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Episode 23: The Story of Steven Stayner Part 2
77 Plays1 year ago
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Today Lana breaks Ellie with Part 2 of the story of Steven Stayner.
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Abuse of a Child
Sponsor: Organic, Plant-Based, Zero Waste Health Foods – Sun & Swell Foods (sunandswellfoods.com) Sources:
Timothy White (abduction victim) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayne
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Transcript
Introduction and Environmental Concerns
00:00:04
Speaker
Hey guys, I'm Lana. And I'm Ellie. And welcome to Scared Book Curious.
00:00:18
Speaker
We both love and care about the planet, especially the ocean.
Plastic Pollution Crisis
00:00:22
Speaker
Did you know that only 9% of plastic is ever recycled? And by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, which is really sad to really think about. That is so sad.
Sponsor Highlight: Sun & Swell Foods
00:00:34
Speaker
But Sun and Swell Foods is trying to change that.
00:00:38
Speaker
Sun & Swell Foods is the nation's first online plastic-free grocery store. They have an amazing assortment of delicious, healthy foods in plastic-free compostable packaging. Don't have access to composting? You can send the used bags back to them via their compostable bag send-back program.
00:01:00
Speaker
Sun & Swell is a woman-owned business and is located right in Santa Barbara, California. They have products for the everyday person trying to make easy, sustainable choices. 100% real food, no added preservative ingredients. You can get things in bulk and in little snack packs. My husband loves the snack packs. He takes them for lunch and when we go on hikes or kayaking.
00:01:22
Speaker
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Festive Greetings and Personal Quirks
00:01:54
Speaker
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
00:02:18
Speaker
Okay, but like, knowing me though, because little do you guys know I am a witch in the woods, like that is me as a personality. I love moss, I love the woods, everything. So knowing me, I wouldn't have car moss. I would. Well, I mean, I'm pretty sure my car I sold before I moved had some car moss on the windowsill. So that's what I like.
00:02:42
Speaker
I would have Carmoss. I literally welcome to the P&W. Oh, well, Merry Christmas, though. We really started talking about Carmoss instead of Christmas. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, that's fine. Put the Christ back in Chrysler. Merry Christ. Merry Christ. That's literally us, though, is Merry Crisis.
00:03:08
Speaker
God damn it, we are really off subject here. Okay. Yeah. All right. Are you ready for part two?
00:03:14
Speaker
I am so ready for part two. I don't know if you are ready for part two. Maybe I'm not because it is the holy day for Christians or people that celebrate Christ. I don't actually, is it Easter? I don't. Yeah. Well, I mean, this is Jesus' birthday. Oh, yeah, he was born. So I guess that holds more value than when he came back to life, right? Which I, yeah. Or are they both?
00:03:43
Speaker
Do you really want, do you want, do you care more about baby Jesus or zombie Jesus? Which one is more important to you? I guess it just depends on the person. Well, when you put it that way, we're gonna get fucking canceled. This is America. We're gonna get canceled. Okay, anyway. Okay, so.
Steven Steiner's Abduction and Trauma
00:04:01
Speaker
Part two, Steven Steiner, I'm fucking ready. Okay, recap. Steven gets abducted by Kenneth Parnell. He, you know,
00:04:12
Speaker
is there for years. Kenneth Parnell does some really shitty things to Steven. Steven... Yeah, that's a way of saying it. Yeah. Some real shitty things. He's a monster and poor Steven. Yeah. Poor Steven was the target for that monster. Yeah. And then, you know, Steven, of course, starts getting older and...
00:04:42
Speaker
Uh, uh, Kenneth decides that he's too old. You know, at the age of like 14, 14. Realize it thinks Steven is too old for him. So, and then kidnaps little Timmy. Uh, and yeah, so let's begin part two.
00:05:08
Speaker
I'm ready. I'm so fucking ready. I mean, I'm not ready because I hate this guy. All right.
