Residue: A True Crime Podcast

<div> <p>We are taking a true crime break this week, but still focusing on a "based on a true story" movie. Mike and Claire Sardina were a real-life Milwaukee husband-and-wife musical duo who formed the popular Neil Diamond tribute act "Lightning &amp; Thunder". Their remarkable true story of soaring success, devastating heartbreak, and perseverance inspired the acclaimed feature film Song Sung Blue (2025)<em>. </em>The duo were also the subject of the 2008 documentary of the same name. A story that proves we should all dream big. </p><p>Sources:<br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDukMQIz1Sc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDukMQIz1Sc</a><br>Song Sung Blue the Documentary (2008) <br>Song Sung Blue <br><a href="https://parade.com/movies/meet-the-real-life-couple-who-inspired-song-sung-blue">https://parade.com/movies/meet-the-real-life-couple-who-inspired-song-sung-blue</a><br><a href="https://ew.com/song-sung-blue-true-story-fact-vs-fiction-11876118">https://ew.com/song-sung-blue-true-story-fact-vs-fiction-11876118</a><br><a href="https://shepherdexpress.com/film/i-hate-hollywood/lightning-thunder-story/">https://shepherdexpress.com/film/i-hate-hollywood/lightning-thunder-story/</a><br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hugh-jackman-kate-hudson-face-backlash-real-family-behind-tribute-band-film">https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hugh-jackman-kate-hudson-face-backlash-real-family-behind-tribute-band-film</a><br><a href="https://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/35103989.html">https://archive.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/35103989.html</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we explore the shocking true story behind the Lifetime film Abducted: The Carlina White Story. A <em>c</em>ase so unbelievable it sounds fictional, yet every major detail really happened. In 1987, 19-day-old Carlina White was kidnapped from Harlem Hospital in New York City by a woman later identified as Ann Pettway, who raised her under the name Nejdra “Netty” Nance for more than two decades. What makes this story extraordinary is that the case was ultimately solved not by investigators, but by Carlina herself.</p><p>Sources:<br>Beyond the Headlines: The Carlina White Story <br><a href="https://nymag.com/news/features/carlina-white-2011-10/">https://nymag.com/news/features/carlina-white-2011-10/</a><br>Abducted: The Carlina White Story <br><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/carlina-white">https://allthatsinteresting.com/carlina-white</a></p></div>

<div> <p>PART 2: While Steven Stayner became known for his extraordinary survival, his story reached millions through the made for TV film I Know My First Name Is Steven, and for a time the Stayner name was associated with resilience and hope. But that sense of closure did not last, and years later the same name would return to the national spotlight under far darker circumstances.</p><p>In 1999, Cary Stayner carried out a series of murders in and around Yosemite National Park, killing Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso, and later Joie Armstrong. The case stunned the country not only for its brutality but for its connection to Steven’s story. The contrast is stark. Two brothers from the same family, one remembered for survival, the other for tragedy.</p><p>Sources: <br>Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story <br>I Know My First Name Is Steven <br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/there-was-a-lot-of-torment-the-family-who-endured-two-true-stories">https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/there-was-a-lot-of-torment-the-family-who-endured-two-true-stories</a><br><a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/18/The-man-who-kidnapped-young-Steven-Stayner-alternated-sexual/8624377499600/">https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/18/The-man-who-kidnapped-young-Steven-Stayner-alternated-sexual/8624377499600/</a><br><a href="https://time.com/archive/6883464/nation-escaping-dad/">https://time.com/archive/6883464/nation-escaping-dad/</a><br>Wiki<br><a href="https://people.com/carole-sund-teen-daughter-murdered-yosemite-serial-killer-11825692">https://people.com/carole-sund-teen-daughter-murdered-yosemite-serial-killer-11825692</a><br>20/20: Evil In Eden </p></div>

<div> <p>PART 1: The 1989 television miniseries <em>I Know My First Name Is Steven</em> is a dramatization of the real-life kidnapping of Steven Stayner, who was held captive for seven years before heroically escaping and rescuing another child.</p><p>The film chronicles the abduction of seven-year-old Steven by Kenneth Parnell in 1972. Parnell brainwashes Steven into believing his parents no longer want him and renames him "Dennis Parnell". Over the next seven years, Steven endures severe physical and sexual abuse while living a transient life with his captor. </p><p>The story reaches its climax in 1980 when Parnell kidnaps five-year-old Timmy White. Determined to spare the young boy from the same fate, a 14-year-old Steven escapes with Timothy and brings him to a police station. The title comes from Steven's actual police statement: "I know my first name is Steven." </p><p>Sources:<br>Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story <br>I Know My First Name Is Steven by Mike Echols<br>I Know My First Name Is Steven the movie <br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/there-was-a-lot-of-torment-the-family-who-endured-two-true-stories">https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/there-was-a-lot-of-torment-the-family-who-endured-two-true-stories</a><br><a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/18/The-man-who-kidnapped-young-Steven-Stayner-alternated-sexual/8624377499600/">https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/18/The-man-who-kidnapped-young-Steven-Stayner-alternated-sexual/8624377499600/</a><br><a href="https://time.com/archive/6883464/nation-escaping-dad/">https://time.com/archive/6883464/nation-escaping-dad/</a><br>Wiki</p></div>

<div> <p>The 2003 film Soldier's Girl tells the true story of Barry Winchell, a young soldier stationed at Fort Campbell who becomes romantically involved with transgender performer Calpernia Addams. Their relationship develops quietly at first, but it becomes increasingly dangerous within the highly rigid and hostile environment of the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era.</p><p>As rumors about Winchell begin circulating among fellow soldiers, he becomes the target of escalating harassment and social pressure. That hostility is fueled in part by other soldiers, including Justin Fisher, who encourages and manipulates younger soldier Calvin Glover. The film builds toward the real-life tragedy where Winchell is attacked with a baseball bat while sleeping in his barracks, a violent act rooted in a toxic mix of rumor, prejudice, and peer pressure.</p><p>Sources: <br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpanzTImkE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpanzTImkE</a><br><a href="https://inmagazine.ca/2024/07/flashback-soldier-barry-winchell-dies-after-anti-gay-hate-crime-july-6-1999/">https://inmagazine.ca/2024/07/flashback-soldier-barry-winchell-dies-after-anti-gay-hate-crime-july-6-1999/</a><br><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/05/kentucky-murder-200005?srsltid=AfmBOoppbiKCRONCbuReee_d9LP_ImBd8uuuNkWew3BvLsttjmk1De7k">https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/05/kentucky-murder-200005?srsltid=AfmBOoppbiKCRONCbuReee_d9LP_ImBd8uuuNkWew3BvLsttjmk1De7k</a><br><a href="https://www.out.com/news/drag-race-barry-winchell-murder">https://www.out.com/news/drag-race-barry-winchell-murder</a><br><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/09/us/killer-s-trial-shows-gay-soldier-s-anguish.html#:~:text=But%20nothing%20came%20of%20their,factors%20in%20meting%20out%20sentences.&amp;text=Articles%20yesterday%20about%20the%20conviction,the%20Army%20account%20for%20312">https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/09/us/killer-s-trial-shows-gay-soldier-s-anguish.html#:~:text=But%20nothing%20came%20of%20their,factors%20in%20meting%20out%20sentences.&amp;text=Articles%20yesterday%20about%20the%20conviction,the%20Army%20account%20for%20312</a>.<br><a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000528mag-calpernia.html">https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000528mag-calpernia.html</a></p></div>