Hunting for more Manson victims

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Decades after law enforcement raided the ranch where Charles Manson hid after a 1969 killing spree, detectives and scientists returned to hunt for undiscovered graves Tuesday.

A group of about 20 people, including scientists and law enforcement personnel, headed to the secluded ranch within Death Valley National Park early in the morning and started digging. The team includes specialists in detecting disturbed soils and chemical markers that indicate likely grave sites.

“It’s going to be back-breaking manual labor,” said Carma Roper, a spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department.

The expedition to the secluded ranch in the rugged Panamint Mountain range is expected to last through Thursday. Temperatures in the park are forecast to surpass 100 degrees.

For years, rumors have swirled about other possible Manson victims — hitchhikers who visited the ranch and were not seen again, and runaways who drifted into the camp, then fell out of favor.