Timothy White's Rescue
00:05:17
Speaker
So March 1st, 1980, while Kenneth was at work as a night guard, Steven decided to bring Tommy back to his parents or Tommy quote unquote, back to his parents. The two of them
00:05:32
Speaker
left the house, because again, Steven's able to do whatever he wants. It's been years. So, you know, Kenneth is just cocky. And the two of them left the house and hitchhiked to Ukiah. But little Timothy couldn't remember where his house was, because he's only five. And so Steven
00:05:55
Speaker
took him to the police station and told the police the whole story. He told him who he was. He told them who Timmy was. I love Steven. Yeah. He told him literally everything. Damn. And by daybreak, on March 2nd, Kenneth was arrested.
00:06:16
Speaker
Ervin and Randall were also arrested for helping kidnap. Both claimed that they knew nothing of the sexual assaults, but Barbara was never arrested. Steven would later say that he remembered the kindness that, quote, Uncle Murphy, which is Ervin, had shown him the first week of his captivity while they were both under the influence of Kenneth's manipulation. He believed that Ervin
00:06:46
Speaker
was just as much a victim as he and Timmy were, so he never held it against Ervin for what he did.
Reflections and Sentencing
00:06:58
Speaker
I'm impressed. He has to have so much knowledge and wherewithal to be able to comprehend beyond so much trauma. Exactly. He's young and has experienced so much trauma, and he still has the ability to go. He is just as much of a victim as I am, even though I was his victim as well.
00:07:23
Speaker
Yeah, this kid is just, this is only gonna make you upset, even more upset. Good, great. Kenneth Parnell was only sentenced to seven years, which is as long as Steven was kidnapped for. Steven was kidnapped for seven years, but Kenneth was paroled
00:07:53
Speaker
after five. I've lost faith. I've lost faith. I know this is a past case, but genuinely I'm losing faith because I know it really hasn't gotten much better nowadays. So I'm just great. Cool. He was never tried for the sexual assault, just the kidnapping, because of the statute of limitations. Don't even get me started. Yeah, and how I feel about that shit. I mean, me and you
00:08:20
Speaker
both. I mean, you know, you know, about me. And yeah, yeah. Mm hmm. There are like certain things that I think that they should not matter. Yep, exactly. And luckily in the field, yep. And now in the state that I live in, we don't have statute of limitations when it comes to certain things, thank God.
Challenges of Readjustment
00:08:44
Speaker
But it should be it should be countrywide. Yeah, it should be a universal thing. Yeah.
00:08:50
Speaker
Yeah. But if you think that that's where this case ends, uh, no.
00:08:58
Speaker
Does no one in jail know what he's done? How is he still alive? Oh my God, I'm frustrated. Where is jail house, jail house justice? There we go. I'm not trying to say I completely agree with all the jail house justices. Cause you know, it is wild and it gets very, very muddy and you know, vigilante stuff, but I can get behind them.
00:09:24
Speaker
I can get behind them doing it to pedophiles and rapists. Exactly. Or at least they experience the same treatment they gave their victims. Especially since he was in there for the same time that Stephen was, less than Stephen was, I say give him the same treatment. What did you do? Wow, I can't talk today. What did you did? What did you did to him?
00:09:52
Speaker
God damn it. God damn, what you did? What did you do to him? Okay, guess I'm doing the same thing to you for seven years. Anyway, so the hard thing is, is that life for Steven after the kidnapping was just as hard and traumatizing for him. After returning to his family,
00:10:18
Speaker
Steven had a lot of trouble adjusting to a more structured household. In an interview shortly after his escape, which was the same interview that he said that, you know, he would would intentionally fuck up the kidnappings. It was the same interview. Steven said, I returned almost a grown man. And yet my parents saw me at first as their seven year old after
00:10:45
Speaker
They stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again. It got a lot better. But why doesn't my dad hug me anymore? Everything has changed. Sometimes I blame myself. Sometimes I don't know if I should have come home. Would it have been better off if I didn't? And the last part, that last part just breaks my heart. Imagine you're kidnapped for seven years and you don't even know if you should have come home.
