Charles Manson’s Helter Skelter Revisited
A lot happened in 1969 - we (allegedly, at least) landed on the moon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, boxer Rocky Marciano, Judy Garland, Jack Kerouac, and Boris Karloff all died, the US population hit 200 million, the Saturday Evening Post published for the last time, the Boeing 747 made its first commercial flight, at least 28 people that year hijacked US airplanes to Cuba, Levi started selling bell-bottoms, John Lennon married Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman and later denied rumors of his death, the musical “1776″ opened on Broadway, Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy,US troops in Vietnam peaked at 543,000 and withdrawal began, the Monty Python comedy troupe formed, Gov. Reagan placed Berkeley under martial law, The Who released their rock opera “Tommy,” Warren Burger succeeded chief justice Earl Warren, the Zodiac Killer was on the loose, 400,000 gathered at the first Woodstock, the first internet message was sent, Willie Mays became the first since Babe Ruth to hit 600 home runs, the Brady Bunch and Sesame Street premiered, Abbey Road was released, and various protests and race riots earmarked the year as one of the busiest of the century. If you are old enough to remember it (assuming you didn’t do enough drugs to not remember it), then you might also remember one more event that set the scene: the Manson family and murders.
In 1969, Charles “Charlie” Manson ordered a handful of his followers to murder several people in the name of what he believed would be a social revolution he called “Helter Skelter.” For years, rumors have circulated about the possibility that more than the provable murders were committed - that in Death Valley are more bodies, waiting to be discovered, of hitch-hikers, runaways and family snitches, and yesterday the AP wire released a story printed by the Post Register (as well as CNN.com and various other outlets) revealing that a group of forensic investigators completed test results that bring those rumors much closer to reality.
Last month, armed with cutting edge technology, the investigators traveled to the Death Valley desert refuges Manson and his family used and took a closer look, revealing two likely clandestine graves, and one more site which warrants “further investigation.” Using instruments capable of detecting decaying human bodies based on chemicals in the ground, the team concluded that something is indeed waiting to be found and that the next step is simply good old fashioned digging in areas the investigators found which indicated disturbance.
The question: Is it worth it?
Suppose there are indeed bodies - what good could it do to dig them up? At best, if all of the puzzle pieces are found and placed where they belong, families find out what happened to a long lost member and there might just be a prosecution, dredging up a lot of long-repressed memories. But because so many people who made contact with the Manson Family were runaways and hitch-hikers, positive identifications would be about as difficult as it would be for Britney Spears to come across as a good mother, and new prosecutions are unlikely because the “family’s” members were in constant flux, making it hard to, more than 30 years later, pin down who was where and when - assuming they used their real name. Moreover, most of the members of the “family” who are presently in custody are in prison for life with parole unlikely; it wouldn’t do much good to try any of them for the murders, either.
But then, gruesome though it is, I’m prone to suggesting that a privately-funded investigation and excavation might just be worthwhile anyway, if only for the sake of history.
Thoughts?
Loading ...
I think they should go for it. I don’t think it matters how many decades pass, the families still want closure. Just look at all the remains still being sought from the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Anyone know if this technology can be used here in Idaho? We have a few missing persons that we may be able to find with this technique…
I’m for history and closure, no matter how difficult it might be to figure out who they are now, or exactly what happened to them.
I’d hate to have a loved one missing for all these years and have the police have leads that they choose not to follow up on because they are short staffed or under budgeted or feel it’s not going to get them a collar or conviction, or they won’t be able to identify the remains. (Not worth it, as you wondered.)
Good article. I was in LA/Orange Co during those years and it was pretty scary when all hell broke loose. We ran away to Idaho in 1970 (had vacationed here earlier) to get away from the craziness.
As a mom, I have to think, those bodies are the bodies of someone’s daughter or son; they have a right to know what happened to their loved one.
Okay switching serial killers here: Anyone know about the girl who disappeared from a junior high in Pocatello when Ted Bundy was roaming the NW corridor? I have read many books on the subject; some state affirmatively that she was a victim of Bundy, but he denied it, even at the end when he was confessing to everything to avoid the chair; curious if anyone was around Poky at the time? That was before my time but I just wondered. Such a small town and yet all these odd murders/disappearances in Poky: Jerilyn Underwood, Nori Jones, the girl from the junior high……….
