As the state of California plans for the cremation of infamous cult leader, Charles Manson, his two known biological sons apparently have yet to step up and claim him.
Newsweek reports that Manson, 83, had three known sons. His oldest son, Charles Manson Jr., was born in 1956, after Manson married Rosalie Willis, in 1955. When Rosalie was three months pregnant, Manson was arrested for probation violation and a vehicle theft charge. His first son was born while his father was in prison–a trend that would continue for Manson. Rosalie reportedly moved in with another man while Manson was still serving time.
Manson Jr.’s lineage apparently bothered him greatly. Although he eventually changed his name to Jay White after his mother remarried, he still couldn’t shake the fact that he was the son of a notorious cult leader, according to his son, Jason Freeman. White shot and killed himself on June 29, 1993, on a remote area of a highway in Burlington, Colorado.
“He just couldn’t let it go,” Freeman told told CNN in 2012. “He couldn’t live it down. He couldn’t live down who his father was.”
In 1960, Manson found himself behind bars again for violating the Mann Act. Charles Luther has never publicly acknowledged Manson as his father, and his whereabouts are unknown. In fact, since Charles Luther managed to remain elusive and hidden so successfully, some people questioned whether he actually exists.
In 1967, during Manson’s days as a cult leader on Spahn Ranch, he fathered another son, Valentine “Michael,” with cult follower, Mary Brunner. Similar to Charlie, Michael never contacted Manson.
In a 1993 KCBS documentary, entitled The Manson Children, Michael Brunner said he didn’t remember anything about his father and wanted nothing to do with him. He was raised by his maternal grandparents and is now a father himself.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Manson’s remains will stay at the Corcoran State Prison for 10 days. He’ll be cremated if no next of kin claims him, and any assets he had will be used to cover the cremation expenses. So far, the only person who has come forward to admit his relation to Manson is Freeman, who said he tried desperately to see his grandfather over the past few years to no avail.
“It was hard because I didn’t get to see my grandfather before he passed, and that’s something I’ve been working really hard at during this last year,” Freeman said, according to the New York Post.
It’s still unclear if Freeman plans to claim his grandfather prior to cremation. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Charles Manson/AP]