00:11:15
Speaker
because your parents don't know how to treat you anymore? That's, wow. Like, he has, he, god damn, I don't even know where to start. Yeah. The fact of like, that he's like, my dad doesn't hug me anymore. That's, if that was, if Steven was my kid, and I know I'm not a parent, but if Steven was my kid and I finally got my baby back. Oh yeah. I don't think I'd ever let him go.
00:11:44
Speaker
I think I would hug him and never let go. I'd be terrified to. Yeah. And the fact that he's like, sometimes I blame myself and I don't even if I, and then sometimes I don't know if I should have come home. Oh my gosh. So Steven did undergo some counseling.
00:12:04
Speaker
But his father said to that Steven didn't need any. Oh, my God, dude, Steven, baby, I just want to give him a hug. Yeah. Yeah. So Steven tried to get on with his life, but he was very traumatized, of course. And another thing. Oh, God. Oh, no.
00:12:30
Speaker
Um, another fucked up thing is that he was bullied by other children at school for being molested. You're good. Did I break you? I'm so mad right now. And I don't know what to do about it. Like, it's in the past, I wasn't even a thought in anyone's mind at this point. Like my mom was like,
00:12:54
Speaker
in our teenage years. Yeah, same. And I'm like, what the actual fuck? What do you mean, first of all, your son doesn't need therapy? What do you mean, you're going to bully, let alone allow this child to be bullied? Like, like any of this was his choice.
00:13:17
Speaker
like the fucking hero. He survived. He made it out the other end. And he saved the lives of so many fucking kids. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. It got so bad so mad for him. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, this case riles me the fuck up. You should have seen while I was writing this. I had to take breaks. I was like,
00:13:41
Speaker
I don't blame you. Talking to my husband, and I was like, throwing shit. And he's like, you're good. Like, not throwing throwing shit, but like, you know, putting something away and I'd like throw something. And he's like, you're good. And I was like, No, I'm so bad for house. Yeah, like, I'm so pissed. And so and I can't do anything. Like, that's the worst part. Exactly. Oh, and it gets it gets worse. I'm sorry.
00:14:07
Speaker
So the bullying got so bad that Steven eventually dropped out of school, literally just because of the bullying. And he started drinking and smoking heavily and he was kicked out of his family home because of it.
00:14:30
Speaker
I need a punching bag so that I could like safely release the anger that I can't like I don't how the fuck do you not give your kid therapy let him get bullied then kick him out because you refuse to give him the tools so that he can cope in a healthy way so he's going to find some other coping mechanism just to fucking survive my god what the hell
00:15:01
Speaker
Some people's kids man Like yeah, let's end this generational trauma. This is some bullshit Honestly, this isn't yeah, like this isn't he lost a fucking Sports team he worked for like no. Yeah, this is his entire years Yeah, literally his childhood was ripped away and destroyed from him like this is What?
00:15:31
Speaker
What? Yeah, this isn't just him acting out. This isn't just him, you know, having a bad day. No, this is years of trauma and being in survival mode to come home to hopefully some support and love to just continuing needing to be in survival mode. Yeah.
00:15:51
Speaker
He's I see this is like, something that I remember hearing a little bit ago, and it really changed me is that we're always taught that the opposite of calm is anxiety. So when we're anxious, we need to be calm, right? That's the opposite. But that's not the opposite. The opposite of anxiety is safety and trust. Yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
So he's living in a state of constant anxiety and mistrust because his parents aren't even trying to build that. Yeah. My God, how many times do you think he was told that it was his fault? Like, or that why didn't he get away sooner? Oh, my God. Also, especially with like, it was, you know, definitely homosexual rape as well.
00:16:42
Speaker
So you also have that, you know, it's not like, oh, a man raped a woman. It was like, yeah. And you know, those kids also were just fucking mean because kids are assholes. I mean, I do my best to be understanding, you know, their frontal lobes still developing. They don't understand the magnitude.
00:17:03
Speaker
Imagine letting your child, if I ever heard that my child was bullying, one ever bullying anybody, no. That would stop right then and there.
00:17:14
Speaker
I mean, I'd have a hard time thinking of my kid knowing, like, to be a bully because it's a learned behavior. Yeah. And we both know, you and I both know, we are not going to be our kids first. Oh, of course. Yeah. Okay. Get ready for more.
