safety. At approximately 9pm, they were dropped on the outskirts of Ucaya. Steven's plan was to take Timmy to his babysitter's house, but when they arrived there, nobody was home. Timmy tried to remember the directions to his family home, but was confused, so Steven used a nearby payphone to find the address of the local police station. To get there, they had to walk past the palace hotel where Parnell was working at the time.

When they approached the police station, Steven encouraged Timmy to walk the final three-quarters of a block by himself, but when Timmy reached the door, he was scared and ran back to Steven. That's when the police approached them, and Steven made the split-second decision to tell the truth about who he was. Officers arrived at the palace hotel and placed Parnell under arrest for the kidnapping of Timmy White and Steven Steiner. He was taken to an interview room at the Ucaya Police Department so that Steven could identify him through the safety of a glass window. Steven quietly confirmed Parnell to be his captor, but the officer then opened the door to the interview room and pushed Steven inside, putting him face-to-face with Parnell. The officer asked Steven if he was sure Parnell was the perpetrator, causing Steven to scream to be taken from the room. By 4.30am on Sunday, March 2, 1980, police had obtained a search warrant and a team of 20 officers headed to the Mountain View Ranch Cabin with Steven in tow. The media caught wind that something was going on because the usually quiet police station had become a hive of activity.

The police tried to create a diversion to prevent members of the press from following them, but their attempts were unsuccessful. By the time they arrived at Mountain View Ranch, it wasn't long before news helicopters circled overhead and reporters began arriving on the scene. The one-room cabin was in a cold, dark and desolate area, with attending officers noting that it was no place to house a child. Inside resembled a messy dungeon, with dirty clothes and cooking utensils scattered everywhere. Amongst the clothes, investigators found the outfit Timmy had been wearing on the day he went missing, as well as the collection of Valentine's Day cards he had been holding onto. Steven scooped up Queenie and returned to the police car to head back to Ucaya, where a press conference was scheduled to take place at midday. He was so dirty that the police had to wear their car out. During the press conference, Steven sat with Queenie and shyly but calmly answered questions about why he decided to bring Timmy home.

He commented, I knew what Parnell was doing was wrong. I just gave Timmy a whole life ahead of him with his parents. Steven said he had initially considered returning to Parnell after dropping Timmy at the police station because he was so accustomed to their life together. When one reporter asked how he felt about Parnell now, Steven responded, I feel sorry for him, but was cut off by an officer who advised him not to answer. Timmy sat on Steven's lap and told reporters that Steven was his friend and had taken care of him and read him comic books. At 7 that night, Steven was finally reunited with his family at their home in Merced. His parents had been warned not to expect the small child they had lost but an independent teenager on his way to becoming a man.

The Stainers and 230 of their friends and relatives gathered to greet Steven with a welcome home party while camera crews and news reporters swarmed outside. The reunion was extremely emotional for Steven and his family with many tears of joy shared. Steven was shy and overwhelmed by the situation and had to ask his siblings to remind him of their names. Kay and Dell presented him with the unopened Christmas presents that had been waiting for him in their living room since 1972, with Dell commenting that he wished he had more presents to give. Steven told the reporters it felt good to be home again. Dell credited his wife's unwavering Christian faith and prayer for Steven's safe return. Quote, she kept the faith, she prayed, and I'm convinced it was the work of the good Lord that made this possible.

After seven years, I call this nothing but a God-given miracle. Kay said, I told everybody from the beginning that he would come back to us. I have faith in our Heavenly Father. Steven's older brother, Kerry, had heard the news of his brother's return while driving home from his camping trip. That night, the two brothers slept side by side on the family's living room floor. Kerry later told author Mike Eccles for his book, I Know My First Name is Steven. I had a hard time trying to get to sleep that night. I stayed up a long time just looking at Steve while he slept and listening to him breathe. I just couldn't believe that my brother was home again.

I went outside that night and I walked several blocks away and then looked up at the stars and started to wish on one again. But then I remembered that Steve was back home and so I thanked the star instead. The next day, Dell told the LA Times newspaper that he felt somewhat sorry for Kenneth Parnell. Kay said, I don't like what he did. It was a very, very cruel thing to do. But now that we have Steve, I thank the good Lord that Parnell had the sense to raise him well and to treat him right. I mean, God, so many kids are killed and our Steven was saved. On March 4, Parnell appeared in the Ukiah Justice Court where he pleaded not guilty to the kidnappings of Stephen Stainer and Timmy White. Bale was said at $20,000 and he was held at the Merced County Jail to await trial.

When news of Parnell's arrest circulated, those who knew him were in shock. Colleagues at the Palace Hotel described him as a personable man who was well-liked by other employees. They recalled times when Parnell had brought Stephen into town and introduced him as his son, Dennis. One colleague said that Stephen was a really nice kid and that no one suspected he and Parnell were anything but father and son. A security guard who worked the night shift with Parnell recalled that around the same time that Timmy White was kidnapped, Parnell mentioned that he wanted to adopt a child. At no point did Stephen indicate to anyone a desire to leave. The stepfather of one of Stephen's friends commented, There was a part of their relationship that I saw that was supportive. There was a giving and a concern.

I don't think that is something that you just put on because you were with people. That is what makes this thing so paradoxical. I mean, this is going to be a challenge for people to accept. They don't want to see that side of it. Stephen's seventh grade teacher at Mendocino High School told author Mike Eccles that one day in class, he and his students had discussed an article about missing children. Afterwards, Stephen's friend Damon approached the teacher and said, Dennis claims that he was taken away when he was real young and his parents said that they didn't want him anymore. The teacher thought the comment was very strange, but he was then interrupted and didn't follow up on Damon's claim, despite spending a lot of time thinking about it. Kenneth Parnell's mother Mary told the San Francisco Examiner that her son couldn't be responsible for the kidnappings as he had visited her several times a year over the past seven years and never had a child with him. Mary described Parnell as an honest fellow who loved children and animals and would never harm anyone.

