More Charles Manson Family Murders? Authorities Dig at Remote Calif. Site

Criminal Justice

More Charles Manson Family Murders? Authorities Dig at Remote Calif. Site

Posted May 20, 2008, 01:51 pm CST
By Martha Neil

Authorities began digging for possible human remains today at a remote ranch in the California portion of Death Valley National Park. Convicted spree killer Charles Manson and several of his followers were captured there nearly 30 years ago, shortly after the infamous 1969 killings of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others by several members of Manson's communal "family."

"Of particular interest today were two sites where cadaver dogs and analyses of soil samples produced mixed but somewhat encouraging results that could possibly support lingering rumors that bodies may be buried at Barker Ranch," reports the Los Angeles Times. As many as five sites may be excavated within a week, according to Inyo County Sheriff Bill Lutze.

Manson, who was convicted along with four followers, is serving a life prison term for the murders.

"Even if bodies are found, there is no guarantee they would ever be identified, and even if the bodies were identified, prosecuting Manson or any of his followers for murder would be virtually impossible," reports CNN in an earlier article about the then-uncertain plan to dig for human remains there.

However, prosecution is "not what we're interested in," Sgt. Paul Dostie of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department told the news agency after his cadaver dog, Buster, found some possible body sites at the ranch. Having spent decades in prison, he notes, "Many of these Manson family members are on one-year parole reviews, and there's a lot of movement out there to try to get them out."

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