00:17:38
Speaker
the face, guys. I know you can't see her face, but it was pained.
Steven's Advocacy and Legacy
00:17:46
Speaker
So in 1985, 19-year-old Steven married 17-year-old Jody Edmondson. And they went on to have two children, a daughter named Ashley and a son named Steven Jr. And
00:18:07
Speaker
At this point, Steven was trying to turn his life around. He was only 19, but he was into drugs and drinking and all this stuff. So he was trying to turn his life around and he started working with child abduction groups.
00:18:27
Speaker
He spoke to children about personal safety and gave interviews about his kidnapping and really became a voice for the voiceless, which is just this kid. I love this kid so much.
00:18:44
Speaker
It seemed he, oh God, seeing how his parents treated him and reacted to all of this, it's amazing that he came out so compassionate and empathetic even after everything he's been through. I don't know about his mother, but someone did something right. Maybe he learned by what not to do, or maybe he learned
00:19:16
Speaker
I have a feeling he learned by what not to do, actually. In 1989, he joined the Mormon Church and was working at a pizza place. But on September 16th of that same year, 1989, Steven was heading home from work on his motorcycle when he was hit and killed by a hit and run driver. What? Yeah.
00:19:46
Speaker
He survived all of that and some drunk ass motherfucker took it from him. Oh, you guys, I swear to God, if you guys ever drink and drive, I'm so disappointed in you. You don't even understand. Like your moms are so disappointed in you. If you're driving right now. Yeah. Ooh, my mom is no longer with us, so you know damn well she saw it. Ooh, I'm disappointed. Don't you ever do that again.
00:20:12
Speaker
Yes, like I said, your moms, me and Ellie will find you and we will take care of you. You're very disappointed if you ever drink and drive. I have an ex friend who was drinking and driving, ended up hitting a car of a pregnant woman.
00:20:33
Speaker
she was late like later on she was like eight to nine months pregnant like she was about to talk and everyone was okay everything was fine but do you know how freaking close he was to everything not being fine yeah like dude it's never fucking worth it ever no it's really ever worth it
00:20:57
Speaker
God. And he's just going down the street. He wasn't going very far. That was his reasoning. He wasn't going very far. Yeah, I... Yeah. So, Steven, when he passed, was only 24 years old. Okay, hold on. So he was abducted when he was... Seven. How old?
00:21:25
Speaker
Okay, so he was adopted at seven years old. Okay. Okay. And then he came back. Seven years later. So 14. 14. And then after that, yeah, he only lived to 24. That dude I Jesus. Yeah. That's just messed up. Wow.
00:21:53
Speaker
So 500 people attended his funeral and at this time, Timmy White, the other victim, was 14 years old and he was a pallbearer at Steven's funeral. Yeah. This is just really heartbreaking. That's too young to carry someone who saved your life. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't even be there and now you're carrying him.
00:22:23
Speaker
God, life is so freaking fragile to think that there are people in this world that want to make it even weaker is just beyond me. Yeah, exactly. So, Timothy White would grow up and actually become a police officer. Yeah, you can't see her face, but she got excited. Yay! Yeah. I swear to God, if he died in the line of duty, I quit. I quit the whole thing. I'm done.
00:22:55
Speaker
He better have made it to 102. So, Timothy White would grow up to be a police officer for the LAPD in 2005, which is not that long ago.
00:23:11
Speaker
This happened in the 70s. But he was five. Also, I know you're taking a hit. And he just went, the 70s? Yeah, I forgot for a second. It was like coming out of my mouth as I spoke. And I was like, well, I probably should have exhaled first. So kids, don't do what a lady is doing.
