Hello Friends,
Tonight at about 5:30 P.M. I had just finished cleaning the horse pens. Buster was waiting in front of our cabin to play with his tire that was in his mouth. I threw the tire for him and he took off running to fetch the tire. About 15 feet away from the tire his legs went out from under him and he collapsed on his right side. His tongue was hanging out his mouth into the dirt and he was barley breathing. I was petting him as an cry of anguish came out from deep inside and he died. It was over in less than 60 seconds. Buster died doing what he loved.
What an incredible effect that Buster has had on my life. We have gone all over the world together and it was all because of him and his love of searching. His alerts on Tarawa are still resulting in recoveries.
Tomorrow I will bury Buster on a hill that overlooks the ranch. I will bury him with his blue bone and the blanket that Nancy Ekelund made for him. The blanket and bone have traveled all over the world with Buster.
I wanted to get this Email out to you all while I am still in a state of shock and disbelief and before the grieving process overwhelms me which is starting now.
Feel free to forward to anyone I forgot.
Thanks,
Paul
A NOTE FROM PAUL:
I would like to thank all of you for the kind words. If you go to the History Flight Facebook page you can see a lot about Buster. The first thing you see will be a hanger with rows of flag draped caskets. There are 36 of them and they contain US Marines from the battle of Tarawa in November 1943. One of the missing was missing Medal of Honor winner Lt. Alexander Bonnyman. This recovery was a result of Buster alerting right on top of the trench burial that contained the Marines.
Last Tuesday Buster and I were in Las Vegas with the rest of our History Flight team making presentations at a forensic meeting. Clay Bonnyman, grandson of Lt. Bonnyman had Emailed me that he wanted a picture of him with Buster. This was the last photo ever taken of Buster.
Buster has around 250 documented recoveries to his credit, most of them on Tarawa. In regards to the Barker Ranch, 100% there are bodies buried there. My friend and colleague Dr. Arpad Vass says the same thing. Dr. Vass is the leading authority in the world on the chemistry of Human decomposition. He makes a very definitive statement about the bodies buried at the Barker Ranch in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Qd2nxMC2Y
The Mass Spectrometer chemistry from the graves at the Barker Ranch is the same as the graves on Tarawa where human remains were recovered.
Some of you know about my friend and colleague Tom O'Neill. Tom is one of the best investigators that I have ever met in my life. What he has discovered is astounding and I am honored that he has shared so much with me from his incredible investigation. Someday it will all come out. No, I don't know when. I can tell you it will blow you away.
There is a Vet in Bishop that Buster has seen many times in his life. The Vet told me that he remembers sitting around the dining room table with his parents and Frank Fowles when he was younger. He told me that Frank knew that there were bodies buried at the Barker Ranch and he was very frustrated that he could not find them. I knew Frank when he was a defense attorney in Bishop when I was on a multiagency task force. Frank was hard working, honest advocate for his clients and taught me a few lessons the hard way when I was on the stand. I wish he had not passed away prior to my interest in the Manson Family in Inyo County.
Buster's first search ever was on February 24th, 2007 at the Barker Ranch. What he found was history making, only the history has not happened yet. In the spring of 2014 I brought a friend of mine to the Barker Ranch. My friend had recently retired from a large law enforcement agency and had a cadaver dog. Without saying anything more than to search some general areas, the dog alerted at the exact same locations that Buster did 7 years before.
What I do know is that two boys are buried near the ranch house just on the other side of the fence to the south. There is a girl buried half way between the Barker and Myers Ranch. The other sites I don't know. I believe that the two boys is what Robert Hendrickson smelled in the spring of 1970 when he was sitting on the front porch of the Barker Ranch House. For the record, not everyone from the family is in jail for the murders that took place at the Barker Ranch. Some are still free.
Some of you may recall a statement attributed to Susan Atkins, “There are two boys and a girl buried eight feet deep behind the Barker Ranch”.
I did ask Manson to help me and Buster out and tell about the bodies buried at the Barker Ranch. I will send an audio file to Matt as to what he said when he called me at home with his answer. I will send it out in a few weeks.
My wife Jeri and I have a deep hole in our hearts from not having Buster in our lives any longer. We will be getting a lab puppy soon and if he can do half of what Buster has done I would be very happy.
