FBI: Suspect confesses to Yosemite beheading - July 26, 1999 - CNN On Saturday, July 24, FBI agents announced at a press conference that a man was in custody on strong suspicion of murder and that a "significant announcement" would be made shortly. He at some points was shuddering, with crying and tears, but for the purposes of what I wanted him to do," Rinek said. One afternoon, Steven Stayner disappeared without a trace as he was walking home from school down Yosemite Highway. Two days later, they took him into custody while he was eating at a clothing optional resort near Sacramento. Stayner was arrested Saturday at a nudist colony near Wilton, California, after someone there heard news reports about the wanted man and called authorities. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? I left as quickly as I could, got back to my car, and drove home. I had a backpack, small green backpack. After Hiker Goes Missing Police Discover Bigfoot-Obsessed Culprit, Man Finds Old Buried Chain, His Gut Then Tells Him To Keep Pulling, Homeless Man Sues Burger King For a Million Dollars, Over 3 Months Spent In Jail Without Proof, She Looked Like She Was Pregnant With 30 Puppies, Then Vet Gives Mom The X-Ray, 10-Year-Old Boys Sentenced To Life In Prison After Child Goes Missing, Daughter Wakes Up To Serial Killer Sitting at The End Of Her Bed, Woman In Coma for 3 Weeks Wakes Up To Learn Her Family Pulled the Plug on Her, Missing Alabama Mother Found In The Woods After Sister Discovers Her Car, NFL Star Murders Girlfriend After Heated Argument Then Pulls Trigger on Himself. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. He rented a room above the Cedar Lodge and did odd jobs around the hotel. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. "I could not believe what I'd just heard. FRESNO The half-brother of slain Yosemite naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong is being held at the same jail where his sister's confessed killer is in custody. ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. He also faces trial in the murder of three tourists but has pleaded not guilty. "Theres a crude map, and the map shows Route 120. She nagged them about recycling and using Styrofoam, they said. Cary and the rest of the family were devastated. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. Rinek believes that was an attempt by Stayner to control what the agents were thinking of him. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. The motel is in El Portal, California, at the western edge of Yosemite. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. "Her mother, sisters, and a family friend had been missing for a month by the time Gina Sund read her poem in front of a thousand or so people who gathered in Modesto," writes Time. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. On July 21, 1999, 26-year-old Joie Armstrong, a park naturalist, was packing for a trip to join friends. This also includes the murder of his uncle Jerry. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. Year should not be greater than current year. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Neither of these things seemed to interest the cops at the time. "She stepped up on the porch and she was talking to me and she turned. Mr. Stayner said on Monday. Whatever this is that's inside you, you need to get it out. They had been hosting Silvina, who was a foreign exchange student from Argentina and a friend of Juli's, She was spending three months with the family. "Now, we had been going through, not details, but the emotional impact this had on him. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. GREAT NEWS! On December 4, 1972, at the age of seven, Steven was approached after school by Edward Ervin Murphy, who claimed he was collecting money for the church. SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- Motel handyman Cary Stayner has confessed to the beheading of a naturalist at Yosemite National Park, the FBI said in an affidavit filed Monday in a federal court in Sacramento. "Because in the letter of apology, theres always something that I didnt think of or that I missed in the interview.". Why did you do that?'" In the final moments of her life, Joie Armstrong, who grew up in Orlando and graduated from Dr. Phillips High School, might have saved other lives, sources close to the investigation said. He originally was questioned and ruled out as a suspect in those killings. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. CNN - Yosemite suspect confesses to 4 killings - July 27, 1999 Movies. Upon his July 23 release, Stayner returned to the lodge and tried to quickly sell his belongings, police said, before he packed up and left, later arriving at the nudist colony Laguna del Sol, where he began living in a tent. Officials there were not available for comment Friday morning. By the end of the car ride, Rinek had developed a connection with Cary Stayner. Their bodies were found about five weeks later. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Friends would say the younger Stayner never got his life back together after his ordeal. Rinek recalled the moment Stayner took them to where he disposed of evidence in both murder cases. Stayner, 37, was to make an initial court appearance later in the day in connection with the slaying of Joie Ruth Armstrong, whose decapitated body was discovered Thursday. ). In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. Cary Stayner is led into a van by a U.S. Then there was another murder. On the drive to the FBI field office, Rinek asked Stayner if he was related to Steven Stayner. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. Joie Ruth Armstrong - Biography - IMDb PDF Stayner, Cary - 2005 Tell me what you did?' Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Stayner, from Merced, California, was the older brother of Steven Stayner. Stayner spent his downtime by the rivers, getting high and skinny dipping, police said. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK - Joie Armstrong's grieving family and friends returned to her cabin here for the first time since she was brutally slain and beheaded. He demanded that his parents be given the reward money, that he be incarcerated at a prison near his parents home, and, to Stayners detriment, that he be given a large cache of child pornography. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. But where was Juli? They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. Verify and try again. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous - one experienced horror in the hands of a child molester, Steven, and the other, Cary, the serial killer in Yosemite. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Ham, who has known. Her roommates were away on business, Thompson said. He paid a local kid to ride with him to the town of Ukiah, California and he told to go and find him a boy. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Among other things, the FBI Laboratory has found hairs in vacuum sweepings taken from Room 509 and possibly body fluid stains on a blanket (and) a latent palm print from the window sill. