"Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Then in July, a teacher at the Yosemite Institute, Joie Ruth Armstrong, went missing. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. One afternoon, Steven Stayner disappeared without a trace as he was walking home from school down Yosemite Highway. In 1999, four women were murdered in Yosemite National Park. 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. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. Armstrong, a graduate of California State University at Chico, had worked for the institute for two years. In this, he calmly reviewed how he strangled 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso in the motel bathtub and how he sexually assaulted Juli Sund for hours before brutally cutting her throat. "I ask [people Im interviewing] first to tell me in a narrative outline way, 'What did you do? The Sund family's worst fears were confirmed when a hiker wandered onto the site of a burned-out red 1999 Pontiac, hidden off Highway 108, in the Stanislaus Forest region on March 18. Rinek and Boles decided to bring Stayner in for questioning. 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. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Movies. He looked into the ditch where it lay and found something else, the decapitated body of a young woman. 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. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, See more StrangeOutdoors True Crime Stories, The horrific rape and murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden, The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorados Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer, The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer, https://casefilepodcast.com/case-161-the-yosemite-sightseer-murders-part-1/, https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stayner-cary.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Stayner, https://abcnews.go.com/US/steven-cary-stayner-tale-brothers-horror-heroism/story?id=60529944, https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/me-timothy-white10-2010apr10-story.html, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a26040174/cary-stayner-steven-yosemite-murders/, https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/july-25-1999-cary-stayner-arrested-murder-yosemite-60263995, https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-recalls-moment-family-learned-target-1999-yosemite/story?id=60364987, https://www.theunion.com/news/local-news/stayner-sentenced-to-death/, Tagged: The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, Carole Sund yosemite murders, Juli Sund yosemite murders, Silvina Pelosso yosemite murders, Cary Stayner yosemite murders, Yosemite park murders, Joie Ruth Armstrong, StrangeOutdoors.com Terms of use/Cookie notice/Privacy Policy, Sign up now for a one-time fee for access to over 55 exclusive member articles, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia, Robert Hansen Butcher Baker - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness, The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, The unsolved murder of Scott Lilly on the Appalachian trail, The disturbing case of James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Armstrong, a naturalist at the Yosemite Institute, was slain near her Yosemite cabin last Wednesday. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. Caroles parents, Francis and Carole Carrington, appeared on the Good Morning, America TV show, to ask for the prayers of Americans and their help in locating their daughter and the children. The next day, a tip was called into park rangers about a car spotted near Armstrongs cabin. Cary Stayner is led into a van by a U.S. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Still, people were suspicious. 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. Try again later. "That was followed by him saying, 'Okay, lets do it,'" said Rinek. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. They said he was cooperative and agreed to talk with them. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Suddenly, Kidd spotted a key ring glinting in the sun. Caroles charred body was stuffed in the trunk next to Silvinas. Neither of these things seemed to interest the cops at the time. Stayner failed to show up for work Friday _ his first absence in a year . GREAT NEWS! There was Armstrong's solar-heated shower and the garden that she proudly nourished with water that she carried in heavy buckets from a nearby creek. Compounding the mystery, Carole Sund's wallet had been found on a street in downtown Modesto, California, three days after they had disappeared. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Now, 26-year-old Joie Ruth Armstrong was missing. "When you hear these snippets, hes going to sound clinical and unemotional, but this is what I asked him to do," Rinek said. See also. Rinek said it was important for him to not show judgment or emotion. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. The FBI has also called Stayner the prime suspect in the murders of three Yosemite sightseers who disappeared in February. Try again later. The beheaded body of a young naturalist Friday touched off a new murder investigation in the second grisly crime in this busy national park in the past five months. Former FBI agent Jeff Rinek, who used his refined interrogation technique, recalls what he learned from Cary Stayner's confession to killing park naturalist Joie Armstrong in 1999. Joie Armstrong and her grandmother had grown extremely close since Leslie Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer in April, said family friend Anita Ham. What were you feeling? Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 Yosemite Learn more about merges. Nevertheless, he seems to feel some remorse about what he has done and hopes to sell the rights to the story to Hollywood. Then there was another murder. At the time of the murders of Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso, investigators didnt see him as a suspect, and he even opened rooms at the motel for the FBI to gather evidence. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? I was at a girlfriend's house, and I guess it's this girlfriend and her two daughters that were my original intended victims," Stayner told the agents during his interrogation. This also includes the murder of his uncle Jerry. 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. Juli Sund, one of the earlier victims, was cut so deeply across her throat. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. He rented a room above the Cedar Lodge and did odd jobs around the hotel. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Joie Ruth Armstrong I found on Findagrave.com. The bodies of Carole Sund and Pelosso were later found burned beyond recognition in the trunk of Carole Sunds rental car. The agents bought some time and began questioning Stayner about Armstrong. I was literally trying to get my mouth going to hear that again to make sure I had heard what he said," Rinek recalled. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. 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. 