Someday, somehow, Buster will be proven right at the Barker Ranch. I don’t know how yet. I am honored to have been his friend and driver. Paul
85 comments:
So very sorry Paul. It hurts as much as losing our human loved ones, if not more. Buster was special. You were very lucky to have had him.
Paul, Matt is right! You were lucky to have him. But it certainly is a horrible loss when our pets pass away. Pet lovers understand, and we think of our pets as part of (no pun intended) the family.
Paul, we are all here for you!
Great group of people here, you included.
RIP Buster
Feel better Paul. RIP Buster. Very sad news.
LIFE is extremely bizarre. If I remember right, this MANSON case helped Buster gain notoriety to the extent Paul and Buster received an invitation to try and find missing WWII soldiers on TARAWA.
I cannot even imagine a higher calling for ANY man and his dog than that which THEY answered.
As they say: "No greater love, than to lay down your life for another." AND Buster, you will be loved FOREVER.
So very sorry for your loss Buster was special
That's so very sad. Buster was special, not only to his family but many families that he helped. My condolences, Paul.
Thoughts & prayers to you Paul & Buster.
So sorry to hear about your loss. Buster sounded like a great dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Wpn3dFrEs
If that song doesn't make you cry, you're not human.
RIP, Buster.
RIP Buster! I'm sorry for your loss Paul.
RIP Buster. Buster died with his paws on.
So sorry Paul. Buster helped so many.
Everytime I think of Buster's STORY, I get really confused.
Here was a special (one-of-of-kind) dog that could dissect and identify orders and alert to the chemicals released from a dead body years later. BUT ALL the folks (Bugliosi, Inyo County Sheriff, etc.) that should have been interested in discovering ANY bodies and especially ANY with a connection to the Manson Family, talked DOWN the chance to find closure for loved ones.
AND I have been thinking a lot about the F.B.I. wanting to get into the head of Apple for it's secret on how to break-in to an I-phone.
Doesn't the F.B.I. have ANYONE capable of hacking an electronic device?
Yesterday, Buster gave ME the answer to the controversy.
The F.B.I. does NOT care about obtaining the information that may be on the "terrorist" I-phone, BUT it does want the NAMES of the employees at Apple that CAN write a program to hack into I-phones.
It's a shame that we have to sneak to get to the TRUTH. That the truth is such a dirty old nasty THINK.
Robert,
You may be on to some things in that last comment. Sneakyville is all around us.
Robert says "Doesn't the F.B.I. have ANYONE capable of hacking an electronic device?"
In order to carry out any modification of Apple's IoS you need access to the source code, which is not publicly available. That apart, Apple deliberately designed the iPhone security features so that even they can not access the phone - after ten attempts it will self destruct (well, delete the contents). They had their reasons for that, which they have been airing very publicly of late.
For Apple to open that phone they would need to create new system software and reinstall it over the old - which apparently can be done if you a) have the source code and b) understand the software architecture of IoS. It's not easy, and if the FBI could do it, they would. It seems that Apple can, but they won't. Their reasons are sound and I for one respect them.
The only other way it may be possible is to 'deduce' the 4 digit log in from social clues derived from studying the owner's life - this is what McAffee is proposing. But remember, 10 attempts and it's all over, and maybe a few have been made already.
As for Robert's claim that "The F.B.I. does NOT care about obtaining the information that may be on the "terrorist" I-phone", I simply cannot subscribe to this. But then I do not consider conspiracy theories unless there is very compelling evidence.
I lurk here quite often, don't believe I've ever commented, but just want to express my condolences on the loss of Buster. Very sorry to hear this news.
Frank, I "think" what Robert was trying to say was that the FBI has a broader agenda in mind than actually obtaining possible links to other terrorists in that one iPhone. I mean, they KNOW who did it, I think we all are fairly secure guessing that they were lone wolves. BUT, if the FBI got it's way in this instance, what would stop them from taking it to the next level?
Personally, I'd just be offering stupid amounts of money to Apple software engineers to turn coat. Faster, and possibly even cheaper.
FRANK: you are a welcome voice of sound reason and I especially appreciate YOUR comments here.