However, she also recalled an incident that she referred to simply as the trouble. The trouble Mary spoke of related to Parnell's extensive criminal history. Parnell had committed a long list of crimes dating back to his adolescence. He had a troubled childhood, beginning with his parents' divorce when he was five years old. Parnell, his mother, and her two children from a previous marriage moved from their hometown in Texas to the city of Bakersfield in California. Parnell was so upset to be leaving his father that he tried to pull four of his teeth out using a pair of pliers. He continued to have episodes of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and at the age of eight he shone a torch into his eyes for so long that he required corrective treatment. At nine years old, he intentionally jumped from a shed roof onto a pile of timber boards that had nails poking up, puncturing his foot in the process.

In 1945, when Parnell was 13 years old, he was sent to a juvenile facility after it was discovered he had performed oral sex on an older man. He was released after a few months, then at the age of 14, he stole a car and was sent to a boarding school for juvenile offenders. In 1947, Parnell moved back in with his mother in Bakersfield and was arrested for committing public sex acts with men. In 1948, he stole another car and was sent to another juvenile facility, but escaped a few weeks later. He was recaptured within days and sent to the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, where he tried to take his own life by drinking disinfectant. After Parnell recovered, he was sent to a state mental hospital in Napa for 90 days, but managed to escape, returning to Bakersfield in a stolen car to meet a boy he had become infatuated with. He was re-arrested and sent back to the juvenile facility, where he stayed until his release in May 1949 and moved in with his mother. He then met a woman named Patsy Jo Dorton and the pair married shortly after.

On March 20, 1951, 19-year-old Parnell bought a fake deputy sheriff's badge at an army surplus store and approached three young boys who were playing in an area outside of Bakersfield. He flashed the badge and convinced nine-year-old Bobby Green that he matched the description of a juvenile SKP and he needed to take him back to his parents' house to clear up the matter. Parnell then drove Bobby to a remote area in the Kern River Canyon and sexually assaulted him before dropping him back at the location he had picked him up from. Afterwards, Bobby ran home and told his parents and Parnell was arrested six days later. In court, Parnell casually admitted to the crime and was charged with child stealing, a crime against nature, and the act of copulating the sexual organ. At his trial on April 20, 1951, Parnell pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of lewd and lascivious contact with the private parts of a male child under the age of 14. A judge ordered he be examined by three separate psychiatrists, all three of whom concluded that Parnell exhibited characteristics of a sexual psychopath and recommended treatment in a state mental hospital. Around this time, Parnell's wife Patsy Jo gave birth to their first child, a daughter.

Parnell was sent to Norwalk State Hospital for an official diagnosis to enable the court proceedings to progress with a more detailed understanding of his mental health. He was diagnosed as a sexual psychopath without psychosis and was deemed legally sane. Medical staff recommended that he return to court to be committed as a sexual psychopath for an indeterminate period. On June 22, 1951, Parnell was committed to Norwalk State Hospital for as long as treatment and rehabilitation took for him to be deemed well enough for release. On September 11, 1951, Parnell escaped from Norwalk by soaring a lock from a clothes room window. He was captured by authorities on September 24 and placed in Norwalk's maximum security wing. On October 14, he managed to escape again and was caught four and a half months later in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This time, he was sent to a Californian state prison to serve five years to life.

Parnell was granted parole in April of 1955 on the condition that he receive an ongoing psychiatric treatment, which he never did. He and Patsy Jo divorced in early 1957 without Parnell ever meeting his daughter. In August of that same year, Parnell married a woman named Emma who was 10 years his senior and the two had a baby girl. On August 22, 1959, Parnell held up a service station in Salt Lake City, Utah with a revolver and was sentenced to five years to life. Emma divorced him and he was released in September of 1961 on the condition he never returned to Utah. In 1972, Parnell applied for a job with the curry company in Yosemite National Park, which was responsible for hiring employees to work in the park's hotels. Due to its isolated location, Yosemite was a good place for people with a criminal history to lay low and the curry company was known to hire convicted criminals. Parnell lied on his application when asked if he had any prior criminal or mental health history and was hired as a night auditor working the desk at the Yosemite Lodge.

During the initial stages of the investigation into Stephen's disappearance, the police had requested a list of all the park's employees. However, the park ranger who provided the list had made a critical error. Employees of the curry company were paid fortnightly with half of them paid one week and the other half paid the week after. The ranger had only provided police with a list of the employees who had been paid the week Stephen went missing. But Parnell was paid the alternative week, meaning his name wasn't included on the list. In Stephen Stainer's initial interview with police, he had refused to disclose the identity of the second man involved with his kidnapping. On March 3, 1980, he was interviewed again, this time revealing that the other man was Irvin Murphy who had been working at the Yosemite Lodge cleaning the industrial ovens since 1972. He was described as a simple and lonely man who was easily influenced by others and very eager to please.

Colleagues said he was a hard worker who went above and beyond for his friends, but was also gullible, naive, and easily led astray. Murphy was arrested without incident, remarking to police that he was relieved to hear that Stephen was okay and hadn't been killed by Parnell. He claimed to have called the Merced Police Department several times over the years to tell them about the kidnapping, but had lost his nerve every time someone answered the phone. Recounting the events of December 4, 1972, Murphy told police that he had planned on catching the 8am bus to Merced to do some Christmas shopping, but he fell asleep and missed the bus. He later awoke to Parnell knocking on his door, who suggested they go into town. Murphy was thrilled at the offer of a lift and went with Parnell to the Merced Mall to buy some Christmas presents. When he was finished shopping, Parnell asked Murphy if he would help hand out some religious pamphlets, as Parnell claimed he was studying to become a minister. Murphy agreed, and the duo drove to the Yosemite Parkway, where Parnell told Murphy to hand the pamphlets out to the children who were walking home from school.

