I Know My First Name Is Steven
Mike Echols
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1972–1980 · California
Steven Stayner
Abduction & survival
Steven Stayner was abducted at seven by Kenneth Parnell in 1972 and held for more than seven years. In 1980 he escaped with another kidnapped child, Timmy White, and sought help. His return and the difficulties afterward inspired I Know My First Name Is Steven.
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The Story
When1972–1980
WhereCalifornia
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I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989) — miniseries information
IMDb · title/episode listing
A dramatized interpretation; compare it with the reporting.
Residue — I Know My First Name Is Steven, Part 1
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Blogs & Essays
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Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
The Lineup · 2024 recommendations
Captive Audience in The Lineup’s documentary recommendations
The guide highlights Captive Audience and the Stayner family story. Use the case’s separate TV listing for series details; this article is editorial commentary, not a streaming entitlement.
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Books
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Books
1 itemsMike Echols
I Know My First Name Is Steven
Book-length account or personal perspective. This link provides bibliographic details; compare the author’s account with reporting and records.
BookCatalog / Availability
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Movies & TV
Movies
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TV & documentaries
2 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
IMDb · title/episode listing
I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989) — miniseries information
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle Details · Not Playback
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Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · Screen title
Captive Audience (2022)
IMDb title reference connected to the Steven Stayner case. Listed release: 2022. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Audiobooks
An audiobook edition has not been confirmed for this case yet. You can check the audiobook catalog or explore the case’s podcasts.
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I Know My First Name Is Steven
Search Audiobook Editions · paid linkMike Echols
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
IMDb · title/episode listing
I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989) — miniseries information
Dramatized screen account. Follow the link for the title listing or available viewing options; scenes and dialogue may be adapted.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle Details · Not Playback
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Search Amazon · paid linkCredits & title details on IMDb
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
15 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Apple Podcasts
Residue — I Know My First Name Is Steven, Part 1
Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.
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Casefile True Crime
Case 154: Steven Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released August 29, 2020. About 124 minutes.
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California True Crime
Pt 1: The Life and Kidnapping of Steven Stayner - Kenneth Parnell
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released June 6, 2019. About 70 minutes.
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Mile Higher
The Wild Kidnapping Case Of Steven Stayner & The Case Of His Brother Cary Stayner “The Yosemite Killer”
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released May 11, 2022. About 70 minutes.
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Murder With My Husband
104. Steven Stayner and Timothy White - The California Abductions
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released March 21, 2022. About 53 minutes.
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California True Crime
Pt 2: The Life and Kidnapping of Steven Stayner - The Search
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released June 13, 2019. About 74 minutes.
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Show 9 more podcasts
California True Crime
Pt 6: The Life and Kidnapping of Steven Stayner - The Press
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released July 18, 2019. About 80 minutes.
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Criminology
Steven Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released February 23, 2025. About 55 minutes.
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True Crime Campfire
I Know My First Name Is Steven: The Abduction of Steven Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released November 29, 2024. About 55 minutes.
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This Is Monsters
The Story of Kenneth Parnell : The kidnapping of Steven Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released April 17, 2021. About 16 minutes.
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Criminally Listed Presents: Into the Killing
Steven Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released November 8, 2021. About 28 minutes.
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True Crime Campfire
Journey Into Darkness: The Stayner Brothers Part 2
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released December 6, 2024. About 55 minutes.
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The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast
#058 The Tale of Two Brothers: Steven & Cary Stayner
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released August 19, 2018. About 102 minutes.
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The Treehouse In The Woods
The Abduction of Steven Stayner, Part 1 True Crime: Season 1, Episode 6
Podcast coverage of the Steven Stayner case. Released August 11, 2025. About 64 minutes.
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Rotten Mango · Stephanie Soo
Rotten Mango — Steven & Cary Stayner (Episode 63)
This shared episode discusses both Steven and Cary Stayner. Steven was a kidnapping survivor; the Yosemite murders concern his brother Cary. The official episode page provides the show’s listening options.
