Charles Manson Funeral Update: GoFundMe Pulls Campaign To Get Cult Leader's Remains

A fundraising page set up to cover the legal, travel and funeral fees associated with Charles Manson's remains in California was shut down by GoFundMe on Thursday.

The cult leader's grandson Jason Freeman said that he wanted a proper burial for his grandfather, who died of natural causes on Nov. 19 at a hospital in Kern County.

The GoFundMe page was set up by a user named John Jones, reportedly Freeman's friend, to fund the funeral costs of his “dear friend & loved one” so that he is “laid to rest with the honor, respect & dignity he deserves,” according to screenshots of the page posted on TMZ. The campaign raised almost $1,000 of its stated $15,000 goal before it was pulled.

"If we can't raise money with GoFundMe, we'll find another way. It will definitely be a group effort. It's not just one person, it's a lot of people holding hands," Freeman told the New York Daily News. The 41-year-old said that he was on a Thanksgiving walk in some Ohio woods when he learned the crowd-sourcing page set up by his friend had been deactivated.

When asked if he knew of the reason why GoFundMe shut the campaign, Freeman said he had no clue. "This is a circus. I'm letting a couple of my friends assist and help out. I'm trying to stay out of it," he said, adding the costs associated with flying to California to assert his next-of-kin status and claim Manson's remains from the Kern County coroner are very high.

"It's going to be a lot. There's a lot of people who want to contribute, and then there's a lot of people who want to protest," Freeman told the Daily News.

According to screenshots of the campaign page, Jones said that Manson’s grandson recently lost his job.

“We will not sit back & let them throw Mr. Manson away like trash,” he continued. “His whole life he lived with the pain of feeling unclaimed. We must not let this happen in death. Together we can help Jason bring his grandfather home & prove to the world Charles WAS LOVED & WILL BE CLAIMED!”

Despite the fundraising campaign being shut, Freeman still hopes to make it to California before the 10-day window for claiming Manson's remains closes. If no one claims Manson's body within 10 days of his death, his remains will be cremated, and any expenses incurred in the cremation will be taken from the infamous murderer's assets.

"It's a family obligation. It's just what you do in life. I don't know what's going to come," Freeman told Daily News, adding that he wants to have his grandfather cremated in California and then bring the ashes back to his home in Florida.

Manson, the infamous cult leader who spent his life in prison since being sentenced in 1971 for seven murders, including that of actress Sharon Tate, died at the age of 83. While Manson himself did not commit any of the murders, they were done at his behest by his followers.

Manson was denied parole 12 times during his time in prison and remained behind bars at Corcoran State Prison in California until the time of his death.