True crime fans have discovered ‘wild' documentary Captive Audience about a kidnapped child with a ‘bonkers’ ending
How can this happen to one family?Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story has just been discovered by true crime fans who are branding the documentary “bonkers” and “wild”.
The resurfaced doc tells the tale of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped aged seven.
Steven’s family are thrown into turmoil after realising he has gone missing on his way home from school.
But what comes next in the years that follow no one could ever predict.
Here’s what we know about Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, where to watch it and what people are saying about it.
Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story
The documentary begins with news reports about the return of Steven Stayner, who went missing in 1972.
Just seven years old, Steven vanished as he walked home from school in Northern California. He had got into a car with a stranger before disappearing for seven long years.
But in what his family hailed as a “miracle”, Steven escaped his captors and returned home aged 14.
News reports from his comeback play out as in the opening scenes as one reporter says: “A bizarre story with a happy ending.”
Steven’s mother, Kay, however warns: “Well, everybody wants a happy ending. And not very many true stories are a happy ending.”
Captive Audience takes viewers on an unbelievable tale about the Stayner family. And if that reporter thought Steven’s kidnapping and return was “bizarre”, he had no idea how wild things were going to get.
What happened to Steven Stayner?
Paedophile Kenneth Parnell kidnapped Steven, took him to live in a one-room cabin 200 miles away and changed his name to Dennis Parnell.
For years, Steven was victim to Parnell’s vile abuse. One day he returned home to find a “new little brother” lying on the sofa. Parnell had kidnapped another young boy called Timmy White.
Fearing for the little boy, and knowing what he had endured, Steven grabbed him and fled. They hitchhiked all the way to Mexico and Steven took Timmy to a police station.
Steven and Timmy were finally reunited with their families – and their story captured the attention of the nation. Steven quickly became a local celebrity as his homecoming was shared with the world.
The family – including Steven’s four siblings – found themselves thrust into the limelight. Hundreds of reporters and photographers surrounded their home, with police having to stand guard.
His sister says: “It was nonstop. And it didn’t stop.”
Several years later, Steven’s story was even adapted into a movie. The made-for-TV film was called I Know My First Name Is Steven and it aired in the 80s.
Actor Cory “Corky” Nemec played Steven. The film went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination and four Emmy nominations.
But not everyone was coping with the press intrusion… and it wasn’t Steven.
Many years later, the Stayner family find themselves at the centre of another very grave crime. And viewers won’t believe their eyes and ears when they learn how the story ends…
Captive Audience: Where to watch?
Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story first aired in 2022. However, it has now resurfaced on BBC iPlayer, gripping a new wave of true crime fans.
Writing on Facebook, one person who has watched it said: “This documentary is insane.”
Another added: “This is a wild story. A good documentary for sure. And a third said: “This story is bonkers.”
Someone else has even described it as “one of the top documentaries” they have ever watched.
Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story on BBC iPlayer has three 45 minute episodes.
What will be your verdict?
