California ? A dig for clandestine graves at Charles Manson’s last hideout ended Wednesday, yielding no bodies and leaving scientists puzzled over t.he clues that enticed them to go this far.

The dig had been scheduled to last three days, ending today. But the work went faster than scheduled, with the crew of 20 digging until dusk, then camping out at night beside the ranch house Manson and his followers had used.

“There have been no human remains found,” Inyo County Sheriff Bill Lutze said after the four sites with greatest probability of holding human remains were dug up. “We’re finishing up this site and that’ll be it for the day – nothing.”

Manson and his followers hid out at the ranch following their killing spree in Los Angeles. For years, rumors have swirled about other possible Manson victims, including hitchhikers and runaways who visited the site and were never heard from again.