July 21 st Joie Ruth Armstrong is decapitated after Cary ties her up and rapes her. 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. He picked up her lifeless body and placed it in the trunk of the car, along with Caroles. That night, someone comes knocking on your door, and the unimaginable happens. When Armstrong's friends went to her cabin, which was in an area of the park called Foresta, they found signs of a struggle. They began searching the area. Eventually, investigators found Armstrong's body near a stream in the woods about a half mile away from the cabin. Around the same time as the incident at work, Cary was living with his uncle, Jerry Stayner. 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. The driver asked if he remembered the three tourists that had been murdered about four months ago. Cary Stayner is there with his toolbox, and inside is a rope that he will use to strangle your mother before killing your friend and kidnapping you. The headline read, Yosemite Naturalist Beheaded. Now she knew why they could not say whether the body they found had red hair. Too tired from their drive, they decided to stay in, watch some videos, and take it easy. American homicide, picked up by the police on 7/24/1999 for the murder of Yosemite park naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26. ), Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, Dating in L.A. is exhausting, so I asked a chatbot to flirt for me. Stayner 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 As of February 2021, more than 28 inmates had died. FBI officials would not publicly confirm that Stayner has confessed to all of the killings. He was laying out, completely nude, smoking marijuana. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? She has red hair. Noting that the woman was alone, he decided to drive across the meadow and introduce himself. Over the course of their drive, Cary tried to assure Julie that she was going to be fine, that both her mom and her friend were fine. If you want to know more about Carys brother, Steven, you can check it out here: Steven Stayner: Lost, Found, Freed. . Can you confirm its really her because shes got bright red hair, can you make sure its really her?. Frantically, her mother asked, Did you check her hair? WebStayner, who was jailed July 26, confessed to killing Armstrong in Yosemite National Park, according to an FBI affidavit. You knew it was wrong what you were doing? Rinek asked. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials in three California counties said today that they want to question Stayner about a few unresolved murder cases this decade that involved decapitated victims. He informed Carole that there was a water leak in the bathroom in the room just above theirs. So then they told her that they believed they had found her body near her cabin. She got to her feet and took off running, back to the cabin. A couple of days later, FBI investigators arrived to help with the case. On September 14, 2000, Cary Stayner pleaded guilty to the murders of Joie, Carole, Julie, and Silvina. For Joie he was sentenced to life in prison. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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.. For the other three, he was given the death penalty. Mr. Stayner was arrested Saturday at a nudist resort near Sacramento, Calif., and charged with one count of murder in the death of Ms. Armstrong this afternoon in Federal court in Sacramento. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Mick and Rufus were half brothers, who were recently arrested. At the time, in 1972, Steven was only seven years old. WebSACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- Motel handyman Cary Stayner has confessed to the July 21 beheading of a naturalist at Yosemite National Park, the FBI said in an affidavit filed Monday. Then, on March 1, 1980, the family had their lives turned upside down yet again. Wearing nothing more than a blanket, Julie was sat in the front seat of the car. WebNow, 26-year-old Joie Ruth Armstrong was missing. Performing this action will revert the following features to their default settings: Hooray! We'll explore the details of her death, the disturbing motives of her killer, and the broader implications for the safety of those who Within 24 hours, they had contacted one of the vehicles, pulled off the side of the highway. Despite pleading guilty, Cary was sentenced to the death penalty in 2002. The latest twist in the case also is raising questions about how the FBI and other police agencies across Northern California have managed their huge investigation. being gang raped. They were last seen alive in a parking area outside the Cedar Lodge one night in February. Their missing person was Joie Armstrong. This time, however, he did not strangle her; he was not yet satisfied. According to the television station, Stayner said he acted alone and was driven by "voices in his head.". A few months later, Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong was also found murdered. Immediately, the public began to question whether this murder was related to the previous murders of Carole Sund, Julie Sund, and Silvina Pelosso. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Caroles husband, Jens, was waiting for them at the airport. 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. He told Carole to be quiet and do what she was told. The day before Joies body was discovered, another staff member of Yosemite National Park happened to drive past her cabin. A hearing in the Armstrong case was scheduled for Aug. 6 in Federal court in Fresno, where the case is being moved, but John P. Balasz, the assistant Federal defender who represented Mr. Stayner, said the hearing will probably be postponed. In the cabin, Cary bound her wrists and taped her mouth shut. 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. Later that same year, he took a job at Cedar Lodge, in El Portal, just outside of Yosemite National Park. He continued to make small talk, about random things, including bigfoot. The lot was empty so he climbed back into the car and drove for about another hour north until he pulled down a logging road where he ditched the car. Joie Ruth Armstrong had been working for the Yosemite Institute for the past year and had worked on education programs through a partnership with the National Park Service. 