Parnell had previously told Murphy that he wanted to adopt an underprivileged or abused child. While they handed out the pamphlets, he asked for Murphy's help in picking out a young boy to be his son. As Murphy himself had been abused by his mother as a young child, he said that Parnell's plan made sense to him, so he stood out the front of a gas station on Yosemite Parkway and did as he was told. When Stephen Steynar walked by, Murphy told him he was from the church and asked whether his family might like to make a charitable donation. As it was raining, Murphy told Stephen that the minister would give him a ride home so that he could ask his mother. Parnell pulled up in his Buick, and Stephen and Murphy got in. Parnell then told Stephen they were going to the Yosemite Lodge, where he and Murphy lived in the Employee Dorm Building, and would call his mother from there to ask if Stephen could stay the night. Murphy recalled thinking to himself that something wasn't quite right, but he found comfort in the fact that Stephen seemed relaxed and wasn't crying.

Over the next few days, Murphy checked in on Stephen regularly, bringing him food, comic books, and a small battery-operated motorcycle to keep him entertained. A week after the abduction, when Parnell drove Stephen to his cabin in Cathy's Valley, they passed the volunteers who were driving up and down the highway looking for the missing boy. Murphy continued to visit the duo at the cabin and looked after Stephen while Parnell went to visit his mother. When Parnell decided to leave town for good, he threatened to tell the authorities that Murphy was the kidnapper unless he agreed to deposit some of his fortnightly pay into Parnell's account. Murphy reluctantly agreed, but stopped the payment years later. In 1974, Parnell tracked Murphy down and once again attempted to blackmail him into continuing the payments. But Murphy refused. On March 5, 1980, Irvin Murphy appeared in Merced County Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping of Stephen Stainer. Bale was said at $50,000, $30,000 more than the Ukiah Court had set for Kenneth Parnell.

Murphy was held in the Merced County Jail to await trial. That same day, two officers took Stephen to the small red cabin in Cathy's Valley, where Parnell had first taken him after being kidnapped. Stephen continued to deny being sexually abused by Parnell. But now that his extensive criminal history had come to light, police doubted whether Stephen was being truthful. Merced police also spent five hours gathering evidence at the Mountain View Ranch cabin and other buildings on the property. The cabin had never been secured as a crime scene, and a number of reporters had since walked through and contaminated the area, with some even taking evidence for themselves. The investigation was complicated by the fact that Parnell and Stephen had moved around frequently throughout the years, meaning police departments from multiple counties were involved. Officers from the differing jurisdictions were struggling to fill one another in, while some were deliberately withholding information altogether. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle presented the Ukiah police with some polaroid photographs he had taken from the Mountain View Ranch cabin that showed Stephen and one of his friends naked.

They were handed to the Merced police, but were unable to be used as evidence against Parnell because it couldn't be proven that they had been taken from the cabin. Stephen continued to deny being subject to any sexual abuse. The Merced police spent three days in Mendocino County visiting each school Stephen had attended since his kidnapping, and questioned his friends and their parents. Some of the children had told their parents they had been abused by Parnell. But because the abuse occurred outside of the Merced County District, Merced police had no choice but to hand the information over to Mendocino County District Attorney Richard Finn, whom they assumed would take action. However, Finn was seemingly disinterested in the sexual abuse claims, and didn't bother to follow up the accusations. Finn had no formal training in psychology, but on March 13, he attempted to hypnotize Timmy White to see if he could uncover any information that could help with the case. Timmy had already told police he had been kidnapped by Parnell and one other unknown man, but under hypnosis, he described the accomplice in such detail that the police identified him as 15-year-old Sean Paulman.

Timmy also denied being subject to any sexual abuse. A few days later, Sean Paulman was located and placed under arrest. He had gone to the same school as Stephen, but the two were more acquaintances than friends. Paulman liked hanging out at Stephen's house because Parnell supplied him with whiskey and cannabis. He was fully cooperative with police, admitting that in mid-November 1979, Parnell said that he wanted another little boy, but adoption was too much of a hassle. Instead, he said he wanted to find a kid on the street that didn't have a good home and offered Paulman $50 to help him find a suitable child. On February 14, 1980, Paulman and Parnell drove to Yukair and bought some girls' clothing and hair dye, with the intention of kidnapping Timmy and then disguising him as a girl. At 11.30am, they parked Parnell's car on the curb a few streets away from Timmy's school and pretended there was something wrong with the tire.

Their plan was to ask for Timmy's help and then throw him into the back seat of the car, but when Timmy walked by, he refused to help and kept on walking. Paulman ran after him, and Timmy tried to save himself by clinging to a chain link fence, but Paulman pried him off, bundled him into the back seat, and covered him with a blanket. He then forced the sleeping tablet down Timmy's throat, and the trio drove to Parnell's cabin, where Paulman left Timmy and Parnell alone and had nothing further to do with the situation. Paulman was initially charged with kidnapping, but because he cooperated with authorities, the charges were reduced to false imprisonment. Given he was a minor, he was released into his parents' custody to await court proceedings. On April 6, 1980, Stephen Stainer was awarded the $15,000 of reward money offered for Timmy White's safe return. A ceremony was held in Ucaya City Park, where Timmy presented Stephen with a check for the money, which was placed in a trust for him to access when he turned 18. Afterwards, Stephen's family drove him to Comchi so he could visit with the friends he made during the happiest time of his kidnapping.

