Sophia Maddox Reveals Charles Manson Link in Hulu Documentary After 2022 DNA Discovery
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Sophia Maddox Reveals Charles Manson Link in Hulu Documentary After 2022 DNA Discovery
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Summary
Sophia Maddox said a 2022 call from her father upended her life when he revealed DNA research suggested Charles Manson was his biological father — making the convicted killer her grandfather.
A 2015 Ancestry submission by Daniel Arguelles eventually matched him with Michael Brunner, another of Manson’s sons, and DNA testing confirmed the two were half-brothers.
Maddox’s Hulu film, “My Grandfather Charles Manson,” follows her effort to understand that lineage through records and interviews with people tied to Manson, while stressing the project does not excuse the 1969 murders.
The search also strained her relationship with Arguelles, who had supported the film but later pulled back; he said he remains proud of her despite a dispute over the documentary’s narrative.
Maddox said the film aims to show Manson’s legacy does not define her family and to examine how childhood abuse and institutionalization may shape future violence without absolving the crimes.