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Steven & Cary Stayner: Lives Left in Ruins
Long before I was the least bit interested in true crime, when I was still in pigtails, I watched a movie called “I Know My First Name is Steven.” It was the 1980’s and as a young child, the movie stuck with me and perhaps even traumatized me a bit.
I didn’t know until decades later that the focus of the movie, Steven Stayner, was not the only famous member of the Stayner family. Sadly, their notoriety is for mostly negative reasons rather than positive ones.
In order to understand the story of Cary Stayner, you must first understand the story of his little brother, Steven, and the impact that his story had on the entire Stayner family.
This is one long-but-fascinating tale that, like the world’s steepest roller-coasters, brings you to the highest heights only to drop you to the lowest lows in stomach-churning fashion.
Steven’s Story
The 1970’s were a different time. So were the 1980’s. During both decades, it was commonplace for kids to wander all over their neighborhood and play outside until dark. Sometimes, especially in the summer, you’d be gone most of the day, and your parents assumed you were just fine.
As childhoods go, the 1970’s were a more innocent time than the 1980's. You see, in the 1980’s, several child abductions occurred and were thrust into the public eye. Parents learned for the first time about pedophilia — a term that few people had even heard of up until that point — and the way moms and dads supervised their kids began to change.
Most children are aware of “stranger danger,” but it wasn’t a deep concern for most people. It was something that happened to “other” families.
That’s why, on December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner wasn’t frightened when he was approached by a man as he was walking home from school. [1]
The man in question was Ervin Murphy, and he told the boy he was a representative of a local church. When he asked little Steven if his mother would be interested in making a donation to the church, the child said he believed she…
