Hidden identities and a tragic death: What we know about Charles Manson's children.

Content Warning: This post contains references to suicide, and may be triggering to some readers.

On August 8, 1969, Charles Manson ordered members of his cult – Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian – to invade the home of actress Sharon Tate and director Roman Polanski.

In the days that followed, the group known as the Manson Family cult went on a two-day killing spree in Los Angeles, murdering nine innocent victims.

During the attacks, Tate, who was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant at the time, was murdered.

Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, Jay Sebring, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were also killed during the murderous spree.

In October 1969, several members of The Family, including Manson, were arrested.

Despite not being directly involved in the killings, Manson was convicted of first degree murder.

The cult leader and his followers, including Susie Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Tex Watson, were sentenced to death, but this sentence was later reduced to life. In November 2017, Manson died in prison.

Now, 50 years on from the Tate-LaBianca murders, the story of the Manson Family cult continues to resurface.

From the release of Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, to newly-released second season Netflix series Mindhunter, Charles Manson and his heinous crimes are back in the spotlight once again.

But there's one detail the new releases have overlooked – Charles Manson's children.

In a 1981 interview, Manson told American journalist Tom Synder that he had "lots of children".

Although it's unclear exactly how many biological children Manson could have, three of them have been confirmed.

Charles Manson's ex lover, Catherine Share, on life inside his infamous cult. Post continues after video.

Here's what we know about Charles Manson's children:

Charles Manson, Jr. (Jay White)

Charles Manson's first known biological son, Charles Manson Jr., was born to Manson and his first wife Rosalie Willis in 1956.

It's believed Willis was just 16 years old when she married Manson.

After divorcing Manson while he was in jail in 1958, Willis later went on to marry a man named Jack White, leading her son to change his name.

In 1993, Jay White died by suicide.

Speaking to CNN, White's son, Jason Freeman, claimed that his father took his own life because he "couldn't live down who his father was". However, his motive has never confirmed.

It's believed Freeman now lives in Pennsylvania, where he works on oil rigs. He came out publicly as Manson's grandson in 2012.

Charles Luther Manson

Charles Luther Manson is the son of Charles Manson and his second wife, Leona 'Candy' Stevens. It is unknown whether he was born in 1961 or 1963.

Very little is known about Manson's second son today, however the “Manson Blog” shared a post in April 2017, which claimed that Charles Luther Manson had a daughter. However, the claim was not authenticated.

It's believed he has changed his name, and stayed out of the spotlight entirely.

Valentine Manson (Michael Brunner)

Valentine Manson was born to Manson and devoted Manson follower Mary Brunner in 1968.

In 1970, Brunner's parents got guardianship of Valentine, and he changed his name to Michael Brunner.

Although Brunner's location is no longer known, he did speak to KCBS about his father in 1993.

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"People who don't know me have a tendency to not try to get to know me," he said of people who figured out who his father was.

"He's somebody far far away, and he doesn't come up," he added about his father Manson.

"I know he had a real bad upbringing while I had one of the best. I was raised by the greatest people on the face of the earth, he was raised by not the greatest – we’ll just leave it at that."

In the interview, he also shared that Manson had attempted to re-establish connections with him from prison. However, Brunner wanted nothing to do with him.

Unsubstantiated claims

Over the years, many people have come forward and claimed to be Manson's children.

Although none of these claims have been confirmed, according to Manson, he could have many children that he didn't know about.

For more on this topic:

• An assassination attempt and carved foreheads: What happened to the women of the Manson Family.
• From Sharon Tate to Charles Manson: The real faces behind Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
• "He was a damaged human being." Charles Manson's ex-lover on life inside his infamous cult.

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