From there, the family went to Mountain View Ranch, where Stephen picked up his favorite goat to take back to Massad with his family. Soon after, Massad police presented Stephen with the naked polaroids that the reporter had found in the cabin, and he finally admitted to being sexually abused by Parnell. He said that he was assaulted on the first night of his abduction, and the abuse escalated from there, occurring whenever Urban Murphy wasn't around. By the time Parnell moved Stephen to Santa Rosa, the abuse had become an almost daily occurrence. In the spring of 1974, when Parnell first started dating Barbara Mathias, the pair had sex in front of then-8-year-old Stephen. Barbara also willingly raped Stephen at Parnell's insistence. When Barbara moved in with Stephen and Parnell, the three shared a bed, and the abuse continued for the next 18 months. Stephen said he didn't like Barbara, but put up with her because when she was around, the abuse he received from Parnell decreased significantly.

When she moved out in 1976, the abuse against Stephen once again increased in frequency. By the time Stephen was going through puberty, Parnell was no longer attracted to him. The abuse now occurred approximately once every three weeks, and by early January of 1980, it stopped altogether. It was at this point that Parnell insisted on finding another young boy to take Stephen's place. Stephen later told author Mike Eccles, From the start, I recognized my situation as life-threatening, and I knew that I had to do what Parnell wanted me to do. I knew that he might kill me if I didn't do it. There's some times that you just have to go along with things.

You have to learn to never say never, because you never know when you're gonna have to do something just to survive. In California at the time, the statute of limitations for sexual abuse was three years. Given Stephen had been abused over a period of seven years, this meant that Parnell could only be charged with the most recent assaults that occurred between 1977 and 1980, while the pair were living in Mendocino County. Stephen documented a total of 87 sexual assaults that occurred within this time frame. These were presented to District Attorney Richard Finn, along with reports taken from several children who claimed to be sexually assaulted by Parnell in his trailer at Comchi. Shortly after, Finn was replaced by a new District Attorney Joe Allen, who ultimately decided not to prosecute Parnell for any of the sexual offenses committed against Stephen. Allen later told author Mike Eccles this decision was based on a desire to protect Stephen. In contrast, a sergeant from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department told Eccles that County law enforcement at the time had a strange attitude toward prosecuting adults who were accused of sexually assaulting children.

The sergeant said, I worked sex crimes and I couldn't get the District Attorney to prosecute. They wouldn't even file the case. In the lead up to Parnell's preliminary hearing, a psychiatrist for his defense team injected him with sodium pentathor, more commonly known as truth serum, and then interviewed him on video while he was under the effect of the drug. The defense hoped to get testimony that could work in Parnell's favor, but the answers he gave were so disturbing that the videos were discarded to avoid doing any harm in court. On April 9, 1980, preliminary hearings for both Kenneth Parnell and Irvin Murphy were held in a closed Merced Court. Both men were charged with kidnapping, child stealing, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to kidnap, while Parnell was also charged with child molestation. To ensure Parnell didn't face an unfair trial for the kidnapping of Timmy White, a gag order was placed to forbid those in court from talking to the press about the outcomes of the hearing. Stephen was the first of several witnesses to take the stand, putting him face to face with Parnell for the first time since his arrest.

He told the courtroom that he had always remembered that his name was Stephen, but Parnell had threatened to spank him if he ever told anyone his real identity. It wasn't until he was in the 5th grade that he realized he had been kidnapped and not given away by his family. At that point, he often considered running away, but never put the plan into action until Timmy White arrived. The defense for both clients referred to the three-year statute of limitation that existed for the crime of kidnapping, and argued that as Stephen had been abducted outside of this time span, the statute had run out, and therefore neither man should face charges. In response, the prosecution debated their stance that the kidnapping continued for as long as Stephen was being held by Parnell, and Judge Velasco agreed. On April 17, he ordered both Parnell and Murphy to stand trial for the kidnapping of Stephen. As Stephen didn't testify about the sexual abuse, and because the 87 counts he reported were not admitted to the court, the child molestation charges against Parnell were dropped due to insufficient evidence. The Stainers didn't pursue the matter, as they were eager to get Stephen's life back on track.

The preliminary hearing for Timmy White's kidnapping was held on April 15 in a closed courtroom in the Mendocino County Superior Court. Parnell pleaded not guilty to all charges. Sean Poorman testified against him, saying that Parnell never even paid him the $50 he had promised for his participation in the kidnapping. When Poorman was asked why he went along with Parnell's plan, he responded. He wanted to build his family. He wanted a little boy. Judge James Luther concluded there was enough evidence for the case against Parnell to proceed the trial. On April 29, Mised County District Attorney Pat Hallford lodged a motion to have Parnell tried on counts of sodomy and oral copulation against Stephen, saying he believed he had gathered enough evidence for the charges to be upheld. Public Defender John Ellery wanted Stephen to undergo psychiatric testing to determine if the sexual acts were real, or whether they were a figment of his imagination.

