Slain Naturalist’s Relative in Same Jail as Stayner

The half-brother of slain Yosemite naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong is being held at the same jail where his sister’s confessed killer is in custody.

Brady Schwartz, 18, is accused of stealing more than $18,000 from his family to pay off a drug debt.

Schwartz’s bond was raised Friday from $2,000 to $25,000, and he was ordered held at the Fresno County Jail, where Cary Stayner awaits an Aug. 6 arraignment in U.S. District Court on a murder charge in the killing of Armstrong.

Armstrong, who led outdoor education programs for the Yosemite Institute, was slain July 21. Her body was found the next day near her home inside the park.

Stayner has reportedly confessed to Armstrong’s murder and the slayings earlier this year of Carole Sund, her daughter Juliana and family friend Silvina Pelosso.

Schwartz, who has the same mother as Armstrong but lives with his father, was arrested at their home July 18 after his father, a broker, discovered $3,300 in cash and $15,000 in cashier’s checks missing.

Schwartz, who at first denied stealing the money, told the judge that he decided to tell the truth in the wake of his sister’s death, saying his conscience got the best of him.