42-year-old Carole Sund of Eureka, California had been visiting Yosemite with her 15-year-old daughter Juli and Julis 16-year-old friend, Silvina Pelosso, who had been visiting from Argentina. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years and Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell and they would need to find someone else that they could sexually abuse. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Yosemite West, Mariposa County, California, USA. He abandoned the group's rental car with the bodies of Carole and Silvina inside, returning two days later to burn the evidence and retrieve the wallet, which he dumped in Modesto to confuse authorities. Suspect at Yosemite Had Fantasy of Killing Women It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. Failed to delete memorial. "We still weren't sure that he had [murdered the Sunds and Pelosso]. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. According to an affidavit, during an interview with FBI agents, Stayner "made statements to the agents in which he admitted killing Joie Ruth Armstrong" last Wednesday. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Please enter your email and password to sign in. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. Because we all, in law enforcement, when we look at somebody whos killed someone else, we think to ourselves at least I do that that face was the last thing our victim saw before they died. What did she see?' 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The Yosemite Institute is a nonprofit group that runs education programs through a partnership with the park service. Failed to delete flower. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. She also worked at the Yosemite Institute with Kidd, and though the two werent friends, they did know each other. The Bureau relocated its headquarters from Yosemite to Modesto at this point and, on February 28, twelve days after the women's disappearance, hinted that was is no longer treating the Sund incident as a missing persons case, but as murder. Armstrong's body was found nearby. Mr. Stayner said on Monday. Please try again later. They no longer want you.. Against the odds, he flourished there. His distraught parents undertook a veritable quest to find him. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner.He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso, and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. But Juli Sund was still missing. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Yosemite Murder Suspect Pleads Guilty - ABC News The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. Attorneys for Cary Stayner, 39, submitted a written guilty plea to charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted sexual assault in the July 21,1999, death of Joie Armstrong. "I dont know how to think of it. A week later, the FBI received an anonymous tip that led to Julis corpse. There was an error deleting this problem. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". 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. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. That confidence evaporated on July 22, with the disappearance of another woman Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, a pretty redhead who worked for the Yosemite Institute teaching children about. Sorry! There was a dramatic period of silence after Rinek invited Stayner to continue opening up, Rinek said. FBI investigators had compared tire tracks at the crime scene with photographs of Stayners treads and found that it was a perfect match. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Cary was questioned but never charged. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. "We never really got along that well after he came back All of a sudden Steve was getting all these gifts, getting all this clothing, getting all this attention. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. After first flying to San Francisco, where Carole rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they stopped in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. Joie Ruth Armstrong - IMDb A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, was found Thursday near a stream. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. In the water several feet away, they discovered her head, which officials said had been removed from her body. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. "He was spunky. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. Listen to Yosemite serial killer's never-before-broadcast confession tapes, "It seemed like she was alone. Serial killer confessed to his crimes after bonding with FBI agent "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. Stayner is suspected in the killings of Julie Sund, left, and Silvina Pelosso FBI agents had questioned Stayner after. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. Little does he realize, the true monster was him all along. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. Pleasant Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6753355/joie-ruth-armstrong. But he was surprised that did not find his wife at the airport and assumed she had flown ahead, The next day, he tried to contact them again and failed and he called the police. Stayner was arrested Saturday at a nudist colony near Wilton, California, after someone there heard news reports about the wanted man and called authorities. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? She called the FBI to alert them of Stayners location. And he was a coward," said Boles. This is a carousel with slides. "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. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. According to Special Agent Christopher Hopkins , both the FBI's Evidence Response Team and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office collected items of potential interest from Room 509 at the Cedar Lodge Motel, the room in which Stayner sexually assaulted Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso and murdered both Carole Sund and Silvina. Yosemite naturalist found beheaded - SFGATE The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. I was blessed to have known and loved her. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Stayner surprised them by saying said he would give them closure on what happened to Joie Armstrong and "more," but in exchange, he asked to see child pornography. Web posted at: 3:41 p.m. EDT (1941 GMT). Last week's victim, Joie Ruth Armstrong, was decapitated. Acting on a tip from a caller who was worried about the whereabouts of his friend, Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, park rangers found her decapitated body on the morning of July 22, 1999. Both boys were reunited with their families shortly after arriving at the police station. 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. Where Is Cary Stayner Now? Here's What Happened to the "Captive - Yahoo Unfortunately, those three girls had been found brutally murdered a month later, and the memory was still fresh in Dr. Kidds mind. Most experts believe that it would be unlikely for Stayner to have targeted three victims for his first killing, so he probably killed before that. Looking into his past, the FBI soon discovered that Staynors own family tragedy had transformed him into a violent predator.