BUT, I purposely incorporated this specific "comment" because it relates to "Buster" (a dog) who apparently has a talent that most all humans don't have. Long ago I learned that there are some humans who have special talents and the F.B.I. and especially the C.I.A. want THEM for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, or otherwise, the NEW technology companies started grabing-up these special persons and offered THEM much greater employment packages than the government could.
THUS leaving the "government" with the scraps, where back in the day THEY got the real GOODs.
AND of course, TODAY the government cannot, by LAW, pay a special talent NORE than a lessor talent.
Steve Jobs was certainly a gifted talent AND I believe the government wants some of that - without paying a fair price for such. Remember, it is usually all about the $$$$$ and NEVER does the government lay all it's cards on the table.
One might ask him or herself, are we better off with Apples or the "government."
Paul thanks for the further comments about Barker Ranch buried bodies. Thank you and Buster for your work there and everywhere. I hope the facts come out not too far in the future.
Thanks for your first comment, colcooling. Hope to see more of you.
Interesting video...
My deepest sympathies for everyone who knew and loved Buster. Safe passage, sweet dog.
Has this site been hacked? What kind of comments are these? This stupid Dog did not find any remains at Barker because they aren't any. Just like the stupid dog didn't find any remains at the Franklin House because Hodel is not the Dahlia killer.
It's a fucking dog and it never discovered shit. Jesus Matt!
Col have you never loved a pet? Come on now
Wrong on so many levels. Maybe now people will stop giving D.M. miss placed respect just because he can shout people down better than most.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWT2qHVftGk
Patty loves hers...chihuahuas named Zeke and Zelda
Colonel I agree Hodel is not the Black Dahlia killer, that guy's now has his father being the Zodiac Killer, ridiculous, but why do you so emphatically believe there are not bodies at Barker Ranch?
I Agree with Colonel about the validity of Buster's work, but he was still a cute doggie.
Bobby
I deserve no respect. Just because I am smart and clever and well hung does not make me better than you, Brave Internet Warrior. However I am not wrong. It was just a fucking dog it did not have magical senses of smell.
Patty I have loved pets. I can love a pet without making it more than it is. No super powers for my dog.
Also note the guy cited Tom O"Neill, the great researcher whose Blow the lid off the case book is now 17 years overdue. The guy who said Charlie taught kung fu classes.
Great.
Patty I am sure your dogs are great.
Beauders- because the Family LOVED to fucking talk. If there were we would know by now.
Fiddy- he was all right.
Sometimes I worry that the bloggers here want Buster to be right, not so much as to ease the suffering of unknown loved ones, but to have been on the blog that helped Buster smell out the extra bodies - a story that would surely result in world headline news.
And would have no effect on anybody's parole, because we all know there won't be any more paroles.
AND on the 8th day GOD woke-up and realized that HE forgot to provide MAN with a true and loyal "friend" - so HE created another GOD, but decided to reverse the letters to: like in DOG, so as NOT to confuse lite-headed minds.
Fiddy 8 said...
Sometimes I worry that the bloggers here want Buster to be right, not so much as to ease the suffering of unknown loved ones, but to have been on the blog that helped Buster smell out the extra bodies - a story that would surely result in world headline news.
8, that is completely inaccurate. Since the inception of this forum many points of view have been presented. More often than not, the conflict with one another. The Gary Hinman motive being a prime example. You can see obvious differences of opinion even between the contributors.
If you read back through the Buster posts you will see that we witnessed him alert to grave sites OFF of Barker Ranch. The dog also alerted to sites in places like Tarawa and WWII sites in Europe. Remains were found and deserved praise was given. It seems to be a completely different attitude when it comes to possible murder victims.
The dig at Barker was cut short well before anyone could be expected to find things like bone fragments. All we have asked is why.
Thanks ..thats the second time in a week i have shot coffee out my nose laughing...ah feel the burn!
FIDDY: I'm sure THAT and many other various reasons also explain the controversy over the Barker Ranch issue, but as a whole I think WE as human beings - living in such a cruel and inhumane world - would enjoy ANY kind of GOOD coming from something so BAD. IE: to discover bodies of MIA men who gave THEIR lives in WWII so WE could be FREE has got to melt even the cruelest of hearts.