A judge denied this request, saying he could find no compelling reason for Stephen to undergo such testing. The defense planned to file a motion to have the sex abuse charges dismissed before the trial. Life returned to normal for Timmy White and his family, who were eager to put the kidnapping incident behind them and move on. Timmy returned to kindergarten and resumed his daily walks from school to his babysitter's house. The Stainers paid him some of the reward money they had raised when Stephen was missing and also gave him a t-shirt that read, I'm somebody special. Timmy wore the shirt to school with pride and enjoyed the attention he got from his classmates and townspeople. Meanwhile, Stephen began ninth grade at Merced High School. The school's principal, Joseph Reeves, told the Merced Sun Star newspaper,

We are all going to turn ourselves inside out to help him, for one of the best things we can do is let the kid forget it. If he can handle this, he can handle anything. He can handle life. However, when the details emerged about the sexual abuse Stephen endured, he was bullied by his classmates. Some accused him of being gay and a willing participant, with only Stephen's siblings and some other classmates standing up for him. He had trouble making male friends, but was very popular with the female students. Stephen dated many young women, later admitting he did so to prove his heterosexuality. Kay Stainer quit her job as a cook at the local hospital to be home with her family. Despite the backlash Stephen faced at school, he continued to tell his story in the hopes that other children wouldn't have to go through an ordeal like his.

He became a symbol of hope for parents of missing children and volunteered his time to helping missing children groups. Many people who followed Stephen's story were curious as to why he didn't leave Parnell when he had so many opportunities to do so. Psychologists put forward multiple theories, including that Stephen had become attached to Parnell on a parental level, depending on him for food, clothing and shelter. Parnell was also highly manipulative and maintained power over Stephen. By being constantly on the run, Parnell successfully kept Stephen isolated and alone, with Parnell being the one constant in his life. In addition, some theorized that Stephen was so ashamed of the sexual abuse that he decided to endure it rather than have it publicly known. In his evaluation of Stephen, psychiatrist Robert Wald concluded, Stephen was essentially trapped and bound within the unconscious mind of Dennis, the name given to him by Parnell.

When Dennis saw the active distress of the younger child, Timmy White, his satisfaction with the myth of being Dennis began to deteriorate. When he saw that Timmy was treated with kindness and concern by the officer, the mythic person was subordinated to the real person and the young man spoke his true name. It is my absolute belief that with the acknowledgement of his true identity, Stephen Stainer freed himself from his state of being kidnapped. From a psychological point of view, he was still in a state of kidnap until he spoke his name, thus ending a psychic capture that lasted 2,644 days. On June 7, 1981, Sean Poorman was convicted of false imprisonment for his involvement with Timmy White's kidnapping and sentenced to 2 years in a residential juvenile facility. The following day, Kenneth Parnell's trial for Timmy's kidnapping commenced at the Superior Court in Alameda County, where he pleaded not guilty. It had been moved from Mendocino County to ensure a fair trial. The trial ran for close to three weeks. When Parnell was called to the stand, he blamed Timmy's kidnapping on Sean Poorman and Poorman's stepfather, Henry Medea Jr., claiming they blackmailed him into committing the crime.

Parnell claimed that Henry knew the truth about Stephen and had threatened to hurt Parnell's mother if he didn't steal a young boy that Henry could trade for money or drugs. Parnell said he was home on the afternoon of February 14, 1980, when Poorman and his stepfather suddenly appeared at the cabin with Timmy, saying they had kidnapped a child. On the stand, Henry Medea Jr. denied ever meeting Parnell, Stephen or Timmy, which was backed up by Timmy himself, who testified that Henry was not his kidnapper. In closing arguments on June 29, the defense argued there was enough reasonable doubt to acquit Parnell of the kidnapping charges and urged the jury to consider the lesser charge of false imprisonment instead. The jury deliberated for two hours before declaring Parnell guilty of kidnapping. As the verdict was delivered, Parnell bowed his head and sighed. On September 25, 1981, Judge M. O. Sebror sentenced Parnell to the maximum of seven years in prison. The defense pleaded for leniency given that Timmy hadn't been harmed, but Sebror rebutted.

Timmy had not been physically harmed, but we do not know the extent of the fright, fear and anxiety this little boy must have suffered. We can all be grateful for what we saw here in court. He appears to be a bright, bouncy little boy, and we can take comfort in that. But we cannot conclude that no harm has been done. As the trial for Stephen Stainer's kidnapping approached, Irvin Murphy's lawyers attempted to have their client tried separately to Kenneth Parnell, but their request was denied. On December 10, 1981, the trial of both men commenced at the Haywood Hall of Justice in Alameda County, running for several weeks. The defense maintained that the statute of limitations had passed, and that after that, Stephen had chosen to stay with Parnell at his own free will. They claimed he was happy to be away from his family because his parents sometimes physically disciplined him, and he didn't agree with their move from the farm ranch to suburban Merced. Kay and Del Stainer both took the stand and admitted they sometimes smacked their children, albeit very rarely, but insisted they never used excessive force and believed any punishments they dished out were appropriate to the situation.

Irvin Murphy's defense argued that Murphy himself had been a victim of Parnell's, as Parnell had manipulated him into the kidnapping, and he had gone along with it because he was so eager to please. They argued that Murphy only played a part in the initial kidnapping, not Stephen's ongoing captivity, and therefore the statute of limitations had passed. When Murphy was called to the stand, he was so poorly presented with greasy hair, dirty clothes, and broken glasses, that Judge Sebreau postponed the trial until he could have a shower and clean himself up. When the trial resumed, Murphy testified openly about his involvement with the kidnapping, repeating the same story he had told police from the start, and insisted he had no idea that Parnell intended to sexually abuse Stephen. Merced police chief Harold Colbert told the court, Murphy allowed himself to be used. While he's not intellectual by any means, certainly, I think, the man knows right from wrong, and he participated in a very, very serious crime. He covered it up, and did not come forth with information that was needed to help find Stephen or clear the case up for all those years. Stephen testified to being ashamed that he had obeyed Parnell, and that he himself couldn't comprehend why he didn't leave or tell someone about his true identity.

