Steven Stayner was an American kidnap victim who was abducted at the age of seven from Merced, California by child molester Kenneth Parnell and his accomplice Ervin Edward Murphy.

Steven Stayner was made to believe that his parents handed him over to his kidnapper legally. However, he later got married but this incident had a deep impact on his upbringing.

Steven Stayner became a household name in 1980 when he returned home after being kidnapped about seven years earlier.

Despite the severe trauma that he dealt with when he lived with his kidnapper, Steven made a life for himself, marrying and having children.

Hulu’s ‘Captive Audience’ delves into the circumstances surrounding Steven being taken and how he finally escaped, saving a 5-year-old in the process.

It also features his wife, Jody, who talks about her life with him.

So the question arises where is Steven Stayner Wife?

Who is Steven Stayner’s Wife Jody Edmondson?

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source: thecinemaholic.com

Jody Edmondson is the ex-wife of Steven Stayner. The two were very much in love and they married later. 

The couples divorce later and are currently living differently in their various homes and doing and living their normal lives.

Jody Edmondson is better known as the wife of an American kidnapping victim, Steven Stayner.

The two got married in June 1985 after dating for a year. Steven Stayner was 30 years old and Jody Edmondson was also 17 years old when they tied the knot.

They were blessed with two children namely Steven Stayner Jr. and Ashley Stayner

Jody Edmondson has remarried after their divorce. Not much is known about her marital life and her new husband.

Steven Stayner has remained single after the divorce and hasn’t been in a relationship with anyone yet.

Steve Stayner Wife Today

Steven Stayner is currently living her life away from the media. She has kept a low profile and hasn’t updated anything concerning her whereabouts to the press yet.

Jody Edmondson now lives a private life away from the spotlight and is currently living in Sheridan, Oregon, and has remarried.

Steven Stayner Age

Steven Gregory Stayner is 58 years old as of 2023, born on April 18, 1965, in Merced, California. He was the third of five children in his family. Steven’s life took a unique turn when he was abducted at the age of 7 and returned seven years later.

Steven Stayner Early Life 

Steven Gregory Stayner was born on April 18, 1965, in Merced, California, to Delbert and Kay Stayer. He was the third of five children of his parents and had an elder brother Cary and three sisters.

At the age of seven, Steven Stayner was kidnapped on the afternoon of December 4, 1972, by Kenneth Parnell, who had previously been convicted for sodomizing a young boy and for armed robbery in Utah.

For the abduction, he enlisted the help of naïve and simple-minded Ervin Edward Murphy by pretending to be an aspiring minister who needed a young boy to raise him in a religious-type deal.

Murphy, who was instructed to distribute gospel tracts to school boys, approached Steven Stayner, claiming to be a Church representative, and asked him if his mother would be willing to donate anything to the church.

Young Stayner replied that his mother would donate, following which Murphy asked for his address and offered to accompany him to his house, to which he agreed.

Soon after, Parnell reached there driving a white Buick, which Stayner got into willingly, along with Murphy, but instead of his home, he was taken to a cabin in nearby Catheys Valley.

Parnell, a sex offender, molested him the first night and began raping him thirteen days later, on December 17, 1972.

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Steven Stayner Kidnapping 

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source: goodhousekeeping.com

Steven Stayner was a little school-going kid when he was separated from his family.

Parnell, the man who kidnapped him, created a new identity for Stayner, giving him the new name, Denis Gregory Parnell, but retaining his original middle name and his original date of birth.

He was not kept in captivity, and in the following years, was enrolled in several schools where Parnell identified himself as his father.

Parnell shifted from one place to another for work, often took Stayner with him, but later sometimes left him alone and unguarded.

However, the young boy could not take advantage of those opportunities as he was reportedly unaware of how to summon help.

Stayner had a relaxed upbringing as his captor not only allowed him to roam freely wherever he wished to go but also allowed him to start drinking at a very early age.

During this time, he had grown very fond of his pet dog Queenie, a Manchester Terrier.

When Steven Stayner was 14 years old he managed to escape with one of Parnell’s victims, Timothy White on March 1st, 1980.

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Jody And Steven Today

Jody has remarried and is an old lady as of 2023. She stays happily with her second husband away from social media.

However, Steven had died in an accident which led to Jody remarrying the second the. But she still is in charge of their children who are quite old by now.

So this is all you need to know about Steven Stayner’s wife Jody. Thank you for reading this article.

Hope you found this informative. Do add your thoughts and comments and write them down in the comments section below.

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