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. This was a clear indication to them that someone had run through there. In 1999, Cary Stayner murdered four people: 42-year-old Carole Sund, 15-year-old Juli Sund, 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso, and 26-year-old Joie Ruth Armstrong. Cary Stayner, 37, confessed to the killing of Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, and has provided details about that crime that only the killer could have known, according to the F.B.I. The punch was so hard, his hand started to bleed. When she didnt arrive, and they couldnt get in touch with her, they called it in. Cary saw the women enter the room and proceeded to watch them from the outside. After a time, the neighbors reported that the family was able to move on, and return to a relatively normal life. He even made an appearance on Good Morning America. Gifts came for him in the mail, including clothes and toys. He put Julie and Silvina in the bathroom and shut the door. Police were notified that they should be on the lookout for a blue, 1979 International Scout. He had anger issues. affidavit filed today in Federal District Court in Fresno, Calif. His father, Delbert, was extremely strict, while his mother, Kay, was very religious and had suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child. Mr. Stayner worked as a janitor at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal at the western edge of Yosemite, where the three sightseers were last seen alive. A hiker in the middle of the forest found the skeleton of a car and called the police. In 1972, Kenneth Parnell kidnapped 7-year-old Steven Stayner. believes he is the only person responsible, said James M. Maddock, the agency's special agent in charge of Sacramento. He, unfortunately, died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. May 9, 2022May 9, 2022 by Amanda Blankenship 0 Comments. San Quentin, known for being a difficult place to live, was recently fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for its poor health standards during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. It was the slow season, and few, if any guests. He played in the outfield on a baseball team Imagined his mother being kidnapped. The bodies of Carole Sund and Miss Pelosso were found in the trunk of their charred rental car more than a month after they disappeared. He was sexually molested by his Uncle, Jesse Stayner, who was convicted of child 1972 11 molestation. Back inside the room, he took Julie and forced her into the bedroom where he assaulted her. Cary denied ever being there, and for some reason, the police believed him. Hours after his arrest in the slaying of a Yosemite naturalist last year, Cary Stayner told authorities that he never intended to kill the woman and did not feel good about her murder, even though he initially considered keeping her decapitated head as a trophy. She never made it. had maintained that it believed all the people responsible for the Sund-Pelosso deaths were in custody, though on unrelated charges. He called the number and reached Park Dispatch. 1969- 1972? All rights reserved. On the 16th, when the girls were set to checkout, the cleaning staff entered the room and found nothing amiss. Finding the girls, but not Julie, gave investigators some glimmer of hope. There, they discovered the badly decomposing remains of Julie Sund. Approaching the vehicle, they found no one inside it. Are you sure you want to delete your template? 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. 1979 18 Classmates vote Stayner the most creative student in graduating class at Merced High School. As difficult as this was, it would not be the worst thing he, or his family would suffer. When they didnt show up, he got on the plane, thinking they had gone ahead of him, or that he had misunderstood the plan. So when he told her to get out of the car, she refused, too scared to move. The official said the bureau was looking for evidence to corroborate the confession. For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. While in custody, Eugene made several self-incriminating remarks, leading police to believe they had their men. At the front desk, they rented some movies and went back to their room. Cary later admitted that during that time he was suffering from a nervous breakdown, and at that moment he felt he would have been able to kill his boss with his bare hands before burning down the company building. Now I had to compete with a brother and three sisters.. affidavit and to an official involved in the case. In the bedroom, as he had done with Carole, he assaulted the teenage girl before strangling her to death. The first request was for her to wake up the girls and when all three were together, he tied them up. Desmonds group started behind the cabin. Until the slaying of Armstrong, who taught at the park, FBI investigators had ruled him out as a suspect in the deaths of the other three women. Your email address will not be published. Looking down the embankment beside the vehicle, they saw it led down into the forest where there was a river, hidden out of sight, where people liked to swim and fish. Viewers are wondering what happened and whether or not Cary has been executed yet. They had an amazing day seeing the snow capped mountains, huge sequoia trees, and beautiful meadows. With the room clean, he loaded their things into the car then went back in to clean the bathroom. He imagined killing female cashiers at the grocery store while waiting for his parents. But The Modesto Bee, quoting unidentified sources, reported that such evidence had been found in Mr. Stayner's room and that Juli Sund's throat had been slashed almost to the point of beheading, like Ms. Armstrong's. If you watched Captive Audience,what do you think about Cary Stayner and the way his story unfolded? There, he stood her up, took her blanket away and laid it on the ground, and proceeded to assault her again. She didnt believe him. He stood her, facing him, back toward the overlook and the lake. WebBiography. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. But now Stayner, who is being held in Sacramento without bail, apparently is claiming responsibility for committing and then trying to meticulously cover up all of the murders. Comparing those photos to the photos taken of the tire tracks at Joies cabin, they were sure they had a match. Sara Maria Pasquarelli died at the age of 88 on April 11, 2023. Cary Stayner lives in isolation. Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, an ebullient, strawberry-blond naturalist at the nearby Yosemite Institute and a casual acquaintance of Kidd's, had been planning to spend the In 7 th grade he was placed in the gifted classes. Your email address will not be published. Stayner has worked at the Cedar Lodge there for most of the past two years. She was not. Over the years, Cary developed an addiction to marijuana. Investigators said they became suspicious of Stayner after his truck was seen near Armstrong's cabin and he failed to report to work for the first time in more than a year last Friday. Authorities say that victim, Juli Sund, 15, had her throat slashed in much the same manner as Armstrong. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out: Learn more about your ad choices. The affidavit is the first public acknowledgment by investigators that the two teen-age victims were sexually assaulted before they and He proceeded to slice at her neck, until he had removed her head. He claimed that with his doctor-diagnosed mental illness, his family turned a blind eye. They conviscated his marijuana, and took pictures of his car and tires before leaving. He then came back and exposed himself naked to her. With two suspects in custody, Cary thought for sure he had gotten away with murder. They took their key and went to the far end of the building. He pushed her down the hillside where she tumbled until she came to an abrupt stop underneath some bushes. Anyone can read what you share. The documentary starts talking about Carys early life. Your file is uploaded and ready to be published. Steven recognized his parents, but not his siblings. Armstrong taught environmental science at the Yosemite Institute. This left them with the assumption that they had left the Lodge and something happened to them. The sightseers' disappearance from the Cedar Lodge in February set off an extensive search, national headlines and numerous arrests of ex-convicts whom the F.B.I. This raised a red flag, and immediately the working hypothesis went from the girls getting lost, to foul play. Cary and his siblings had endured neglect in his absence, and in his return, all the focus was back on him. He ordered her into his SUV, then drove off, back across the meadow, toward the road he had driven in on. That was Carys signal. Searched the surrounding area with home of finding julie, Then, an anonymous, handwritten letter was received by the FBI. The family was devastated, and his parents focused all their efforts and attention on finding him. They had driven 3 hours from the University where Julie had competed in a cheerleading competition the previous day. 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. Police quickly made their way to the location on the map. Even though he was sentenced to lethal injection, none of the inmates on death row are expected to meet their fates. Law enforcement officials are preparing to present more murder charges against him, but they say they have not yet dismissed the possibility that he had accomplices. Cary Stayner considered keeping Joie Armstrongs head, but then decided to hide it in the bushes. His confession -- or confessions -- mark another turn in a case that has left officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation wondering whether the latest killing could have been prevented. I dont black out and do things, you know. Steven, now 14, had been found. Media groups fought for months to unseal documents that included a government interrogation of Stayner and a brief outlining why prosecutors planned to seek a death sentence. The girls were watching TV, while Carole was reading in the living room. Stevens story was turned into a miniseries called I Know My First Name Is Steven. WebIn an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, the FBI said Stayner confessed killing Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26. In Arizona, however, he did not find them waiting for him at the airport. This time, Stayner became a suspect based on a car seen at the scene. Desmond knew Joie and immediately knew something was wrong. Captive Audience tells the story of Cary Stayner. The autopsies of the three victims were the focus of the third day of testimony in Stayner's trial for the murders of Carole Sund, 42; Juli, 15; and Silvina, 16. 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.". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Unfortunately, they found nothing. Saturday, July 24, the FBI tracked Cary down to the Laguna Del Sol resort, a nudist resort approximately 3 hours from the Cedar Lodge. Stayner, a motel handyman at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, Calif., was Family and friends will be received from 10:00am to 11:00am on Saturday, April Read More. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Imagine this, you take a trip to California for a cheerleading competition. But when tomorrow came, he called the police. The group returned to the park rangers and informed them that they had found Joie. Cary carried her all the way up a trail until they reached an overlook, out of sight from the parking lot. When he was discovered, the girl asked him to leave, threatening to scream if he approached her. He was the oldest boy, in a family with five children. For the other three, he was given the death penalty. The car described was known to people in the area as Stayners car, and the FBI began looking for him as a potential witness to interview about Armstrongs murder. On July 21, 1999, 26-year-old Joie Armstrong, a park naturalist, was packing for a trip to join friends. 