More Charles Manson-related bodies?
Forensic investigators traveled to one of the Manson Family hide-outs in Death Valley National Park to explore old rumors of other victims that may have been buried there in the late 1960s. According to the new research described in an Associated Press article, there "are two likely clandestine grave sites at Barker Ranch, and one additional site that merits further investigation." From the AP:
For years, rumors have swirled about other possible Manson family victims -- hitchhikers who visited them at the ranch and were not seen again, runaways who drifted into the camp then fell out of favor.Link
The same jailhouse confessions that helped investigators initially connect the band of misfits living in the Panamint Mountains to the gruesome killings that terrorized Los Angeles hinted at other deaths. Manson follower Susan Atkins boasted to her cell mate on November 1, 1969, that there were "three people out in the desert that they done in." Other stories surfaced. In the absence of bodies, they were forgotten...
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Arpad) Vass said that, considering the quantity and the types of markers of human decomposition found, the cadaver dog's response, and the probing exercise, he found enough evidence to warrant further testing at a deeper level and a full scale excavation at Barker Ranch, according to the report he issued to law enforcement.
"I'd recommend a dig, excavate the sites," said (police detective Paul) Dostie, who reviewed the report.
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But I thought Manson /wanted/ the bodies to be found as part of some greater ruse? If more bodies were found it would change perceptions of the cult.
only if the bodies were wealthy white affluent peeps. then he could try to blame it on the blacks and bring about 'helter skelter'. then, since he felt the blacks were unable to govern themselves, he would come down out of the mountains and save the day. in actuality, the tate murders were aimed at dennis love of the beach boys. he had listened to manson's music and brought in a producer to meet him. the producer totally passed on the struggling young singer/songwriter. for revenge he brought his minions to the house where he was 'humiliated', only to find later that it had been sold to roman polanski. the rest is, as they say, history.
"Totally" lol
Mintphresh's rumor is just that- one of many rumors swirling around this case with no basis in fact.
Uber producer Terry Melcher once lived in the house, but no one ever remembers Manson showing up before. Dennis WILSON (there is no Dennis Love) knew Manson, but so did many others in LA and San Francisco- although Dennis used one of the songs. There has been massive research into the Manson/Melcher/Beach Boys connection but it's pretty much a dead end. Because they hung around Hollywood they knew actors and musicians because they lived near where they hung out. They also knew bikers who were massive drug dealers and ran into real hippies as well because all those groups lived around Los Angeles. That doesn't mean there was a conspiracy, it would be like living in San Fran in 1999 and knowing people in the dotcom world.
Please note that Tiger Beat super star Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders also lived at that house prior to Polanski and there's really no connection between him and Manson at all.
Another well-known rumor is that some of the people who were at Cielo Drive were involved with drug dealing (reportedly a very early ecstasy ring) and since Manson was too (via his associates in the Straight Satans motorcycle club), there must have been a drug deal gone wrong. Again, it was 1969 and many people were involved in drugs, there is no identified connection between the Straight Satans, Manson and drug dealing at Cielo drive.
Charles Manson was an abused child who grew up in the Boys Town orphanage, was in jail most of his young adult life, got out and ran a call girl operation as a pimp in Los Angeles around 1963-ish. He gets out of jail in 1967-ish (long past the Monkees had try-outs- one rumor claims he was there for that, but he was in jail) and when he tries to go back to work as a pimp he finds out that he can have a new pack of prostitutes, but the culture has changed so he ends up pimping them out for drugs and the like.
The main book on Manson was written by the district attorney who prosecuted him- not a journalist. Therefore Helter Skelter is really untrustworthy. The "next best" book on Manson was written entirely on rumor and was successfully sued (Ed Sanders book). There have been no thorough, scholarly works written on this case, but I will bet people dollars to donuts that if they really got into it, these people were nothing but pimps and prostitutes who got way too into LSD, speed and hallucinogens and spiraled into madness. and that's it.
The families of his victims deserve to know what happened, but the American public deserves to know that there might not have been a hippy boogeyman after all- and just a garden variety murderer, pimp, and drug addict.
You can go to the following link to hear Charles Manson's music in discussion here, it's actually pretty great. If you're a fan of the Beach Boys/Devendra Banhart/T.Rex, you'd prob like it just unique interesting songs... kind of hard to separate the idea of Charles Manson from his music:
http://naturalismo.wordpress.com/2007/04/13/the-original-freak-folk/
On one hand I can see giving closure to the families of people missing, but is it worth it to put Manson on trial again giving him more publicity? Should we really make this guy's life more interesting?
And if the families of these alleged missing people have no inkling that their loved ones got tangled up with the Manson Family, does it help the families or create a whole new situation for them to wrap their heads around? I guess no one could really say conclusively except for the victim's families, but it's something to think about.
Personally I think Charles Manson should be left in his cell to rot. Unless this keeps him from getting out on parole (which he'll never get anyway) everything the law could do has already been done.
I very much doubt there are any plans to prosecute Manson for any remains that are found. I think this is more about being able to give a definitive answer to the victims' families.