He'd been given the freedom to walk away for years. He never did — until another boy's crying finally moved him to act.
Steven Stayner was kidnapped at age 7 in Merced, California, in 1972 and held captive for more than seven years before escaping in 1980 alongside another of his abductor's victims. His story became one of the most widely covered kidnapping cases in American history — and his family's later tragedy made it even more well known.
The Abduction
On December 4, 1972, Kenneth Eugene Parnell, a convicted sex offender working at Yosemite Lodge, and an accomplice, Ervin Murphy, lured 7-year-old Steven into their car under the pretense of collecting charitable donations for a church. Parnell told the boy his parents no longer wanted him, then took him to a remote cabin in Mariposa County.
Years of Captivity
Given the nature of what Steven endured as a child, we won't detail the specifics of the abuse here beyond confirming that Parnell sexually assaulted him repeatedly over the following years, gave him a new identity as "Dennis Parnell," and enrolled him in local schools under that name. Parnell relocated them several times, eventually settling in Mendocino County. As Steven grew older, Parnell began looking for a younger victim, at one point pressuring Steven to help him find one — Steven refused, though Parnell went on to abduct 5-year-old Timothy White from Ukiah, California, in February 1980 with the help of another teenager.
Escape
After two weeks witnessing Timothy's distress in captivity, Steven decided to act. On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away working his night security job, Steven left with Timothy, hitchhiked to Ukiah, and brought him to a police station. Both boys were reunited with their families within a day. When asked to identify himself, 14-year-old Steven, who had been living under a false name for years, told police simply: "I know my first name is Steven."
Arrest and a Light Sentence
Parnell was arrested and later convicted of two counts of kidnapping, but was never charged for the years of sexual abuse due to jurisdictional issues and the statute of limitations. He was sentenced to seven years and released after serving five — less time than he'd held Steven captive.
Life After Rescue
Steven struggled to readjust, facing bullying at school and turning to alcohol to cope; he eventually dropped out. He married Jody Edmondson in 1985, and the couple had two children. He worked various jobs in Merced and used proceeds from the rights to his story, later adapted into the TV movie "I Know My First Name Is Steven," to buy a motorcycle. On September 16, 1989, he was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding it home from work. He was 24. Timothy White, whom Steven had helped rescue, served as a pallbearer at his funeral; White went on to become a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy and died of a pulmonary embolism in 2010 at age 35.
A Family Tragedy Repeated
Steven's older brother, Cary Stayner, was 11 when Steven was abducted and later said he felt neglected during the years his parents focused on the search. In 1999, Cary was arrested and confessed to murdering four women near Yosemite National Park, becoming known as the Yosemite Park Killer. He was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to death in 2002; as of the most recent reporting, he remains on death row in California, where executions have been under an official moratorium since 2019.
Parnell's Later Life
Kenneth Parnell was convicted again in 2004, this time for attempting to purchase a child for sexual purposes, and was sentenced to 25 years to life. He died in prison in 2008.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Timothy White survive?
Yes. He was rescued by Steven Stayner in 1980 and went on to live a full life, later becoming a sheriff's deputy, before dying of natural causes in 2010.
Is Steven Stayner's brother Cary older or younger?
Older. Cary was born in 1961, four years before Steven.
Is Kenneth Parnell still alive?
No. He died in prison in 2008.