The homicides have stirred enormous concern across the West, because Yosemite, which is about 150 miles east of San Francisco, is a premier vacation destination, drawing 4 million visitors a year. The trial took place in federal court because Stayner killed Armstrong on federal land, a national park. Juli Sund's body was found a few days later, off a little-traveled road. They looked over the evidence, and the photos the police had taken of Carys tires. Mr. Stayner's arrest has prompted sheriff's detectives in Merced County, where Mr. Stayner lived until moving to El Portal in 1997, to announce that they were re-examining the unsolved 1990 death of his uncle, Jerry Stayner, who was shot to death in what authorities had considered a botched burglary. Toward the end of the day Julie and Silvina went ice skating on a frozen pond. Like all other residents living near the Cedar Lodge, Mr. Stayner, who had rented a room above the restaurant adjacent to the motel for two years, was questioned at the time of the sightseers' disappearance. Too tired from their drive, they decided to stay in, watch some videos, and take it easy. Bumping along in the meadow, Joie took a leap of faith, head first, out the window of the SUV. Steven, now 14, had been found. Joie Ruth Armstrong (1972-1999) - Find a Grave Memorial FBI officials would not publicly confirm that Stayner has confessed to all of the killings. With two suspects in custody, Cary thought for sure he had gotten away with murder. Around the same time as the incident at work, Cary was living with his uncle, Jerry Stayner. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Caroles husband, Jens, was waiting for them at the airport. The clerk informed police that Carole had arranged to checkout in advance, so they hadnt expected to see her. Yosemite Suspect Charged of Yosemite Killers Confession Made Public There was never any attempt to help him, either with medication, therapy, etc This led him to marijuana, which he smoked regularly as a means of coping. Julie was told to stand just outside the bathroom while he cleaned, and intentionally left a couple of wet towels on the floor, so the cleaning personnel would know that they had showered and left. In 1991, Cary attempted suicide but was unsuccessful. As difficult as this was, it would not be the worst thing he, or his family would suffer. Her appeal failed to persuade the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Just when she was starting to feel comfortable, he pulled out his gun and told her to go into the cabin. In 7 th grade he was placed in the gifted classes. The motel handyman accused of brutally killing a naturalist last week at Yosemite National Park has told a California television station that he also abducted and killed three other women who had come there for a weekend of hiking and sightseeing earlier this year. had maintained that it believed all the people responsible for the Sund-Pelosso deaths were in custody, though on unrelated charges. Until then, the F.B.I. He needed to check their bathroom to make sure the leak wasnt entering theirs. Within 24 hours, they had contacted one of the vehicles, pulled off the side of the highway. believes he is the only person responsible, said James M. Maddock, the agency's special agent in charge of Sacramento. July 23 rd Stayner was questioned and released and Stayner fails to show up for work for the first time in a year and a half. Family and friends will be received from 10:00am to 11:00am on Saturday, April Read More. 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 That was Carys signal. In the interview, Stayner also described how he tried to mislead investigators by leaving wet towels in the room of the three women to make it seem as though they had taken a morning shower and left the lodge peacefully even though he had already abducted them the previous night. Mick and Rufus were half brothers, who were recently arrested. When he was discovered, the girl asked him to leave, threatening to scream if he approached her. He did, and the driver continued to explain that while police said they had their suspects in custody, they had yet to charge anyone with the crime. Sisters friend (the neighbor) Flores Tatum is spending the night at 1977 16 this sisters sleepover and he crept under her bed and touched her breast. Steven moved into Carys room, and the two boys, who had become accustomed to having their own spaces, did not like to share. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. After a time, the neighbors reported that the family was able to move on, and return to a relatively normal life. The F.B.I. This episode is sponsored by LUMI: To learn more about microdosing THC go to www.microdose.com and use code: SOUTHWEST to get free shipping & 30% off your first order. At the airport, waiting to board the plane, she picked up a newspaper. So far, he has been charged with murder only in the death of Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, who was found beheaded last Thursday at Yosemite. 