00:23:41
Speaker
No, don't do don't. It's a vape. Timothy White also gave lectures to children about his experience and the dangers of kidnapping. In 2004, so we're skipping back just about a year, in 2004, Parnell, Kenneth Parnell, you know, the man who was only given seven years, five years technically, for
00:24:10
Speaker
raping and kidnapping two boys, you know, was tried for human trafficking. Oh, my God. In 2004. So, you know, we were alive. Yeah. And so Timothy was actually summons. And we'll talk about this whole case in a second. There's more to this, but oh,
00:24:35
Speaker
Yeah, but Timothy was summoned to testify against Parnell and also who was also summoned was an adult Randall poor man, the guy that kidnapped Timothy. The two spoke briefly and hugged and Timothy forgave Randall. Oh, because these two kids are the sweetest fucking kids apparently.
00:25:02
Speaker
Oh, my God. They were just because they understood that he was extremely. Oh, manipulated and yeah, taking advantage of the kid. He was 14 at the time and was like, oh, yeah, alcohol or money and drugs. Great. He's 14. Jeez. Yeah. So Timothy married a woman named Dina and had two children. I couldn't find the names of the children.
00:25:31
Speaker
but that's all I could find out was that he had two children. But on April 1st, 2010, at the age of 36, Timothy died from a pulmonary embolism. I know, I didn't want to read that part to you because you're going to throw the table. God. What the hell?
00:25:50
Speaker
Can they just catch a damn break? I know. Ellie's about to throw the table, guys. I'm so sorry. I'm going to throw hands because this doesn't make sense. What the heck, man? Why do good people die young? Yeah.
00:26:12
Speaker
And Kenneth is still alive and getting arrested for human trafficking and this motherfucker. So keep going and be awful. So I will tell you, I had to kind of skip back. Kenneth Parnell, I think dies in 2008. So he had two years on him. So Kenneth dies in 2008. And Timothy died 2010.
00:26:40
Speaker
We have two years. Yeah. Of peace. I guess. Yeah. So now we're going to Kenneth Parnell in, we're going to skip to January. We're going to skip all the way back to January 2003. So before the case.
00:27:02
Speaker
you know, where Timothy had to testify back in 2004. We're going to jump back a little bit to January 2003 when Kenneth was 71 years old. He was suffering from diabetes and emphysema and he required, yeah, right. And he required 24 hour a day nursing care. Imagine having to be his nurse.
00:27:30
Speaker
And we've both been caregivers, so I would have kinked his line so much. And for legal reasons, that's a joke. Don't come for me.
00:27:45
Speaker
No, but I, oh god, I would honestly be like, I'm sorry. I can't do this. And I'm like, well, why? Because I hate him. I can't. How am I supposed to make sure he takes his meds when I know if he just didn't, we'd all be happier. I don't, I can't, I can't.
00:28:05
Speaker
And this is why I could not take care of a pedophile and murderer. There are lines, man. It'd be a real test. Oh, are you ready for this?
Kenneth Parnell's Arrest and Sentence
00:28:20
Speaker
So him having diabetes and emphysema, that didn't stop him from trying to buy, B-U-Y, buy a four year old boy
00:28:35
Speaker
for $500. From where? Kenneth tried to coerce his caregiver's sister, Diane Stevens, into doing it. But Diane was aware of Kenneth's past and reported him to the police and soon cooperated with the police and they kind of set up like a sting operation. So
00:29:03
Speaker
According to Diane Stevens testimony, Kenneth requested that the child and need a minute typing this I wasn't as mad but now that I'm about to read this I want to punch him in the throat. Okay, dude, I I'm just trying to put my shoes in the mother's position right now hearing this motherfucker say this to me about my kid knowing his past. Okay. Kenneth requested he requested
00:29:33
Speaker
that the child have a clean rectum and he paid $100 for the birth certificate and he would give her $400 on the day that the transaction was completed. Yeah. Um, on the day of the transaction, the police went, you know, went to his home and he had the $400 on him.
00:30:02
Speaker
Okay, I this is all wrong all all of it wrong $500 isn't that much? Yeah, like I spent more on my computer I was just kidding me. I spent more on my tattoos
00:30:19
Speaker
Literally, I have spent more on the ink in my fucking arm than you are trying to do on a life that you're about to try and ruin. Are you kidding me? How is he still alive? I mean, I know he's not now, but at this moment in time, if somebody said that to me about my kid, I mean, if the kid was there, I would have throat punched him and it would have been over.
