Cary Stayner

Cary A. Stayner, also known as "The Yosemite Killer", is a serial killer.

Background
Cary Stayner was born on August 13, 1961. In 1972, when he was eleven, his seven year old brother, Steven Stayner, was kidnapped by a pedophile, Kenneth Parnell, and didn't escape until eight years later. The case sparked national attention and, Cary later claimed, made him feel neglected. Though it was later said that it greatly effected him and possibly even played a part in turning him into a killer, he had displayed several disturbing signs before Steven disappeared. At the mere age of three, he was diagnosed with trichotillomania, obsessive-compulsive hairpulling, and was put on medication, though the condition stuck with him even during his high school years; the consequential bald spots led to him being bullied. When he was seven, he started having violent fantasies about kidnapping and killing women. When he was eleven, he was molested by an uncle. Though he was placed in gifted classes in school, he started having fantasies about women being gang raped before he was a teenager and even exposed himself to a friend of his sister while she was on a sleepover. At the age of 18, Cary was voted the most creative student of his graduation class for his cartoon contributions to the school newspaper. In 1980, Steven escaped along with the kidnapper's most recent victim, Timmy White, and Cary once again felt overshadowed by the attention his brother got.

After graduating high school, Cary worked as a window installer at a glass company. Over the following years, Steven's kidnapping and escape continued garnering attention and was adapted into a TV mini-series. Apparently frustrated, Cary shared a fantasy he had about driving a truck into the company for which he worked, killing everyone inside and burning down the place to a friend. In September of 1989, Steven, who had married and had two children, died in a motorcycle accident. The following year, Jesse Stayner, Cary's uncle, with whom he lived, was shot to death in his house. The murder was never solved and Cary became a suspect after his arrest. In 1991, he tried to gas himself to death with carbon monoxide. In 1995, he was admitted to a mental institution after claiming to have had a nervous breakdown and was released after receiving treatment. In 1997, Cary was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, where he later found all of his victims. Living in an apartment at the Lodge, he became a well-liked employee, doing all kinds of work ranging from cleaning services to fixing electrical and mechanical problems.

Killings and Capture
In February of 1999, Stayner committed his first known murders. Apparently on a whim, he abducted Carole Sund, her daughter Juli, and Silivina Pelosso, an Argentinian exchange student who was travelling with them, killed Carole and Silivina on the 15th and then Juli on the 16th. Afterwards, he put Carole and Silivina's body in the Sunds' rented 1999 Pontiac and torched the vehicle. After killing Juli, Stayner dumped her body near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County, miles away from where the Pontiac was burned. At first, their absence was treated as a disappearance, but as weeks went by, the authorities began to suspect that they might have been murdered. Their suspicions were confirmed a month after their abductions when a pair of hikers found the burnt-out Pontiac. Though the two bodies were burned beyond recognition, the investigators managed to identify them. A week later, Juli's body was found as well after the authorities received a note, sent by Stayner, that showed its location. A task force of FBI agents and law enforcement officials from the four surrounding counties began investigating a number of past offenders. Stayner was also interviewed, but since he didn't have a criminal record, he wasn't considered a suspect. In June they announced that, though none of the suspects had been convicted, they were confident that the killer was at least in custody. They were proven wrong on July 22 when the body of Joie Ruth Armstrong was found. When eyewitnesses came forward and told the police about seeing a car parked outside her cabin the night. When Stayner was identified as the owner, he was arrested. When the evidence linked him to the killings, he was charged with all four of them. Though he claimed insanity, he was found sane and guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He is currently held at the San Quentin death row pending an appeal.

Modus Operandi
Stayner targeted women of different ages who were staying at the Cedar Lodge. After abducting them and getting them somewhere private, he would rape them, sometimes for hours, kill them by different means including throat cutting, strangulation and shooting, and then dispose of their bodies in different ways. Some were buried outdoors and some were set on fire to get rid of any evidence.

Known Victims

 * December, 1990: Jesse Stayner
 * 1999:
 * February 15:
 * Carole Sund, 43
 * Silivina Pelosso, 16
 * February 16: Juli Sund, 15
 * July 21: Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26

On Criminal Minds
Stayner was mentioned in Rite of Passage.