AND for ME, until just the other night when the Motion Picture Academy folks made a TRUE story of the Priesto Molestos the BEST Motion Picture of 2015, I had thought there was NO real hope for mankind. That WE would be "brainwashed" by the real CON artists of the world - FOREVER.
SO for ME, with MY plate already being so FULL until the day I die, I now feel obligated to make room for a whole lot of TRUTH - and that's a good thing.
BTW: Merrick and Bugliosi were both pathological liars and Merrick wasn't even a LAWYER.
ColScott said...
Patty I have loved pets. I can love a pet without making it more than it is. No super powers for my dog.
When Yana shits on your shoe, you too will believe.
Matt, this forum has always done an excellent job with comparative analysis of the different points of view addressing motive. The controversies of the Hinman motive, the Lotsapoppa motive, and especially the TLB motive. (I guess everyone agrees on the Shea motive.)
All these motive issues involve the vast complexity of human motivation and emotion. On the other hand, debating extra bodies requires an empirical view - either there are, or there ain't.
YES FIDDY, so the ONLY issue remaining is: WHO decides for YOU whether or NOT you get to "know" the TRUTH as to whether there are "extra" bodies buried on the "government's" FEDERAL land, commonly known as the Barker Ranch.
Of course, IF it is the "government" WHO decides for YOU, what is the actual purpose of YOUR existence on this earth. WE got plenty of "bodies" already - dead, alive and in-between. ?
Fiddy 8 said...
...debating extra bodies requires an empirical view - either there are, or there ain't.
Precisely. That's why it boggles my mind that the dig was cut short. If there's the tiniest chance that a missing soul can be sent home, you have to look. If there aren't any, nothing lost. The state doesn't have to pay for anything, save a ranger to sit and watch.
I dunno Matt, Nelson and White Rabbit had their dig, Buster had his dig, you guys gave it your best shot.
The argument that there was several feet of alluvial build up never made sense to me. Why were none of the buildings buried up with several feet of alluvial deposit?
I'm not a fan of the alluvial deposit argument either, but ground shifts and remains can move. What if they were 18 inches off?
Dogs of ALL breeds have amazing noses and can sniff out most anything a man can try to hide. Without training, they will just smell the nasty stuff and move on (or roll around in the smell to impress others of their species). Buster WAS a special dog because he was trained to locate the deceased and alert his master. So, yeah, this was something more than "just a stupid dog".
No doubt every dog is gifted at smell, they smell their world as we understand our world with language - it's what they do. An evolved doggie specialty along with having evolved a desire to please their human. But, I don't think anecdotal stories of Buster finding bodies on a WW2 battlefield should be taken as an unfallable skill when it comes to the reliability of the Death Valley adventures.
And the whole fame game aspect makes be doubly concerned.
Robert H: I have never seen your movie and have no desire to purchase it, I'm impressed you got an Oscar nomination, but I never have any idea what the fuck you are talking about.
Fiddy,
Some of the things we say are in reference to things in Roberts movies e.g. my Sneakyville comment on this thread. The price was high but to me, well worth it. Some of the scenes of the girls are nice to look at too. :-)
orwhut, I fully embrace my position as a 2nd tier MFB commenter.
That is: lots of things go over my head here, along with everything Robert posts. But, I do get that something about LBJ seems very importantto Robert.
Fiddy,
I lost one school mate to the Vietnam War and had several friends come back wounded mentally, physically, or both. Some have never fully recovered. Apparenty Robert lost some very good friends and took it to heart.
I always thought LBJ did more for the civil rights movement than any other president. If I understand Robert correctly he might have done that so black Americans would gladly fight in the war. It didn't work out too well in that respect.
Maybe Robert will correct me if I'm wrong.
The Michigan loader would have come in handy if there was ever a need for burying bodies. Too bad those knuckleheads chose to burn it instead.
I think a lot of this searching for more victims stuff comes from Bugliosi's dubious claims about the family being responsible for somewhere in the vicinity of 35,000* or so additional murders.
