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The Kidnapping of Steven Stayner

Merced, California, United StatesDecember 4, 1972

In December 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner was abducted by Kenneth Parnell in Merced, California. He was held for seven years under the false name "Dennis Parnell." In 1980, when Parnell kidnapped another child, Steven escaped with the younger boy and turned himself in to police. His story was dramatized in the TV movie "I Know My First Name Is Steven."