When you think of the Stayner family, your mind probably goes straight to the unthinkable. You think of Steven’s seven-year abduction or his brother Cary’s horrific crimes at Yosemite. It's a lot for one family to carry. But in the middle of that storm was a young woman named Jody Edmondson, the woman who became Steven Stayner's wife and tried to help him build a normal life out of the wreckage.
Honestly, it’s a story that doesn't get told enough. While the documentaries focus on the "horror movie" aspects of the Stayners, Jody was there for the quiet, difficult years of the 1980s. She wasn't just a footnote; she was the person Steven chose when he was finally free to make his own choices.
Who was Jody Edmondson?
Steven met Jody at a butcher shop where he was working in the mid-80s. He was just a guy trying to move on, though the whole world knew his face from the news. They were young. Really young. Jody was only 17 when they tied the knot in 1985.
It wasn't an easy marriage. How could it be? Steven was a man who had lost his childhood to a monster, and then he was thrust back into a family that had changed while he was gone. He struggled with the "hero" label the media slapped on him. Despite all that, Jody remembers him as a "natural" father. They had two kids together: Ashley and Steven Jr. For a few years, they were just a young couple in Merced, California, trying to pay the bills and raise toddlers. Then, in 1989, everything shattered again.
That tragic 1989 accident
You've probably heard how Steven died. It wasn't some dark crime or a lingering shadow from his past. It was a motorcycle accident. He was riding home from work on a rainy night and was hit by a car. He was only 24.
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Jody was left a widow at 21 with two tiny children. Imagine that. You marry a man who survived the impossible, only to lose him to a random traffic accident four years later. It’s the kind of cruelty that feels scripted, but for Jody, it was just reality.
Steven Stayner wife today: Where is she now?
People always ask where she is in 2026. The truth is, Jody Edmondson has spent most of the last three decades staying out of the spotlight. She didn't become a professional "true crime" personality. She didn't write a tell-all book immediately after his death. She mostly focused on raising her kids in the Central Valley of California.
However, she did resurface recently. In 2022, she appeared in the Hulu docuseries Captive Audience. Seeing her on screen was a bit of a shock for people who hadn't seen her since the late 80s. She looked like a woman who had lived a lot of life. She spoke candidly about Steven, not as a symbol of survival, but as a husband.
"He was a good dad, he was a good family man," Jody shared during her interviews.
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She seemed to want people to know the Steven that the cameras missed—the guy who was just trying to be a person. Today, she mostly keeps to herself. She lives a private life, likely enjoying being a grandmother, as both of her children are now grown with families of their own.
The children: Ashley and Steven Jr.
If you want to know how Jody is doing, you just have to look at her kids. They are the living legacy of that short-lived marriage.
- Ashley Stayner has been the most vocal. She was only two when her dad died, so she never really knew him. She’s talked about the "torment" of growing up in a family with such a heavy name.
- Steven Stayner Jr. has also appeared in recent documentaries, looking strikingly like his father.
Jody’s biggest accomplishment might just be that her children grew up to be stable, thoughtful adults despite the "Stayner Curse" that the media loves to talk about.
Why her story still matters
We talk about victims and survivors, but we rarely talk about the people who love them afterward. Jody Edmondson didn't just marry a man; she married a trauma. She stood by him when he was struggling to adjust to a world he didn't recognize.
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There's a lot of misinformation out there. Some old internet rumors suggested she had passed away, but her appearance in the 2022 documentary proved she is very much alive and still protective of Steven’s memory. She’s handled the "true crime" circus with a level of dignity that honestly puts most of the networks to shame.
Moving forward with the facts
If you’re looking for more info on the Stayner family, here are a few things to keep in mind to keep your perspective grounded:
- Watch "Captive Audience" on Hulu. It's the most recent and accurate look at the family, featuring direct interviews with Jody and her children.
- Separate the brothers. Remember that Steven's story is one of survival, while Cary’s is one of tragedy. Jody is only connected to the survival side.
- Respect the privacy. While Jody has stepped into the light recently, she doesn't owe the public a daily update. Her choice to live a quiet life is her own.
Basically, Jody Edmondson is a survivor in her own right. She’s the woman who picked up the pieces when the cameras stopped rolling and the "I Know My First Name is Steven" movie credits finished. She's still here, still a mom, and still the keeper of a very complicated history.