00:30:45
Speaker
But, if my kid's not there, it would take everything in me not to just completely go ape shit on him. Like, I can say I'm a mama bear. I don't have a kid, but I know for a fact I would kill for my kid. Oh yeah. Oh man. I would kill for anybody's kid, honestly. Oh Jesus. Yeah, honestly. They also found sexual aids
00:31:11
Speaker
And they found child pornography in the apartment. Ew. Yeah. So February 9, 2004, Kenneth was charged and found guilty of attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation.
00:31:31
Speaker
Are you ready for this? I don't think I am. This entire case, the justice system has quite literally failed multiple times and not protected children, which are part of our most vulnerable in our society. And I have no hope now. I don't know what happens. So Kenneth was charged 25 years to life
00:31:58
Speaker
under California's three strikes law and Steven and Timothy being the first two strikes. I mean,
00:32:07
Speaker
There shouldn't even be three strikes. There shouldn't be strikes when you're stealing quite literally. If you have the ability to steal a child from its home and destroy his childhood and
00:32:33
Speaker
What the fuck? Yeah, there should be no strikes. No, no. It that that's for like tickets and then you lose your license. Like that's not for that's not for you get to attempt to fuck three kids. Yeah. Are you kidding me? That does not. It's like we're going to let you get three free passes. Yes. Before we actually do something. Yeah. That's what that feels like. Like,
00:33:05
Speaker
You, I feel like you get in more trouble for tax evasion. Yes, exactly. Like this is bananas. Okay. God, carry on. And Kenneth Parnell was in prison for the rest of his life, which was only five years. Oh, for the love of God.
00:33:34
Speaker
lady has left the building i'm sorry and that's the end but actually it's not just kidding guys what there's more there's more there's more okay hold on there's more so we're almost there but not quite
00:34:02
Speaker
You remember how I said Steven Steiner had an older brother named Carrie?
Carrie Stainer's Violent Path
00:34:09
Speaker
Yeah. Well... I don't like the tone of your voice right now. So Carrie... That this motherfucker became a pedophile. I'm going to be so mad.
00:34:31
Speaker
So Carrie was born August 13th, 1961. When Carrie was three years old, he was diagnosed with trichotillomania. So trichotillomania, when you have the obsessive compulsion to pull out your hair because of stress. Okay. With knowing what happened with Steven's parents and how they treated Steven,
00:35:01
Speaker
It doesn't surprise me that Carrie was stressed from even three years old. That's just God. Okay. Yeah. So I'm hanging in there. So at three years old, he was put on medication because of this. And because he had bald spots, he would get bullied because of, again, kids are assholes. But see, Carrie had some dark secrets.
00:35:31
Speaker
Um, he began fantasizing about abducting and murdering women when he was seven. Seven? Seven. Wait, wasn't this before this kid before his little brother? Oh, what the hell? Yeah. And he lived. God damn it, dude.
00:36:00
Speaker
These fantasies would continue as he grew into a teenager. And one day, his younger sister's friends, because remember, he's the oldest, his younger sister's friend was staying over at his house. And he exposed himself to her. I know you guys can't see me right now, but I am frowning very hard. We are disappointed.
00:36:26
Speaker
I'm so not happy. And after graduating high school, Carrie worked as a window installer at a glass company.
00:36:37
Speaker
which is where he allegedly fantasized about ramming a truck into the workplace, killing everyone there, and then setting the place on fire. So, you know, everyday thoughts. So it's not just women, it's just killing in general? During this time,
00:36:58
Speaker
Carrie also had small run-ins with the law, nothing major, but we're going to skip forward to 1997. And Carrie was working for the Cedar Lodge Motel in El Portal, California as a handyman. And it's crazy because this motel was just outside Yosemite National Park.
00:37:25
Speaker
which is the same park a certain Kenneth Parnell worked at. They don't know each other. I just thought it was weird. I thought you're about to say that there was like an inside job for him getting his brother or something. Yeah, no. Okay, I'm glad. Thankfully no.