Merced psychologist Dr. Phillip Ham, who had evaluated Stephen, testified that his parents had raised him to do whatever adults told him to do without question, and he was therefore particularly vulnerable to respect the influence of adults. To explain why Stephen didn't leave Parnell, Dr. Ham stated, When first abducted, Steyner was confused, shocked, and afraid. He began feeling enraged. Emotional blocking occurs, a sense of hopelessness, despair, giving up, and turning himself over to his abductor follows. Unable to understand his feelings and finding it less painful to avoid them, he began to act and respond as though he were Dennis Parnell, the identity Parnell assigned him. As Steyner became increasingly dependent on Parnell, he became incapable of forming another choice. From an adult point of view, we can ask why didn't he leave? But from a child's perspective, the question is, if my parents want me, why don't they come get me? On December 22, inmates found out about the sexual abuse Parnell committed against Stephen and beat him in prison, resulting in broken ribs and an injured knee. He was transferred to an isolated cell, but given the all-clear to return to court.

The trial was put on hold for Christmas and resumed on January 4, 1982 for closing arguments. District Attorney Pat Hawford stated, Any verdict that's not kidnapping and kidnapping for conspiracy, I think would be a cruel joke on Stephen, and it would be a sad and tragic day for justice in Merced County and Alameda County and any other county in this state. On January 7, 1982, the jury found both Kenneth Parnell and Irvin Murphy guilty of second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap. Murphy was visibly shaken when the verdict was delivered, sighing loudly and chewing on his knuckles, while Parnell showed no emotion, but started blinking rapidly. Both men were remanded in custody until sentencing the following month. Outside court, Kay Stena told reporters, I'm very happy the jury came in with a guilty verdict, but I'm anxious about the sentence Parnell will get. It could be a very long sentence, or it could be very short. It will be up to the judge, but we want to keep this fellow off the street.

When the sentencing took place on February 3, the Stena family chose not to attend, as they felt it was more important that their lives return to normal. Judge Sbroor told Parnell, A seven-year-old boy was taken from his home and lied to, told that his parents didn't want him anymore, presumably didn't love him anymore. The resulting psychological impact that this obviously had on this young boy, now 16 years of age, is something that he's struggling with now and will be struggling with for the rest of his life. The impact that this had on his family is difficult to measure and difficult to perceive and to fully appreciate. All this conduct was callous, deceitful, insensitive, and as far as the court is concerned, fully justifies the imposition of the maximum sentence that's available. Judge Sbroor sentenced Parnell to the maximum of seven years, but Californian law at the time dictated that two kidnapping sentences couldn't be served consecutively. Given that Parnell had already received a seven-year sentence for the kidnapping of Timmy White, this meant he only received an additional 20 months for the charge of conspiracy to kidnap Stephen.

Sbroor acknowledged this was an incredibly lenient sentence and clarified, This is not in keeping with what the court feels is an appropriate term, but it is in providing with the law required. Judge Sbroor then turned to Murphy and sentenced him to five years in prison. He acknowledged Murphy's clean criminal record and the fact that he eventually accepted responsibility for his role in the crime, but highlighted that he didn't come forward to authorities earlier so that Stephen could be returned to his family. The public was outraged at the outcome, with one jury member telling reporters that the trial was a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Calls were made for the legislation to be changed in order to prevent anyone from using this legal loophole to secure a lighter sentence in the future. An article in newspaper The Press Democrat stated, Stephen expressed his disappointment in Parnell's sentence, saying he would have liked to see him behind bars until he was 90 years old and unable to hurt anyone else.

In contrast, Stephen said he felt sorry for Irvin Murphy and that he would one day like to see him again. Six months later, in August of 1982, the State Assembly of California voted unanimously in favor of new legislation to increase the prison terms for multiple kidnappings. The legislation was signed off by the governor on September 30, 1982. Stephen later told author Mike Eccles, People are always asking, what would you say to Parnell if you ever saw him? Do you have any feelings towards him? I told them straight out that I spent seven years with him. He treated me well. He looked after me. I thank him for keeping me alive and I'm grateful to him for that. But Stephen also said he hated Parnell with a passion for stealing seven years of his life and for making him miss out on all the experiences and memories his family had created without him over the years. Stephen had spent so much time away from school testifying at both trials and providing interviews to The Press that he struggled academically.

He also struggled at home. As he wasn't used to taking orders, he found it difficult to follow his parents' rules against drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. This created tension in the home and Kay and Del fought constantly. They never addressed the sexual abuse Stephen endured and the family refused to seek counseling. One night, Stephen asked his parents if he could visit Parnell in prison, but they acted as though they never heard the question. On April 18, 1983, Stephen celebrated his 18th birthday, giving him access to the $15,000 reward money he had sitting in a trust fund. Along with $25,000 he had made from selling his story to a production company who wanted to turn it into a movie. He allegedly spent the money within three months, including on drugs, alcohol, a pile of speeding tickets he had amassed and by lending money to his sister for her upcoming wedding. Stephen finished his senior year but failed several subjects, meaning he didn't secure his high school diploma.

He moved out of home and rented a trailer with his cousin David in the town of Atwater, 10 miles northwest of Merced, where he got a job at a meatpacking plant and worked on completing his high school equivalency diploma. On June 21, 1983, Irvin Murphy was released from prison after serving just over three years of his five year sentence. In 1984, Stephen was hospitalized for several days after a drinking bender. Afterwards, he stopped drinking altogether and moved back to his family home. He focused on turning his life around, telling author Mike Eccles, I think that my survival has a lot to do with the way I was raised the first seven years of my life, and I can't let what happened to me with Parnell get to me. I fought too hard for those seven years to make it, to give it up now. On April 5, 1985, Kenneth Parnell was released due to good behavior after serving just five years in prison.