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
3 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
Open Library · Catalog / Availability
I know my first name is Steven by Mike Echols
Bibliographic record for related reading. Check the edition page for previews, lending and other access options; full text has not been confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
I Know My First Name is Steven
Related book record. Google may offer selected pages or another edition; full-book access is not confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
I Know My First Name Is Steven
Mike Echols. Related reading for Steven Stayner. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.
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Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsSan Francisco Chronicle
Reporting on Steven Stayner
Linked reporting or commentary. Read the source date for its historical context; access may require a subscription.
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Newspaper clippings
2 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
The San Bernardino County Sun · 1989-05-22 · Page 29
Steven Stayner's story becomes an NBC miniseries
A feature revisits Stayner's abduction and escape as I Know My First Name Is Steven reaches television.
Contemporary television feature with related child-safety material.
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Read the original at Newspapers.com. Access and subscription requirements are set by the archive.
Open full clipping at Newspapers.comMore from the newspaper archive
Continue with these dated reports on Newspapers.com.
The San Francisco Examiner · 1989-09-21 · Page 20
Family mourns Steven Stayner after fatal crash
The report covers Stayner's funeral, remembers his survival, and describes the attention generated by the television adaptation.
Historical obituary and court report; charges involving the crash were pending.
Read this article on Newspapers.comKeep following the newspaper trail.
Search original reporting, follow the trial, and compare how newspapers covered the case over time.
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Internet Archive
2 itemsAbout these sources
Library records and preserved media. A catalog listing does not guarantee full reading or playback.
Internet Archive · Library record · 1999
I know my first name is Steven
Echols, Mike. A library catalog record for a book connected with Steven Stayner. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
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Internet Archive · TV News Archive
20/20 : KGO : January 25, 2019 9:00pm-11:00pm PST
The archive indexes this broadcast under Steven Stayner. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Pretrial writ opinionArchive copy
Parnell v. Superior Court — pretrial ruling in Steven Stayner’s case
Kenneth Eugene Parnell’s challenge to charges following Steven Stayner’s escape. The opinion examines the preliminary-hearing evidence and the charges involving the child identified as Steven S.
- Court / agency
- California Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two
- Document date
- 1981
- Case / citation
- 50913 · 119 Cal. App. 3d 392
- Hosted by
- Justia
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
10 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
Mile Higher
The Wild Kidnapping Of Steven Stayner & The Case Of His Brother Cary Stayner “The Yosemite Killer”
Video from Mile Higher covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 1:14:47.
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Murder With My Husband
Steven Stayner and Timothy White - The California Abductions - 104
Video from Murder With My Husband covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 49:47.
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Georgia Marie
The kidnapped boy who became a HERO | the story of Steven Stayner
Video from Georgia Marie covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 39:24.
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Casefile
The mystery of two missing boys and the unexpected link
Video from Casefile covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 2:08:46.
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E! News
Captive Audience Trailer - A Wild True Crime Series on Hulu
Trailer or preview from E! News covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 2:27.
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True Crime Recaps
Steven & Cary Stayner: Hero vs Killer Brother
Video from True Crime Recaps covering the Steven Stayner case. Length: 21:11.
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Show 4 more social media
Reddit · r/TrueCrimeDiscussion
Discussion: Steven Stayner's miserable life and ending. I need to vent about this for a moment.
Public community discussion connected to Steven Stayner. Posts and comments are reader perspectives, not independently verified reporting.
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Facebook · Creator channel
California True Crime — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Pt 2: The Life and Kidnapping of Steven Stayner - The Search.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
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Facebook · Creator community
The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast — Facebook group
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “#058 The Tale of Two Brothers: Steven & Cary Stayner.” This discussion group covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. Group rules or membership approval may limit access.
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Facebook · Creator channel
The Killafornia Dreaming Podcast — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “#058 The Tale of Two Brothers: Steven & Cary Stayner.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
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