00:37:41
Speaker
but on March 18th, 1999, because at this point, this whole thing's already happened. Steven's case has already happened. It's 1999, so he's back at this point. Steven's back at this point. He worked at the same place knowing that this piece of crap did this to his brother. He didn't work at the same motel. He just happened to work in the same vicinity.
00:38:11
Speaker
Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah. It's still really crummy, but it's still really weird. So like I said, March 18th, 1999, two women, 42 year old Carol Sund and 16 year old student
00:38:26
Speaker
Silvina Peloso, an exchange student from Argentina, were found in the trunk of Carol's burnt Pontiac rental car. The bodies were burned and could only be recognized by dental records.
00:38:41
Speaker
Carol was strangled with a rope and shot, but was not raped. Peloso, on the other hand, was raped and shot. A week later, a note was sent to the police with a hand-drawn map with the location of the third victim, Juliana Sund. That's Carol's 15-year-old daughter. And the top of the note read, we had fun with this one. Who the fuck is we? Yeah.
00:39:10
Speaker
Investigators went to the location, depicted on the map, and found the remains of Juliana, who had also been raped and her throat had been cut. I hate that he was good enough at making a map that they were able to find the remains because I feel like that's hard. I'm actually impressed by that, but everything else is awful.
00:39:33
Speaker
yeah like could you could you make a map and been like here go to this place could you actually like like obviously not for a body but like yeah if you were gonna say like hey i like this trail or something yeah there's no trail marker and you make a map could you do that i don't know if i could do that
00:39:52
Speaker
I don't think so. I have a hard enough time just being like, oh, yeah, you take a right. Like if someone asked me for directions, I'm like, you take a right and then a left and then wait, is that it all blurs together? Is that where the Donald's is? Wait, hang on a second. Yeah, no, I could not. Yeah. Right. So I'm like, I hate that. I'm kind of impressed with that. But everything else sucks, damn it. The three victims had been staying at the Cedar Lodge Motel just before their deaths.
00:40:19
Speaker
So detectives began interviewing employees and Carrie was interviewed. Yeah, that's Carrie's. Yeah. Oh man. So Carrie was interviewed, but was not seen as a suspect. So on July 22nd, 1999, 26 year old Joie Ruth Armstrong's decapitated body was found. Joie
00:40:47
Speaker
Joie was a Yosemite Institute employee and a naturalist. Eyewitnesses said they saw a blue 1972 international scout parked outside the cabin where she was staying the day before. Detectives traced this vehicle back to Carey, which led him to becoming the prime suspect in the case.
00:41:13
Speaker
how did no one when did everyone find out about his awful fantasies does that not like way later i guess so during the investigation somebody somewhere knew that he was having these fantasies i don't understand why it took so long uh so during his investigation
00:41:34
Speaker
Carrie broke and confessed not only to Joie's murder or decapitation, but to the murders of Carol, Sylvania, and Juliana. His vehicle yielded evidence proving this link to Joie, and he was arrested. So Carrie Steiner is officially connected to four murders
00:42:04
Speaker
but a lot of people think that there is a lot more. One of them being his uncle, whose murder has never been solved. Like if you guys want to look at that case, the Carrie, the Carrie Steiner case, there are, I was gonna list them all, but this case is already massive, but there's like five or six more people that they have connected to him, or like that they have had a link somewhere.
00:42:35
Speaker
Wow. Wow. Yeah. So Carrie was tried in federal court for Joie's murder since it occurred on federal land. And during the sentencing hearing, Carrie stunned the courtroom when he suddenly broke down in tears and apologized. And I didn't put this in there, but
00:43:05
Speaker
apparently Joie's mom said that it sounded genuine and that she forgave him. I mean, what else is she going to do? Hold on to the anger for the rest of her life. I mean, I would, but I'm a petty person. That's not healthy. Yeah. I also do a lot of things aren't healthy, but you know, it's fine. I'm not living anymore. I've been surviving. I don't get it.
00:43:35
Speaker
Literally. So Kerry Stainer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. And that's where he is to this day. So he gets to survive and live a life while his brother's life was taken, ruined and taken again. Yep. Yeah.