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 When she's not reading or writing, you can find her watching reality TV or a good, juicy drama series. His battles with the church arent over, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Mr. Stayner was questioned about Ms. Armstrong twice on Thursday, a day after his sport utility vehicle was spotted near her cabin about an hour after she was last seen. He quit that job. Required fields are marked *. Their missing person was Joie Armstrong. This time, however, he did not strangle her; he was not yet satisfied. Cary Stayner: The Yosemite Killer Police were notified that they should be on the lookout for a blue, 1979 International Scout. WebYOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA Today, we are adventuring into the heart of Yosemite National Park to explore the gruesome murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong, a 26yo naturalist who was murdered while working in the park. In 2019, he passed an executive moratorium on the death penalty in the state. His father, Delbert, was extremely strict, while his mother, Kay, was very religious and had suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child. But when tomorrow came, he called the police. As of February 2021, more than 28 inmates had died. Cary Stayner was born on August 3, 1961 in Merced, California. Jens spent the day calling friends, family, anyone who may have any idea where they were, but no one had heard from them. He picked up her lifeless body and placed it in the trunk of the red rental car. In an interview with Good Morning America in 1983, Steven recalled, The first year was kinda hectic. The 39-year-old motel handyman chased her down in the woods and tackled her, prosecutors said. The film was eventually nominated for four Emmy Awards, something Steven never got to see. He attempted to evade the death penalty by pleading guilty to attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death, felony first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and premeditated first-degree murder. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HU2GNeIlNQxJt_plM6o1w4tWo8Lwa6u3ZyU-6hnw3KU/edit, https://www.instagram.com/deathxsouthwest/, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086743807947, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:1-800-273-8255, National Alliance on Mental Illness:1-800-950-6264, National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE, Crisis Text Line:Within the US, text HOME to 741741, Hosted by Jenna Schneider and Margot Carmichael. Links to all socials & additional resources: https://linktr.ee/deathxsouthwest, Bonus Episodes & ADDITIONAL Bonus Content: patreon.com/deathxsouthwest, Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@DeathXSouthwest, List of resources & sources for Episode 17: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HU2GNeIlNQxJt_plM6o1w4tWo8Lwa6u3ZyU-6hnw3KU/edit. See the article in its original context from. Cary Stayner - Dr. Mike Aamodt - Radford University There, in the Lodges 1950s style diner, they had dinner. A motel handyman who was dismissed as a suspect in the deaths of three sightseers last February at Yosemite National Park has confessed to the decapitation of a park naturalist last week and to the other three killings, according to an F.B.I. After Hiker Goes Missing Police Discover Bigfoot-Obsessed Culprit Unfortunately, she didnt know they hadnt found Joies head. American homicide, picked up by the police on 7/24/1999 for the murder of Yosemite park naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26. The law-enforcement official who would speak only on the condition of not being identified said Mr. Stayner was probaby dismissed as a suspect, at least in part, because the authorities believed the slayings could not have been committed by only one person. Drawing women was about as far as he was able to go with them, being extremely shy he found it difficult to approach or even interact with them. He called the killing a compulsive act that happened all of a sudden after he lost control of himself and lost control of her., At one point, Stayner said, he considered keeping the head, thinking that it would have been a trophy, most likely.. Until now, their chief suspects in the killings had been several other local men with criminal pasts whom they have held in custody since the spring on parole violations. "I cannot comment on the substance of such statements," said Nick Rossi, an FBI spokesman in Sacramento. I know whats wrong, whats right.. They noticed, and didnt recognize, the blue SUV outside of her cabin as belonging to anyone they knew. After his guilty plea, the documents were ordered unsealed. Although Mr. Stayner has not yet been charged with the deaths of Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and their friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, the F.B.I. This time, Stayner became a suspect based on a car seen at the scene. Stayner confessed in late July to killing Carole Sund, her daughter Juli and their Argentine friend Silvina Pelosso, as well as Joie Ruth Armstrong, a naturalist at Yosemite National Park. The headline read, Yosemite Naturalist Beheaded. Now she knew why they could not say whether the body they found had red hair. Julie, and Silvina. Stayners family was cast into the spotlight once again in 1999 when Stevens brother Cary was arrested for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, in Yosemite, California. He was the oldest boy, in a family with five children. In a report broadcast today, KNTV in San Jose said that Cary Stayner, who was arrested this past weekend in connection with one of the four slayings, confessed in a jailhouse interview that he has fantasized about killing women since childhood and committed all of the crimes because he "couldn't help himself.". A convoy of searchers rolled up in front of his cabin, and he jumped in. He pushed her down the hillside where she tumbled until she came to an abrupt stop underneath some bushes. With the room clean, he loaded their things into the car then went back in to clean the bathroom. No belongings remained in the room. The Yosemite Horror - Outside Online This time, Stayner became a suspect based on a car seen at the scene. 1969- 1972? Stayner, 39, was sentenced in November to life without parole for Armstrong's July 21, 1999, beheading. He rushed to the hotel where they would be staying, and the hotel hadnt seen, or heard from them either. Steven was held captive and molested by Parnell for seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family.