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. Weve updated the security on the site. It was one of the most gruesome things the doctor had ever seen. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. She was last seen alive Wednesday afternoon, when she left her office at the Yosemite Institute in Yosemite Valley, park spokesman. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Ham and Skalitzky described Joie Armstrong as an adventurous environmentalist. Sandy Cox, whose husband owned the window company where Stayner worked for in Atwater, says, "We've known Cary since he was a little boyIt just doesn't match up. It shows Don Pedro Reservoir, and its about forty miles away from where the car was found.". On February 12, 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli 15, and Silvina Pelosso 16, left their home in Eureka, California to go on vacation in the area near Yosemite National Park in the same state in the United States. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. A year later, Uncle Jerry was found dead on the bedroom floor with a shotgun wound in his chest. The next day, in the same place, the police found twenty-six-year-old Joie Armstrong's headless body half underwater in a creek. Suddenly, Kidd spotted a key ring glinting in the sun. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. ", "Jeff was very empathetic, and he was saying, 'I can already see a change in you. ", Finally, Rinek says hell ask them to write a letter of apology to the victim. By the end of that evening, the FBI felt it had gathered enough evidence to arrest Cary Stayner for murder, Sunday morning, they rushed him to Fresno to officially lodge a complaint, then to Sacramento on Monday where he was put before the courts. In the exclusive, never-before-broadcast audio of Stayners confession, obtained by ABC News, Rinek said you can hear him ask Stayner to "do it again" after having Stayner go through his outline of what happened when he murdered Armstrong. Joies white pickup truck was still parked in the driveway when park rangers and police arrived. Though hundreds of FBI agents, California Highway Patrol officers, and National Park Service rangers had combed Yosemites rugged backcountry with dogs and helicopters for weeks afterward, it was a lone hiker who eventually found them. Six Lives Remembered / Joie Armstrong - SFGATE Yosemite West, Mariposa County, California, USA. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. CNN - FBI: Handyman confessed Yosemite murder - July 26, 1999 I was literally trying to get my mouth going to hear that again to make sure I had heard what he said," Rinek recalled. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. Stayner failed to show up for work Friday _ his first absence in a year . He loved his brother. Trending. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. This account has been disabled. The agents bought some time and began questioning Stayner about Armstrong. Joie Ruth Armstrong - IMDb To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Compounding the mystery, Carole Sund's wallet had been found on a street in downtown Modesto, California, three days after they had disappeared. Thanks for your help! Eventually, investigators found Armstrong's body near a stream in the woods about a half mile away from the cabin. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. Joie Armstrong and her grandmother had grown extremely close since Leslie Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer in April, said family friend Anita Ham. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. Kidd had been dispatched to this scene to help park rangers find a missing girl. The boys were still in elementary school when on December 4, 1972, a man named Kenneth Parnell took seven-year-old Stephen, whilst walking home from school on Highway 140. For months, law enforcement officials were stumped by the deaths of three tourists: Carole Sund, her teenaged daughter Juli, and a family friend, Silvina Pelosso. Thus, his confession has seen police departments all across the region reopen a number of long-dormant murder cases that he may have been involved in. Her decapitated body was found near a wilderness stream the next day. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them, but he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women. The month before, Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso, a young exchange student from Argentina, had gone missing from their room at the Cedar Lodge just outside of the park. Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, a German native who grew up in California, was found Thursday near a stream running by the housing area where she lived near Crane Flat in the west end of Yosemite. Creepy Stories & Legends About Yosemite - Ranker To use this feature, use a newer browser. In Yosemite, Leslie Armstrong of Orlando, Fla., reflected on the shock of the past week. 6. "We're not used to this stuff around here. Steven Stayner helped another child escape from a pedophile, after enduring years of abuse and not wanting to see the child experience the same fate. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. A naturalist with the Yosemite Institute, she was last seen alive leaving her office in Yosemite Valley about 5 p.m. Wednesday. The man took a hit off the joint he had been smoking and explained to the ranger and accompanying police officer that his name was Cary Stayner. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. Her head wasn't found until later. It was the last time the women were seen alive. "See the good that comes out of evil sometimes. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. They confiscated the marijuana and sent him on his way. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. Ive never seen anything thats so close to black and white and evil and good as Stayner and our children, said Francis Carrington, the father of Carole Sund and grandfather of Juli. A Voice In The Dark - Esquire Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. You know what I mean? Looking into his past, the FBI soon discovered that Staynors own family tragedy had transformed him into a violent predator. The Yosemite Institute is a nonprofit group that runs education programs through a partnership with the park service. Management found him a hard worker and honest. Witnesses reported seeing a blue car parked outside the cabin where the Yosemite Institute naturalist had. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. On the way to his police interview he confessed to a detective in the car to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. Many local residents were convinced that no one person could have created so much horror, "'The logistics of it say it had to involve more than one person, said Letty Carolyn Barry, owner of the Yosemite Rosebud Lodge, west of Cedar Lodge. "That house had her prints all over it," said family friend Ken Skalitzky of Atlanta, who had known Joie Armstrong since she was a baby.