The escape of two sexually abused boys
Steven heard these familiar words and quickly realized they were all a lie. Timothy’s sobs tortured Steven every day. She knew that this baby, and herself, had a longing and worried family. Steven tries to leave school early, sometimes skipping school early to prevent Parnell’s abuse of Timothy.
Two weeks after the kidnapping, on the night of March 1, 1980, while Parnell was working as a night shift security guard in a building a few kilometers away, Steven mustered up the courage to pick up the 5-year-old boy and run away. .
Steven hitchhiked 60km, back to Ukiah, California – Timothy’s home. But Timothy is too young to remember his parents’ addresses and names, so Steven looks up the address of the local police station and takes him there in the rain.
Steven places Timothy on the front steps of the police station, tells him to go inside and tell the police his name and take him home to his parents. Afraid and not wanting Steven to leave, Timothy turned and sobbed.
Steven (left) and Timothy. Photo: Good housekeeping
An officer is currently approaching, bringing the two inside to talk. In the end, Steven tells the story of the two. Early the next morning, Kenneth Parnell was arrested.
The police realized he had a criminal record but was never suspected as he had never made a clear statement locally, that his previous conviction was a sex offender. In the 1982 trial, Parnell was sentenced to only 7 years in prison and pardoned after 5 years.
The sentence later made many court officials regret that he immediately did this again. In January 2003, at the age of 71, Parnell was arrested on charges of child trafficking and child abuse. February 2004. Parnell sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole, died in prison in 2008 from a serious illness.
Kenneth Parnell in court in 2003. Photo: Modesto Bee
As for the two boys, their later life had twists and turns. Steven has become a “hero” in the media when he bravely runs away and saves baby Timothy. But he also had difficulty adjusting to a normal family, as Parnell was trained to drink, curse, and smoke throughout his childhood.
“I came back to my family almost as a grown man, but last saw my parents when I was 7 years old. Things were really awkward. But why doesn’t Dad hug me anymore? Sometimes I blame myself. . Sometimes I don’t know should I go home,” Steven said in an interview.
Steven refuses to reveal all the details of the sexual abuse Parnell suffered and just suffers in silence. Steven was bullied and ridiculed by his classmates for his stories of sexual harassment. Eventually, Steven dropped out of school, drank regularly, and was eventually kicked out of the house. His relationship with his father became increasingly strained.
Trying to rebuild his life, Steven participates in sharing life skills and helping abuse victims, through his story. He finds a job at a pizzeria and has his first love with a simple and kind girl, helping his wounds heal gradually.
They married in 1985 and have 2 children. But his happiness didn’t last long. On September 16, 1989, Steven died at the age of 24 after a car accident.
Statue of two boys running hand in hand, erected by residents in Applegate Park. Photo: Paula Slater
At Steven’s funeral, perhaps the saddest Timothy, the boy was then 14 years old. Timothy grew up to become a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff in 2005. He has attended many sessions teaching children about his experiences and the dangers of kidnapping. But he also died very young, at the age of 35, of lung congestion, in October 2010.
That same year, locals decided to commemorate the two “boys” at Applegate Park in Merced City with a statue named after them. Teen hero – Teen hero.
Hi Us (Based on ATI, Crime and Investigation, Medium, People)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
