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Hulu will soon feature the story of Steven Stayner, the boy who miraculously returned after seven long years of abduction, in its upcoming docuseries Captive Audience. With rising interest in true-crime stories among audiences, streaming platforms are featuring more crime documentaries to cater to the ever-growing fans of this genre.
Hulu is no exception. The streaming platform is adding to its ever-growing library of true-crime series with another feature titled Captive Audience. The three-episode docuseries intends to chronicle the story of the Stayner brothers as one shot to fame with his heroism, while another fell into the pits of despair and eventually became a serial killer due to the immense psychological trauma he faced.
Steven Stayner shot to fame with media coverage when he managed to set himself free and save another boy after spending seven long years in abduction where he faced psychological and s*xual abuse.
However, with the fame Steven garnered that shot him into the limelight, his brother Cary Stayner started getting neglected which negatively affected him and caused him irreparable psychological damage. This eventually led him into a pit of despair.
The upcoming Hulu documentary features the story of the two brothers and how the media played a pivotal role in valorizing one while ignoring the side-effects it would have on the others. Captive Audience will premiere on Hulu this April 21, 2022.
Who is Steven Stayner? All about the miracle boy who shot to fame with his return
In 1972, when Steven Stayner was just seven years old and walking home from school one day, he ran into a strange man who claimed to be collecting church donations. Little Steven, thinking he could help, noted that his mother might be interested in making a donation. To this, Kenneth Parnell, the man who was posing as a fund raiser, responded that he could drive young Steven home so that he could talk to his mother about it.
Although reluctant at first, Steven got in the car with Parnell, and that was the last anyone saw of him. Parnell was a child abductor and had kidnapped Steven only to keep him locked and abuse him for years to come.
While no trace of Steven Stayner could be found and all hope was lost that he may be alive, Steven himself was forced to pretend he was Parnell’s son, “Dennis.” Stayner was too young to understand that he had been kidnapped and Parnell brainwashed him into believing that he had legal custody of him and that Stayner’s parents no longer wanted him and had abandoned him.
Initially, Steven Stayner accepted his fate but eventually began to rebel as he grew older and was no longer able to bear the torture that Parnell inflicted upon him. In 1980, when Parnell kidnapped another young boy named Timmy White, Stayner took the opportunity and snuck out, taking the little boy with him into town to the nearest police station.
Steven had managed to run away successfully and was returned to his family after seven long years in abduction where his abductor inflicted all kinds of emotional and s*xual torture on him.
Catch Captive Audience on Hulu to learn more about Steven Stayner and his abduction.
