Criminal logo

A boy named Steven

The tragic life of Steven Stayner

By Marc HooverPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
2
Steven Stayner (L) & Timothy White (R)

If you talk to any parent about their worst fears, I can almost guarantee child abduction will be one of them. Unfortunately, our society has countless pedophiles and adults who have done unspeakable horrors to children. My county has a website that registers addresses and photographs of local sexual predators.

When my boys were young, we had many discussions about predators and child molestation. I often warned them to be vigilant about whom they trusted. If you watch the daily news, you will see endless cases of evil people committing atrocious crimes against children.

For instance, consider Ervin Murphy and Kenneth Parnell. The two men worked together at Yosemite National Park. Murphy was mentally challenged while Parnell had a history of molesting children. The men climbed into Parnell's white Buick seeking a young male victim. Parnell had influenced Murphy into helping him snatch a child. Their victim would be a boy named Steven Gregory Stayner.

On December 4, 1972, Steven, 7, was walking home from school. Murphy encouraged him to get into the car. The men took Steven to a cabin where Parnell would molest Steven and then eventually start raping him. Parnell had also told Steven his parents no longer wanted him and then began referring to Steven as Dennis Parnell.

Parnell allowed Steven to consume liquor and do whatever he wanted. Steven no longer tried to escape and accepted his life as a captive. He would also eventually consider Parnell a father figure.

After a while, Parnell wanted to abduct another child. He made Steven help him. Fortunately, Parnell and Steven failed at every attempt to take another child. Steven later revealed that he intentionally botched Parnell’s plans.

He may have thought Steven was bad luck because he enlisted one of Steven’s friends to help him abduct his next victim. On February 14, 1980, Parnell and a teenager named Sean Poorman abducted a five-year-old boy named Timothy White. But Steven didn’t want Timothy to experience the abuse he had endured the previous several years. After many years of being molested, raped and tormented, Steven planned to slip away and take Timothy with him. On March 1, 1980, Steven and Timothy fled after Parnell left for work.

Steven's plan included escorting Timothy back to his family. Unfortunately, he didn’t know where Timothy lived or how to help him return home. Steven decided to send Timothy into a police station alone. This didn't work because two police officers became suspicious of Steven and Timothy. The officers approached the boys and asked them for their names.

Steven told the officers his name and how Kenneth Parnell had abducted both of them. Police arrested Parnell and returned both boys to their grieving families. Steven instantly became a national hero. I wish I could say this story has a happy ending, but it doesn’t. After returning home, Steven found it difficult to adapt to life. He went from doing whatever he wanted to living in a structured home with rules. This caused issues within the family.

The aftermath of sexual assault

Additionally, Steven never received counseling that could have helped him cope with his past. However, Steven’s life improved. He fell in love, got married and became the father of two children. Tragically, he died in a motorcycle accident on September 16, 1989 at 24.

Meanwhile, Timothy White, 14, served as a pallbearer. After becoming an adult, he entered law enforcement and became a deputy. Unfortunately, Deputy Timothy White of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department died on April 1, 2010, at 35 from a medical condition. Today, there is a statue of Steven and Timothy holding hands at Applegate Park in Merced, California. It’s a magnificent tribute to two young men who just wanted to go home.

investigation
2

About the Creator

Marc Hoover

Marc Hoover is a Hooper award winning columnist for the Clermont Sun newspaper in Ohio. Contact him at [email protected]. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.