His two year parole stipulated that he wasn't allowed to leave Alameda County and that he had to attend regular counseling sessions and was not allowed in the company of children. He was assigned to a boarding house in the city of Berkeley where his parole officers checked on him up to six times a week. The public was outraged by Parnell's early release, with many Berkeley residents scared that a convicted child kidnapper now walked among them. Case Dana told the Sacramento Bee newspaper, He is dangerous to kids, young boys, and to the families of the children. I just hope the people at Berkeley are as progressive as they are supposed to be and have taught their children to protect themselves. Merced County District Attorney Pat Hallford once again attempted to file sexual abuse charges against Parnell in Mendocino County before the statute of limitations expired. Hallford told reporters that if Parnell was convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison for every count of molestation, meaning he could be behind bars for upwards of 50 years.

The authorities didn't contact Stephen to ask if he would be willing to cooperate if the prosecution went ahead. But it didn't matter, because on April 16, 1985, Mendocino County District Attorney Vivian Racaucas announced she would not be prosecuting Parnell for the sexual abuse charges. Her reasoning was that authorities knew about these crimes prior to the trial and had chosen not to prosecute when they had the opportunity. On June 12, 1985, 20-year-old Stephen married his girlfriend, 17-year-old Jodie Lynn Edmondson, whom he had met the previous summer through mutual friends. The two were in a private Mormon service in Atwater with only close family in attendance. Six months later, Jodie gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter they named Dashily. By the time Stephen turned 21 in April of 1986, both he and Jodie were working 50 hours a week at a Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant and living in a mobile home with two of Stephen's cousins. Stephen told the Sacramento Bee that he no longer suffered any ill effects from the kidnapping or sexual abuse.

While he was bitter about the time Parnell stole from him, he said it was almost as though those years happened in someone else's life. He also believed that being ripped from his family at a young age had instilled him with a deep desire to have a close family life as an adult. Stephen said that the most devastating impact of his abduction was that his relationship with his siblings suffered, as did the relationship between his parents, who had since divorced. He explained, We had a hard time staying together. It had sort of changed everybody. My dad became more moody and a lot more irritable. Stephen clarified that his years spent with Parnell were not altogether unhappy. I hate the guy for what he did for taking me away from my family and I kind of blame all the bad things that happened afterward on him. I hate him for it, but then he kept me alive for those seven years.

I had good times. I got into trouble at school. I was real rowdy just like any normal kid. While he didn't think Parnell should have been released from prison, Stephen believed he was unlikely to harm anyone else, as the 54 year old had a heart condition and was unlikely to live much longer. Parnell completed his parole on April 5, 1987. After this, the authorities had no jurisdiction over him and he was free to go wherever he pleased. Parnell secured a job as a security guard for a boys home in the Californian city of Oakland, where his criminal history went unnoticed. In May that year, Jody gave birth to her and Stephen's second child, a son they named Stephen Gregory Steiner II. The following year, Stephen was employed as an advisor for a television miniseries about his kidnapping, in which he also played a small role as one of the policemen who reunited Stephen's character with his parents. The series was titled I Know My First Name is Stephen and was written by Mike Eccles, author of the book on the case. It aired on the NBC network in May of 1989 and was well received by the public, earning both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for Best Miniseries.

Afterwards, Parnell was uncovered and immediately fired from his job at the boys home in Oakland. By September 1989, 24 year old Stephen was working as the assistant manager at a Pizza Hut restaurant in Atwater. At approximately 5pm on September 16, he finished his shift and hopped on his new Kawasaki EX-500 motorbike to begin the 15 minute journey home. Stephen typically wore a helmet, but his had been stolen three days earlier and he had yet to replace it. As he drove past the meatpacking plant where he had landed his first ever job, a Plymouth Velary sedan pulled out in front of him and stalled. Stephen was driving under the 55 mile speed limit, but was unable to break in time. He swerved and crashed into the driver's side door of the Plymouth, sending him 45 feet from his motorbike. The driver fled the scene in the Plymouth and Stephen was rushed to Merced County Medical Center, having sustained severe head injuries.

At 5.35pm, he passed away. Later that evening, the driver of the Plymouth was identified as 28 year old factory worker Antonio Loera, who was known to have been drinking alcohol prior to the crash. He had abandoned the Plymouth at a nearby shopping center and fled to Mexico. On September 19, Loera's wife successfully convinced him to meet the authorities at the San Yucidro border crossing south of San Diego. Once he crossed the border back into the United States, Loera was arrested and charged with felony hit and run and misdemeanor manslaughter. Due to the amount of time that had passed since the crash, he couldn't be tested for blood alcohol levels and therefore couldn't be charged with drunk driving. Loera pleaded not guilty to wall charges. Stephen's funeral was held on September 20 at the Merced Church of Latter-day Saints, with over 500 people in attendance, including many of those who had been involved with the investigation into his kidnapping over the years.

Stephen's casket was inscribed with the words Going Home and a large heart shaped wreath with the word Daddy on it was placed on top. From the front row, Stephen's two young children held long stemmed roses while his wife Jodie openly sobbed. Stephen's sister Corrie gave an emotional goodbye, saying that Stephen had brought their broken hearted family back together again. She added, Even though he has passed into another life, we're so very grateful that he went as Stephen Gregory Stainer, our brother. We will always remember you, and we will never forget you. But remember, this is not goodbye. This is until we meet again. Case Dana said she felt as though her son had been on loan to her family, having been taken so soon after his kidnapping ordeal. Timmy White, who was now 14, was among the pallbearers. After the funeral, he said,

Obviously, it's tragic. I don't think we have any more to say. Jodie told reporters, Steve heard a lot, but he always seemed to get through it no matter what. He was a survivor. Now, it doesn't really matter. In the lead up to Antonio Loera's trial, further investigation of the wreckage revealed the Plymouth had a defective carburetor and a loose throttle. There were two manufacturing faults that had likely caused it to stall. As a result, the manslaughter charge against Loera was dropped. On December 21, 1989, he pleaded no contest to felony hit and run and was sentenced to three months in a county jail. Loera said he was sorry for fleeing the scene and hoped others could learn from his experience. 13 years later, on December 20, 2002, the Berkeley police received a tip-off that Kenneth Parnell was attempting to abduct another young boy.

