Inside The Personal Life of Ashley Stayner: Steven Stayner’s Daughter

The daughter of Steven Stayner, the well-known American kidnap victim, Ashley Stayner is a 37-year-old ex-military lady from the United States.

Even though her father’s life is mostly responsible for all of Ashley’s success, she was unable to spend enough time with him because he passed away soon after she was born. Find out more about Ashley here.

Who is Ashley Stayner and How Old is She?

Ashley Stayner was born to her parents Steven Stayner and Jody Edmondson in the United States of America on December 23, 1985. She is currently 37 years old. Sadly, she lost her father in 1988 when she was just 3 years old and therefore, had to spend the bulk of her childhood with her mother Jody, and her brother Steven Stayner Jr.

For her secondary education, Ashley attended the Buhach Colony High School and later moved on to further her education by attending the American Military University. With her qualifications from the American Military University, Ashley attempted to build a career in the American armed forces. She joined the US Air Force in October 2007. However, she quit the force after 4 years in 2011.

Ashley Got Famous Through Her Father Steven Stayner

Ashley Stayner is the oldest child of Steven Stayner. He is best known as the American kidnap victim who was nabbed at 7 and detained by Kenneth Parnell, a notorious kidnapper who sexually abused him for over 7 years before he finally escaped with Parnell’s other victim.

Although Ashley’s fame is centered on her father, she did not get to spend a lot of time with him as he died on September 17, 1989. At that time, Ashley was only 4 years old, while her brother Steven was just 2.

Steven Stayner was Kidnapped and Held Hostage for Over 7 Years

Delbert and Kay Stayner welcomed Steven Gregory Stayner into the world on April 19, 1965, in Merced, California. Steven had three siblings and lived with them until he was abducted at the age of 7 in December 1972.

On December 4, 1972, Ervin Murphy approached Steven as he was returning home from school. Murphy identified himself as a church official seeking donations. Young Steven responded that his mother would be prepared to give some money when Ervin asked whether she would. After getting into the other man’s car to see his mother, he vanished for the next seven years.

After he got into the car, Ervin handed him over to Parnell who took him to a hired cabin in Catheys Valley. Telling him that his parents had agreed to let him spend the night there. The next morning, Parnell sexually abused Steven. This was the first of many assaults that Steven would go through for the next seven years of his life.

Over the years, the abuse got more intense and whenever Steven cried for his parents, Parnell would tell Steven that they didn’t want him anymore and that they had given him full custody. From then on, he made Steven adopt the name Denis Parnell.

Steven was Given a New Identity Following His Kidnap

Less than a month after he was kidnapped, Steven was enrolled in a school under his pseudonym, with Parnell pretending to be his father. Although several flyers were sent across the district in search of Steven, none of them ever reached the school.

Throughout the years of his detention, Steven lived in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California. This was 38 miles away from his family. When Steven grew older than Parnell’s preferential age, Parnell tried to make him lure another young boy to him. However, Steven refused to do this as he didn’t want another child to suffer the same fate as him.

However, with the help of Steven’s schoolmate, Sean Poorman, Parnell abducted a 5-year-old boy named Timothy White. Like Steven, Parnell continuously harassed Timmy until two weeks after his abduction when Steven took him away from Parnell’s house when Parnell was on a night shift.

The next morning, the police arrested Kenneth Parnell for suspected kidnapping. However, he was not convicted for the various abuses he committed against Steven and Timmy. Rather he was sentenced to 8 years and 8 months for one kidnap and 1 year and eight months for the other.

Steven Stayner Later Died on September 18, 1989

After his escape, Steven tried to move on with his life. He got married to his wife Jody Edmondson and together they had two kids; Ashley and Steven Jr., who have both grown to become adults pursuing different careers and are now people of interest.

Sadly, on September 18, 1989, on his way home from work, Steven’s motorbike collided with a car and he died less than an hour later. Before he died, a TV series was created on Steve Stayner. The movie I Know My First Name is Steven was inspired by Steven’s kidnapping story but also features Cary’s criminal activities.

Meet Ashley Stayner‘s Criminal Uncle Cary Stayner

Cary Stayner is an American serial killer and the oldest brother of Steven Stayner. The few years after Steven’s abduction, their parents had been preoccupied with trying to find their son. At first, Cary was concerned for his brother’s safety, but later on, he started feeling neglected by his parents and only found comfort in crime.

Between January and July 1999, Cary killed four tourists who were lodgers at the hotel where he worked. A month later, he killed another woman, a Yosemite Institute naturalist, Joie Ruth Armstrong. This time around he was arrested and confessed to his past crimes and also to having fantasies about killing women.

Cary was sentenced to life in prison for killing Joie, and to death for his three previous murders. He is currently on death row in a California prison. With these discoveries, the Stayner family faced a horrific crime once again. Although Ashley and her brother were not very close to Cary, they were still affected by his story as he shared the same last name as them.

What Does Ashley Stayner Do Now?

Ashley maintains a modest profile. She is solely active on Facebook, and she has told her father about the movie on her Facebook page. Ashley has acknowledged that she is a passionate admirer of crime thrillers despite having first-hand involvement with crime.

She resides in Atwater, California, at the moment. She acknowledged that she was once married and that she had a kid, adding that her partner Matthew passed away in 2014.