00:44:03
Speaker
Life is so cruel sometimes. Yeah, life's a little fucking bitch. Say to my face life. And so that, all of that was the case of Steven Steiner and a bunch of other cases. Look, everything connected though. Oh, I have one question though. What the hell happened to Barbara?
00:44:33
Speaker
I don't know. I literally couldn't find it. I looked it up. I looked it up. And I couldn't find anything. She better have gone to jail, damn it. That was the only question I could think of. That was unanswered still. What happened here? Yeah. Also, what were you going to say when I was talking about the cases? That was the question. Like that? Yeah, that was the question. I wrote it down.
00:45:02
Speaker
OK, perfect. Yeah. So that was the case. It was one of those where I looked it up. I had heard it. Somebody, if you guys don't know, you guys probably know who she is. She's amazing. Kendall Ray. I listen to her podcast a lot. It's literally just Kendall Ray is her YouTube channel. And then she also does Mile Hire with her husband. She had done this case a couple of years ago, maybe a year ago, and it always stuck with me.
00:45:32
Speaker
And so I was like, dude, I have to research this myself. What? Yeah. Just the fact that it never got any easier for Steven ever or Timothy, but mostly honestly, Steven, where he tried to do the best he could. And the fact that his family just kind of said, well, you're back now. Fuck you.
00:45:55
Speaker
Like just expected him to just get over it. Like, yeah, they treated him like he was like damaged goods. Yeah. To just suck it up buttercup. You're not there anymore. So why are you upset? Exactly. And oh, that's so gross. Yeah. So I'm sorry that that this one kind of broke Ellie. I'm sorry. I was so mad. I didn't I didn't realize that you'd never heard of this case before.
00:46:26
Speaker
no no i have not and i'm bitter sorry it's not your fault it's these mother truckers faults but still what the heck man yeah so that's that's the case
00:46:48
Speaker
So we can't end on this, so do you have any good to way out, to equal out this horrible case? I mean, I don't have any good, but I can tell you about when I walked out just a little bit ago. I definitely broke some Legos on accident.
00:47:14
Speaker
with a dog toy but it wasn't on purpose it's because my dog wanted me to throw the toy so i threw it and it bounced off our hardwood floor and landed in the middle of our our little coffee table oh no yeah because we just had like little christmas ones we had just made oh no
00:47:37
Speaker
No The other day I did that I didn't break anything But uh, I threw the ball for Toby and it bounced off the door and hit Toby right in the face In the morning When I let Stella out of her kennel because she's kennel trained so at night she sleeps in her kennel She sprawled we got her a big bigger kennel. She's grown up and she frickin loves it. But anyway
00:48:08
Speaker
When I let her out in the morning, I have to make sure that the gate that we usually will keep closed during the day so the cat has a safe space to run away from her obnoxious dog self. So if I don't make sure that that gate's open,
00:48:24
Speaker
she'll run right into the gate because she's used to it being cracked so she can just push it open with her nose to go outside. She's done it a couple times and just plow right there. I'm like, Oh, honey, I wasn't fast. I'm sorry. I wasn't very fast. I'm still tired. Good thing you're pretty. Yeah. Oh, man. Something just fell out there.
00:48:47
Speaker
It's probably that toy. She's probably throwing that toy again. I'm still saying you should give her the sunflower seed. You know, she'll be fine. You know how tempted I was to use it as fire starter the other day? No. Oh man. Well, I'm so sorry about this case.
00:49:12
Speaker
And, but I guess the last thing to say is SBC out.
Conclusion and Social Media Engagement
00:49:19
Speaker
Bye.
00:49:33
Speaker
All right. Thank you so much for listening. And remember to follow us on Instagram at Scared But Curious Pod. And we have a Twitter. Follow us at Scared Curious on Twitter X and join our Scared But Curious Facebook group. And if you're listening on Spotify, please rate us. Five stars, please. And if there are any stories or cases you would love to hear us cover or anything you don't hear enough about, please don't hesitate. Email us at Scared But Curious Pod at gmail.com.