* = I'm not sure of the last revised estimate that Bugliosi gave before he died, but 35,000 is probably fairly close to it.
a well-trained cadaver dog will alert to cadaverine and other chemicals in any place where a corpse has been for a certain amount of time. It wouldn't surprise me if there were no bodies found in the areas where Buster alerted. If a body had been even temporarily buried in those locations Buster would still have alerted, even if the bodies were moved decades ago. See for instance the Madeleine McCann case, where two dogs (one a cadaver dog and the other a blood dog) both alerted in the room from which she was supposedly abducted - both of them alerted behind the sofa (where minute traces of blood were found on the wall) and the cadaver dog alerted to the presence of a dead human in the wardrobe, on her soft toy, on her mother's clothing, and in the boot/trunk of their rental car. Obviously no body was there, but the dog said it had been. These dogs have been proved right almost every time - they have a near 100% record. There may be no bodies out at the ranch but if Buster says there have been then I'd be inclined to believe it.
There's a theory that he may have been alerting on a native burial ground. Paul demonstrated that he could sense very old burials.
A Michael sighting...
You never saw me. I'm not here!
Hi Michael, where have you and Equinox been?
In the video he states the chemicals associated with the bodies will travel to many different places in the ground.
Patty, since dogs are used on some archaeological excavations to locate remains of humans and animals, I would say that they are quite capable of alerting on very old burials. Dogs can also be used to locate areas where a body has laid for as little as ten minutes.
YES ORWHUT: In 1964 LBJ signed the Civil Right Bill and in 1965 HE ignited the Vietnam WAR.
Except, while Kennedy was still ALIVE HE said: IF we don't give them (blacks) those rights, how are we going to get them to fight in Vietnam.
YES FIDDY: I THINK differently than most folks. Like IF Kennedy and LBJ wanted to fight down the Communists (as they said) WHY not just send the Marines to CUBA, instead of thousands of miles away to Vietnam ? AND in little old Cuba - we might have been able to WIN.
BUT here is a more relevant question for folks of today: IF you had your home foreclosed on in the last financial melt-down, WHO actually "kicked" you out of your home? IF you say "the bank" guess what, it was actually Obama WHO facilitated the "process." "Fannie Mae" held the legal lien on YOUR house and when Obama bailed-out Fannie Mae, we the people became the legal lien holders of ALL those American Homes. So, just like Kennedy and LBJ FUCKED the young minority boys with their CR and Vietnam, the new and improved BLACK Messiah Helter Skeltered a lot of lower tier Americans in one Hell of an intellectual RACE war - almost as nasty as the one CM predicted.
Robert Hendrickson said...
In 1964 LBJ signed the Civil Right Bill and in 1965 HE ignited the Vietnam WAR. Except, while Kennedy was still ALIVE HE said: IF we don't give them (blacks) those rights, how are we going to get them to fight in Vietnam.
Yes, and after that I remember that a lot of activists voted for Nixon on the theory that getting him elected would make things bad enough that The Revolution would finally happen. That didn't work out so well.
Shame on YOU Matt: Using the "N" word !
The new N word is the T word Robert
So anyway it has been a few days are we done mourning Krypto the super fucking pooch yet?
I feel bad whenever I hear about a pet die. But own my senses are sniffin' out a lot of bullshit. Am I missing something? I thought the search turned out to be a bust, but now here is this guy saying it's 100% fact there are bodies and even knows details of who was involved in their death? I think Dostie might be just another guy trying to make a name for himself. What they are saying seems to be based on Susan's early jail house shit talk. Although at a much later parole hearing, she did hint that Tex and two others might have killed two bikers she brought up there. If you can believe anything she said.
But But Tom O'Neill is gonna blow the lid off this case!
The author said:
------------------
"For the record, not everyone from the family is in jail for the murders that took place at the Barker Ranch. Some are still free."
------------------------
How could a case like this possibly be prosecuted? Unless one the boys or girl had time to engrave a metal plate and stash it in their pocket that said "I was murdered by (insert family member name here) on (insert date and year here).
Buster's tail is wagging the dog.
Do we get to help name the new puppy?
I nominate "Snuffles".
According to this guy, Charlie himself told him that they buried bodies 8 feet deep. That right there pretty much seals it: there ARE NO bodies up at Baker. For him to readily provide that information to some dopey cop means that it's total bunk and he just enjoys seeing them waste their time and dig 8 feet deep holes in the hot sun out in Death Valley.
He also said elsewhere one or two or them were killed with swords and for him to make the claim some are "stil free" means he has inside information on them.