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. The murders occurred in Mariposa County, California near Yosemite National Park. Numerous ex-convicts with either ties to El Portal or Modesto, where Carole Sund's wallet was found three days after the trio disappeared, have been held for months for various offenses while officials have tried to gather enough evidence to charge them with the slayings. Working at the Lodge would change his life forever. Inside the car, very little remained. According to the report, Stayner even said that he tried to confuse investigators on the case by deliberately dropping Carole Sund's wallet on a busy street in Modesto, Calif., which is more than 50 miles west of Yosemite National Park. For Carole Sund, her daughter Julie Sund (15), and her friend Silvina Pelosso, it was a beautiful place to stay while they did some sightseeing in the park. They decided to head down, hoping to find the driver of the SUV. One day at work, he got so angry that he punched a table. Just when she was starting to feel comfortable, he pulled out his gun and told her to go into the cabin. No belongings remained in the room. Carole and Silvina were found in the trunk of their rental car, which had been burned to bits. There, on a rock, they found a man. Rossi said detectives investigating the death of 26-year-old Joie Ruth Armstrong do not believe the two murder cases are 'linked in any way.' When the sun began to set, they got back into their car and drove back to the Lodge. The Stayner family made headlines again upon his return. . Room 509 was on the corner. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. They were in such a poor state, that they could only be identified through dental records. He had to end it, and cover his tracks. 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. had said on Sunday that evidence obtained after Ms. Armstrong's death linked Mr. Stayner to the slayings of the three sightseers. Joie Ruth Armstrong resided with two roommates, a man and a woman, both of whom were apparently out of the Yosemite area when the death occurred, Thompson said. The brilliant, bubbly, strawberry-blond naturalist lived with her boyfriend and a second roommate in a cabin near Yosemite. His father, Delbert, admitted that he had taken Cary to a psychiatrist as a child, but no treatment was administered, becuase he didnt want to go to group therapy. Date Cary Stayner Age Information researched and summarized by Martin Chavez, Katie Clark, Toshia Najar, Matt Sers Department of Psychology Radford University Radford, VA 24142-6946 Life Event 8-12-61 0 Born August 12th 1964 3 Diagnosed with Trichotillomania (Obsessive Compulsive hairpulling) and prescribed medication First violent fantasy about women: Dreamed of capturing women 1968 7 and killing them. It is unlikely they will ever see that day though. 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. The keys were left where they were supposed to. In 1990, Jerry was found dead with a shotgun blast to the chest. This is often a hot topic among true crime lovers. Performing a records search for that vehicle turned up only two registered SUVs in the Yosemite valley. While many people agree with the death penalty, others believe taking a life for a life isnt the answer. Joie was a naturalist, and knew everything about the park. Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren. Julie, and Silvina. Unfortunately, she didnt know they hadnt found Joies head. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They noticed, and didnt recognize, the blue SUV outside of her cabin as belonging to anyone they knew. There, he was asked if he could help with the search for a missing person. The 39-year-old motel handyman chased her down in the woods and tackled her, prosecutors said. Finally, Cary grabbed her by the hair and hauled her into the forest behind the cabin. Toolbox in hand, he knocked on the door and identified himself as an employee. They broke into 5 groups and began their search. The girl was 14, and Cary hid under the bed, naked, with the intent to fondle her breasts during the night. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/27/us/confessions-are-reported-in-4-killings.html. Californias death row has been pushed to a halt by Governor Gavin Newsome. The Cast Shares The Truth, Busty Katy Perry Nearly Spills Out Of Black Off-Shoulder Dress. "I cannot comment on the substance of such statements," said Nick Rossi, an FBI spokesman in Sacramento. Jens spent the day calling friends, family, anyone who may have any idea where they were, but no one had heard from them. WebJoie Ruth Armstrong Birth 20 Dec 1972 California, USA Death 21 Jul 1999 (aged 26) Yosemite West, Mariposa County, California, USA Burial Pleasant Hills Memorial Park and Her decapitated body had been found two days prior in a drainage ditch about four miles from the park lodge, near where she lived in park housing, and her death was established as occurring on 7/21/1999. The person on the other end of the line told her that they were not sure if she had red hair or not, and that they would get back to her. Within days, Caroles wallet turned up. Armstrong Glenn Youngkin rules out presidential campaign while in California, Three killed in small plane crash near Big Bear airport, authorities say, 2 students stabbed near Los Angeles High; LAPD investigating, Bass budget proposal for Animal Services is far less than what department requested. They arrested him on the spot and took him in for questioning. 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. The convoy of searchers drove until they reached the meadow where they saw Joies cabin. WebArmstrong and slash the throat of Juli Sund. 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 Her head was later discovered in a stream a stream she and her friends used to drink water from. Learn how your comment data is processed. When he was 16, one of his sisters had a friend sleep over. That day she had been seen at the Institute offices, and was planning a trip to Sausalito, California to visit a friend.