The 71-year-old was in poor health, suffering from emphysema and diabetes. In late December, he had allegedly offered his friend Diane Stevens $500 to procure a child for him, preferably, quote, an English-speaking black boy between four and six years old. He also wanted the boy's birth certificate. Diane accepted the offer out of fear that Parnell would find someone else to do it if she refused, but never intended to go through with it. Instead, Diane worked with the police to enact a sting operation. A listening device placed on her telephone recorded a conversation between herself and Parnell, in which he said that if all worked out well with the boy, he would also consider buying a young girl.

He was recorded saying, quote, I can't handle but one at a time, you know. On January 3, 2003, Diane called Parnell and said she was going to collect a little black boy from interstate. They agreed that Diane would leave the boy in her car while she delivered the birth certificate in exchange for $100. She would then hand over the boy for the remaining $400. Diane wore a wire as she entered Parnell's apartment and made the first exchange. She then said she was going outside to collect the boy, at which point the police stormed in and placed Parnell under arrest. A search of his apartment revealed children's books, videos and clothing, stuffed animals, condoms, pornographic videos, sex toys, and a bottle marked libido pills.

Parnell was charged with conspiracy to commit child stealing, solicitation to commit felony kidnapping, and attempting to buy a person. As this was Parnell's third attempted kidnapping, California's three-strike law dictated that he could face life in prison. Stephen Stainer's father, Dell, told the Associated Press that man should have never gotten out of prison in the first place. He should have gotten life when he took Stevie all those years ago. Former Mendocino County District Attorney Joe Allen told the Ukiah Daily Journal that he wasn't surprised upon hearing the news. I think it was in the cards. Once a pedophile, always a pedophile. We don't want to think people are totally beyond redemption.

It runs against our historic Western Christian principle that everyone should have a final chance. Deen adequacy of the sentences that were handed down in the 1970s and 1980s are illustrated nicely by Kenneth Parnell. Parnell admitted to attempting to buy a child, but claimed his motive was innocent. He told the San Francisco Chronicle, Time is running out on me. I wanted to raise him just like any child. I wanted to be loved. I guess it was wrong. I thought a child would love me for what I am and not what I was. It's easier for a child to become attached to me when they're young. Parnell's trial was held in Alameda County Superior Court on February 2, 2004, where he pleaded not guilty to wall charges. His lawyer tried to argue that his previous kidnappings of Steven Steiner and Timmy White were irrelevant and shouldn't be allowed to be used against him.

But the judge ruled that the jury should be informed of his criminal past. Timmy, who was 29 years old at the time, testified against Parnell, as did Parnell's co-conspirator in Timmy's kidnapping, Sean Paulman. In court, Paulman apologized to Timmy, and the two men shared a hug. The jury found Parnell guilty of all charges, and he was sentenced to 25 years to life. Outside court, prosecutor Tim Wellman told reporters, I think he is a poster child for the Three Strikes Law. He has been committing felonies since he was 19 years old. The defendant is a danger at any age. The defendant was looking for one last hurrah, one last Steven Steiner, one last Timmy White. Four years later, on January 21, 2008, 76-year-old Parnell died in prison from natural causes.

Prosecutor Wellman remarked, Kenneth Parnell's death brings to a close his long criminal history of victimizing young children. In his adult years, Timmy White had grown up to become a deputy sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He married a woman named Deena, and the couple had two children. In his spare time, Timmy gave talks to students about the dangers of kidnapping and shared his personal experience on the subject. Then, on April 1, 2010, Timmy suffered an unexpected pulmonary embolism at the age of 35 and passed away suddenly. In a short statement about his death, his loved ones remembered him as a man who was passionate about his family, his career and boating. They said,

We were so proud of him. He will be greatly missed, taken from us in the prime of his life. Timmy's longtime friend Chris Poe told the Signal newspaper that Timmy was one of the most genuinely good people he knew with a strong moral compass. Quote, Tim didn't preach. He was just a good example. He knew who he was. He was a fierce friend and the strongest family man I ever saw. To memorialize Steven and Timmy, an eight-foot tall bronze statue of them holding hands as a 14- and 5-year-old was erected in Merced's Applegate Park. The life-size sculpture cost $50,000 and was created by a renowned local artist named Paula B. Slater. The city of Merced contributed close to $150,000 in renovations to the park, adding an ornamental metal archway to the statue. Paula Slater told the Merced Sunstar newspaper,

Bronze lasts for centuries, so this will be here a long time. Many future generations will be affected by it and will know of Steven's courage and the message of his life. Even though it was short, he did so much good. The statue was officially unveiled on August 28, 2010, with the Stena family declaring it was not only dedicated to Steven and Timmy, but to all missing children. Kay Stena told the Sunstar, That was Steve's goal, to help missing children and to stop it from happening. During the unveiling ceremony, a crowd of family members and supporters gathered and laid flowers, as a musician played Amazing Grace on bagpipes. Steven's 24-year-old daughter Ashley told reporters, My father really inspires me every day. I really aspire to be like him. A plaque beneath the statue provided a brief overview of Steven's ordeal and concluded,

May this memorial to Steven Stena's heroism and to all child victims stand as a beacon of hope to families of children still missing. Thank you for watching.