I have to agree that if one of my loved ones was missing, I would want to know what happened to them. But as for closure, is there really such a thing? I have had people tell me that that is why we have funerals — for closure. But I have never experienced closure after a funeral. Time (for me anyway) is the only way that I have ever experienced anything even resembling what I think is closure. When it comes right down to it, I guess I don’t really know what closure is.
3333, I see your point, but I meant closure to the extent that these parents don’t know WHAT happened to their child or loved one; I guess knowing they were dead and presumably, at peace, would be so much better than agonizing over what
“might have” happened to them. But you are right about the “closure” sought at funerals and the like. I think only time brings that kind of acceptance of a death as a fact.
I’m also thinking of Amber Hoopes, and that 9 year old girl from Salmon about ten years ago.
The Ted Bundy book written by Ann Rule discusses in the last few chapters which Pocatello girl he admitted to killing. Lynette Culver, a Alameda student, went missing in May of 1975. By the time these other girls were missing here in Idaho, I believe Bundy was locked up.
I am awaiting to see what happens with the Cindy Bringhurst murder investigation. She was the babysitter who disappeared, body found later. A now retired detective told me his theory on who did it and I hope something comes to light sometime. The police keep tempting the media with how close they are to solving those old murders, but nothing seems to come of it.
I, too, agree the families of those buried on Manson’s old stomping grounds need to have some sort of closure, if indeed they can figure out who any of the remains belong to.
From what I’ve read and heard, part of the problem with solving old cases is - as always - money. Right now there are plenty of tools available to solve murders new and old, but many of them suck resources.
Sure, the families of those whose bodies would be found would probably say the cost is worth it…but would the rest of the taxpayers?
I have to wonder whether the average citizen understands what goes into identifying a body, let alone finding a body, and that all of it costs money. Idaho has quite a few unsolved missing persons cases, but I’m sure many of you saw the PR article about how understaffed (due to lack of money) the state forensics lab is and that the turnaround for information is often outside of 6 months.
The state is going to try to solve the cases that are most likely to be solved and get a conviction - they are the ones in the citizens’ best interests overall.
Finding a body is expensive. Finding names of missing individuals who are possible matches is expensive. Actually identifiying that body with any of the possible matches is also very expensive. And after all of that it’s entirely possible that none of the identified matches are in fact a match.
That’s why I have to wonder at the “worth” of excavating the Manson ranch, in particular if it dips into California’s taxpayer dollars since the bodies are very likely not from California. The bodies of hitchhikers could be from New Jersey, Texas, any other state *or* any other country…taxpayers are not likely to want to endorse spending their money on that endeavor. An unfortunate part of being seperated into states.
I’m pretty convinced that every dead body deserves to be found, and that every family deserves to know what happened, if they care (and many of them do).
Our taxes are paid with this in mind, that we all deserve the time of the forensics lab, even those of us who might be unknowns. To assume that because the deceased are transients or homeless, they are therefore not important, diminishes us all.
Solvable cases are more sexy and get you votes, I guess. Importance of the victim, or publicity value, does not solve crimes. JonBenet Ramsay and Natalee Holloway are real reminders.
That being said, I understand there would be priorities, that current solvable cases would take precedence over ‘cold’ cases. And, the poor labs that are so short staffed and overworked, that in itself seems to be a crime to me.
What about thinking outside the box on this one? You find old bodies that aren’t on anyone’s immediate list, why couldn’t a lot of forensic evidence be turned over to schools that are training new staff in this area to use for on-the-job learning? Of course they’d need to retain some of the dna/proof for legal purposes, assuming the students managed to come up with leads. Or at least have protocols that allow the leads they come up with to be legally valid.
I know they have the decomposition cadaver fields for forensics training, but seems they could use the experience on real situations, too.
Whatever happend in that Natilie Holloway case? Last I heard they had that guy on tape confessing the whole thing to some PI who befriended him. Has the case gone back to court yet?
No, the judge refused to allow authorities to hold him. Joran (the suspect) said he was just telling the friend what he wanted to hear and was lying. Joran’s lawyer also said he was under the influence of marijuana at the time as well and his statements could not be trusted. So, it was a wash for the prosecution.