These days, Charles Manson’s life is almost one of ridicule, seeing how he’s locked away and cannot harm anyone. Occasionally, a celebrity like Lindsay Lohan, will evoke his legacy in the worst way. We also hear stories about him romancing a 20-something lady, who’s probably using him for fame. Beyond Manson’s enduring presence in popular culture, he’s still the same batsh*t crazy, psychopathic killer as always. And if Los Angeles’ police are correct, one of his victims may have been identified 47 years after her death.
This was always a possibility. Manson has long boasted about undiscovered victims who fell prey to his “family,” and detectives previously dug up his old ranch for possible grave sites. The body of a young woman was discovered in 1969 near Mulholland Drive, about six miles away from where Sharon Tate was murdered. Thanks to new clues, police think the woman may be a Manson victim. Known as Jane Doe #59, the victim had been stabbed 150 times. She has finally been identified as Reet Jurvetson.
Body found in Los Angeles in 1969 ID'd as Reet Jurvetson; interview with Charles Manson produced no info – LAPD pic.twitter.com/wC22tiXz3r
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 27, 2016
Jurvetson was 19 years old when she died, probably due to a “rage” killing from the sheer number of wounds on her body:
The timing and the MO of the murder – just three months earlier actress Sharon Tate and several others had been viciously stabbed to death by the Manson Family a few miles away – fueled speculation that the victim could be connected to Charles Manson and his followers. A caretaker at Spahn Ranch, the notorious Manson Family hangout, told police that the young woman looked like a hippie named Sherry from Simi Valley who spent time at the ranch.
In October, Rivera and his partner, detective Veronica Conrado, interviewed Charles Manson at Corcoran State Prison to see whether he recognized the dead woman. “No new leads were learned,” he says. But, he adds, “We can’t rule out that the Manson Family was involved.”
People notes that one of Jurvetson’s old friends dug through crime websites and recognized a photo of the young woman. DNA testing from the crime scene came pretty darn close to Jurvetson’s sister, Anne, who says Reet moved away from their Canadian town to Los Angeles, and they never realized she was missing until it was too late. Since the interview with Manson turned up nothing (not a surprise), police are digging into Anne’s recollection of a fellow named either John (or possibly Jean), who captured Reet’s heart during a visit to Canada and convinced her to move to America.
Searching for someone with such a common name doesn’t sound likely to lead towards success. However, Reet Jurvetson’s body was identified almost five decades later, so anything is possible.
(Via Washington Post, People & Daily Mail)