Yet, why aren't they doing the digs? Because whatever info this guy actually has, isn't good enough for those who make that call.
This guy strike me as another Maury Terry, Howard Davis, etc. I can go down the long list of them. They had an idea, envisioned themselves as legends, heros, master detectives who uncovered something big and when they realized it was all in vain, they didn't want to give it up and just twisted and bullshitted even themselves.
Unfortunately, the "Buster" story here does NOT include what actually happened out at the Barker Ranch "DIG." They picked 120 degree HEAT days to attempt the project and the "sheriff" in charge, an overweight hickabilly from a "speed trap" in Inyo County where the Manson Family originally was taken after the Barker Ranch RAID, forgot to bring HIS stratolounger and padded underware. So HE called OFF the "dig" early.
AND if they had discovered ANY bodies, the little hick-town would have gone bank-rupt trying to pay for the cost of "trials." They would have had to actually hire an attorney and install toilets in the old courthouse.
MFA, not everything is about the Manson Family. My point is that if there are indeed any remains up there they should be recovered.
There are families missing loved ones who have helped to form DNA databases so that if remains are found ANYWHERE that there is the possibility of identification.
Buster found remains of WWII servicemen in both Europe and the Pacific. If he said there are remains at Barker I think it's wort a real dig, not the abbreviated one that was held a few years ago. If remains are found I doubt very seriously that charges would ever be filed. BUT, there just might be a family or two out there that can stop wondering what became of their loved one. If they turn out to be Indian remains, then call in the ancestral tribes and have them make the call as to what to do with them.
Matt, Wouldn't the Native Americans simply ask to have the remains returned to their resting place and insist the National Park declare the area closed to public tourist access?
Your guess is as good as mine but I "think" there's a big difference between a set or two of remains and what's called an ancestral burial ground. Those things take decades of litigation anyway.
The National Park Service does not litigate "those things" - if the NPS wants to close visitation for a particular site for any reason the deem worthy, they just declare it so.
Usually closures involves some sort of environmental degradation or animal ecology / endangered species concern, sometimes it is just a temporary matter of human visitor safety. There are some permanent NPS visitation closures for certain sacred Hopi/Navajo sites in Arizona - there was no litigation.
The litigation comes along when others not in the NPS (especially congressmen or senators) object to the NPS action.
Of course the NPS has an internal procedure for deciding any modification of visitor access, sometimes they even ask for public input and have a formal public comment period before making their decisions.
Matt, maybe you were saying it would be difficult for whatever Native American tribe involved with this to force the NPS to do anything - that is certainly the case. The Arizona example I mentioned was not a burial site, and in fact the tribes dispute the NPS claim of control for the areas in question - so that example has political ramifications...same as the Barker's issue.
If you are thinking it must be very difficult to enforce such a closure in a remote wilderness - you would be correct. Almost as difficult as enforcing an illegal commercial tour without an NPS special use permit.
NPS rules for filming national TV show featuring a dig with a cute doggie are much easier to enforce.
If I am to be the last commenter on this thread (St C's movie pushed this right off the page), I'd just like to repost MFA's comment, so my NPS bullshit doesn't clog up the vital point of view:
--------------------------------------------
According to this guy, Charlie himself told him that they buried bodies 8 feet deep. That right there pretty much seals it: there ARE NO bodies up at Baker. For him to readily provide that information to some dopey cop means that it's total bunk and he just enjoys seeing them waste their time and dig 8 feet deep holes in the hot sun out in Death Valley.
He also said elsewhere one or two or them were killed with swords and for him to make the claim some are "stil free" means he has inside information on them.
Yet, why aren't they doing the digs? Because whatever info this guy actually has, isn't good enough for those who make that call.
This guy strike me as another Maury Terry, Howard Davis, etc. I can go down the long list of them. They had an idea, envisioned themselves as legends, heros, master detectives who uncovered something big and when they realized it was all in vain, they didn't want to give it up and just twisted and bullshitted even themselves.
^Manson Family Archives said
Just one more post: I'm sure Buster was a good dog who lived his life to please his master.
As someone related to Col. Scott I take tremendous disrespect with you using his name as a screen name. I can prove my lineages and if you can't you need to change your screen name.
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