If you recall, M.E. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. Australia's most notorious unsolved serial killings. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. A post-mortem examination revealed that Barnes had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury, likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. This was about 300 metres from his family home. Neil Muir was last seen in Hindley St, Adelaide in the company of Dr Peter Leslie Millhouse at 3pm on the day he was murdered. Richard and Boris remained at the park for a bit longer, kicking around the soccer ball and chatting, before eventually, Boris decided to make his way home. The Family Murders is the name given to the murders of five young men and boys between 1979 and 1983, with all abducted from the streets of Adelaide before being taken to another location,. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern Adelaide. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. [2] The suspects and their associates were linked mainly by their shared habits of "actively [having] sought out young males for sex," sometimes drugging and raping their victims. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. Richard's family disputed this, vigorously denying the notion that Richard would have run away of his own accord. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. After a bit, Rob decided to walk home, leaving the two boys at the park; assured that it was just down the street from their house and it was still early in the day. Despite there being an overwhelming lack of physical evidence, police decided to pursue charges against Dr. Millhouse anyways, using the rope and trash bags recovered from his home as their primary building block. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. The male and female drove off but returned At about 6pm on a Sunday afternoon, Richard walked his friend to the bus stop on O'Connell St, North Adelaide. For that reason, many of these men and women had to keep their sexuality confined to specific locations. The police came to this conclusion due to the status of his remains, which weren't nearly as decomposed as they should have been; by the time he was discovered at the end of July, he had been dead for no more than a week or two, despite having gone missing at the beginning of June. This group was believed to be involved in the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a number of teenage boys and young men, as well as the torture and murder of five young men aged between 14 and 25, in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1970s and 1980s. Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. This was commonly found in the drug Noctec, which was an over-the-counter pharmaceutical used to aid people with sleep problems, which had been given to Alan sometime before his death. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. The son of popular local Nine Network news presenter Rob Kelvin, he was abducted a short distance from his North Adelaide home on 5 June. But he then set off again, likely headed towards the distant Rundle Mall, where he was due to meet up with his friend, Daniel, that day. Little is known about the unidentified man, but Roger James had his ankle broken when he was plunged into the river that May, and was only able to escape with the help of a friendly onlooker. Father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach snubs Alex Murdaugh's family In October of 1982 - in the very midst of this crime spree - a teenage hitchhiker named George had been picked up by a passing car. (What a lovely country, Australia!) It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). This was done in a different method to what had happened to Neil Muir's remains, but medical examiners were able to identify points in the bones just above the knees and the back where a saw had carved the body into pieces. The name of the group stems from an interview a police detective gave on 60 Minutes,[1] claiming the police were taking action "to break up the happy family". It was at around this time - the end of August - that Investigator Rod Hunter finally got around to interviewing Bevan Spencer von Einem, the man implicated by an anonymous caller in the murder of Alan Barnes. Police thought that these gruesome and violent actions had been part of an effort to easily transport Neil's remains out to sea, and dispose of them in a way that they'd degrade before being identified. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. It is confirmed that 5 of these victims were murdered, usually by having an object forced so far up their anus that it split the lining and they bled out. However, unlike many of the others, it was believed that Richard had been held captive for an extended period of time, enduring torture and sexual abuse for weeks leading up to his death. The Family murders: Bevan Spencer von Einem's shocking jailhouse [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. When Dr. Millhouse's trial eventually commenced in the latter half of 1980 - more than a year after Neil Muir's murder - the prosecution continued to rely heavily upon their circumstantial evidence and witness statements, failing to establish any motive for the crime or provide any definitive evidence. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. In the days after Neil Muir's body was discovered in separate black trash bags, police had received two separate phone calls alerting them to the victim's relationship with a local doctor. Australia's murder capital: Why can't Adelaide bury the myth? He would literally go on to write the book about this terrifying saga, called "Young Bloods," which - if you're interested - is one of the best resources for this case. Things then came full circle when he began using heroin again, and shortly thereafter, followed that up with a dependence on Rohypnol ("roofies", commonly known as the date-rape drug). The Family Murders are a series of violent and depraved sex crimes committed against five young men and boys in South Australia throughout the 1970's and 1980's. In 1988 Detective Trevor Kipling described a group of people whom he suspected as being responsible as "one big happy family" and vowed to do all that he could to bring them to justice. Mark had driven there with his family, as they were attending the party alongside him, but he would leave with a couple of friends afterward to hang out and cruise around the city with the young adults trying to squeeze out every bit of the Adelaide summer that they could. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th, 1983, Richard was kicking around a soccer ball with his father Rob and his friend Boris at a park near his home. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. View description Share. Players - The Family Murders If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. But now, they needed to find a suspect. Enjoy reading. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. Mark Andrew Langley RICHARD KELVIN Richard Kelvin, aged 15 years, was abducted at about 6.15 p.m. on Sunday 5 June 1983 from a laneway off Ward Street, North Adelaide. Some were involved in the abduction of victims who were murdered, some were involved in the rape of murdered victims, and some were involved in murder. Five murders and over 150 rapes. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. Unfortunately, it did not. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. However, Neil's life was far less glamorous; rumors persist to this day that, leading up to August of 1979, Neil was engaging in sex work to support his bad habits and lifestyle. Apart from von Einem, three other core members are thought to be directly involved in the murders; while DNA testing re-commenced in 2008, no further charges have been laid. While Neil Muir had endured a similar fate, his remains were too badly mutilated to test for any drugs; however, the injuries suffered seemed to be identical. [14][15] Skin bearing tattoos had been removed and most of the body parts were placed in another garbage bag before being placed within the abdominal cavity. Meanwhile, the mutilation of Neil Muir's body seemed to be identical to that perpetrated upon Peter Stogneff's remains, whose limbs had been similarly severed with a saw-like device. Rumours of high-society involvement and cover-ups. For a week, his loved ones had been bracing themselves for the worst, but this was a confirmation of everything they had been fearing for the past several days: Alan had been violently murdered, and had spent his final hours in agony. His mother, Judy, would later describe him as being incredibly witty; "cheeky," as she describes in a 2006 documentary, going on to say that Alan was always quick on his feet, and would respond to any type of comment with something sarcastic and bitterly funny. The closest thing to hard evidence that police found in this sweep was what appeared to be traces of blood on the bathroom floor, which had been cleaned multiple times over with a chemical agent; and, as such, could not be tested. The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders) - Spreaker But the rumors that he engaged in sex work were mainly perpetrated by those that knew him from his regular haunts: members of Adelaide's gay community, who regularly saw Neil at the gay-friendly bars they frequented. This reported sighting led police to the notion that a group of people might have been acting in-tandem to abduct Richard, for reasons that appeared nefarious. The convicted killer and notorious head of "The Family" ring who picked up hitchhikers and schoolboys to drug and offer to South Australia's elite to sexually abuse has broken his 20-year silence, to blame his victim, and to claim innocence over other murders. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five murders speculated to have been committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as "The Family". While the men in the river struggled to make it back to the shore, the group that had thrown them into the water made their escape before camera crews or onlookers could begin to gather. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. The death of George Duncan would serve as a catalyst, eventually martyring Duncan himself and leading to repeals of South Australia's harsh anti-homosexuality laws. Family Murders Are Adelaide's Most Horrific Unsolved Crime - PEDESTRIAN.TV They knew then that the description of the remains - should it become public knowledge - would alert a lot of media to the story and scare a lot of people. When Boris had last seen Richard, walking away from the bus stop down the street from his home, he had still been wearing the collar, and it is has been theorized that the collar itself might have been a trigger for the deviant (or deviants) that ultimately decided to abduct Richard. South Australia's overdue for another During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. It was broad daylight, and both were assured that Alan would easily be able to find a ride to take him the few miles home. However, they were able to learn from a witness that a young man matching Peter's description had been spotted at Tea Tree Plaza the morning of his disappearance, and had been in the company of an adult male. Due to changes in the Forensic Procedures Act, which later allowed DNA samples to be taken from suspects in major indictable offences, all the suspects voluntarily submitted to DNA testing. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. But underneath the surface, a monster lingered Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. The very next day - August 28th, 1979 - a couple of fishermen were heading out to the Port Adelaide River, on what was supposed to be a regular workday for them. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. A day or two prior, at least. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. I think we might get closer to understanding what happened but I think lack of physical evidence pretty much rules out any more charges being laid. Medical examiners and investigators began to theorize about the rationale for the surgical scar, and the most plausible one to-date is perhaps one of the worst to imagine. Police had still not linked the two cases - Barnes and Neil Muir - but while being questioned about the first murder, von Einem inquired about the second without any provocation. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. They began probing those that knew Alan and might have taken issue with something he did or said in the weeks before his death; in particular, those that drove a white sedan. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. A witness says she saw Stogneff at Tea Tree Plaza with someone matching Noel Brook's appearance. Mark Langley attended party in Windsor Gardens but left with a male and female. When using other people (sometimes transgenders, sometimes cross-dressers, and sometimes Mr B), a common ploy was to ask a lone youth if he want to go to a party where there was plenty of booze and women. We know that on the morning of Sunday, June 17th, Alan and his friend woke up, and tried their luck hitchhiking back to Alan's family's house (a practice that wasn't that uncommon in the late 1970s). Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations The following morning, however, is a different story. But other than that, this friend had nothing new to offer police: he hadn't seen or heard from Alan since the two went their separate ways. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." The Family Murders - Strange Matters Podcast The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. So prosecutors and the police began to build their case around Millhouse without his cooperation, including witness statements that alleged the two had been together the weekend before Neil's violent death. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. Unfortunately, from there, the trail would go cold for over a year at which point, another victim had already become ensnared in this tragic saga. But, just like the failure to properly drop Alan's body into the water, these bags had failed to make it to their intended location; still resting against the coast, instead of floating out to sea, where they'd have been lost forever. 17-year-old Alan Barnes, 25-year-old Neil Muir, 14-year-old Peter Stogneff, 18-year-old Mark Langley and 15-year-old Richard Kelvin were later found dumped in the Adelaide Hills and surrounds. Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. For many, that meant gay-specific bars and clubs, where these individuals were allowed to socially express themselves honestly for the first time in their lives. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. An accountant by profession, he was convicted in 1984 for the murder of 15-year-old Adelaide teenager Richard Kelvin, the son of local television and radio personality Rob Kelvin. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. They hoped to use character witnesses to build up the relationship between the two, and then use other eyewitnesses to fill in the rest (the drugs, the sexual relationship, etc.). Nine days after Mark Langley went missing, his body was discovered in the Adelaide Foothills, close to Mount Lofty in the area known as Summertown. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. . Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. He was the son of Channel 9 News host Rob Kelvin, who had just recently taken over the hosting gig after more than a decade of field reporting through the station and a radio affiliate. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. The final two - Mark Langley and Richard Kelvin - had disappeared just blocks away from one another. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. Examiners discovered that just a few inches above his groin - just below his navel - Mark had a small surgical scar that had been sealed shut with staples and a specific type of Johnson & Johnson surgical tape. If that was true, then could that have been happening to the other young male victims that had been viciously murdered in the preceding years? Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. In addition to the driver, there appeared to be a couple of other occupants inside of the car that they, unfortunately, could not recall many details of. It was a group of homosexual men and transgender women who formed a network around convicted murderer and sexual sadist Bevan Spencer von Einem, based on the drugging, raping and sometimes murder of youths and young men. While police began to investigate who might be responsible for this heinous crime, medical examiners testing the body made a pretty shocking discovery: the presence of drugs in his blood. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. After doing away with his old, dried-up crops, the farmer was looking over his land when he came upon the now-charred remains of young Peter Stogneff. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. At the time of the murder, Dr. Millhouse - a gay man in his mid-forties - lived alone in northern Adelaide, and drove a ten-year-old Holden sedan. Case 166: The Family - Casefile: True Crime Podcast Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. [4][5] In 1989, von Einem was charged with the murders of two other victims, Barnes and Langley, but the prosecution entered a nolle prosequi (voluntarily discontinue criminal charges) during the trial when crucial similar fact evidence was deemed inadmissible by the presiding judge. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. At the same time he was developing a network of people who made it possible for him to carry out his sexually sadistic fantasies. His head had also been removed from the rest of his body, but was placed in its own separate black trash bag and connected with a rope tie to the rest of the remains. Alan and his friend bid adieu to one another, with his friend assured that Alan would be okay; Grand Junction Road was always busy and teeming with life, and it wasn't like he was leaving Alan in the middle of the night. The Kelvins, though upset at the duration of time that had already passed, understood why the process was so delayed but were hopeful that their son would return home to them, safe and sound. Although there were in excess of 150 youths and young men who were drugged and raped, often by multiple men, this section focuses on the five young men who didnt come home. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. This triggered a recurrence of his on-again/off-again bout with alcoholism, and within a week, he had checked himself into the Osmond House rehabilitation center but not before consulting with his attorney for any potential legal ramifications. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. This was cancelled the night before. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. However, police would reach out to all of Mark's known friends, and learned that the night prior - February 27th - he had simply wandered off into the night and had not been seen since. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. He was last seen while hitchhiking being picked up by a white HQ Holden sedan carrying three or four people. They kicked the footy around. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. Millhouse would have. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. They drove to War Memorial Drive (150m east of the Adelaide Rowing Club ) when Mark had a minor argument with the other male so got out and left. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. They tried to hitch a ride on Grand Junction Road, a busy thoroughfare in Adelaide, before realizing that they were going to have no luck hitchhiking together. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes Victims - The Family Murders Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. In a word, no. The Family Murders - Wikipedia Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. These were connections that were hard to overlook, as police began to theorize that a single offender (or, rather, a group of offenders) had been behind all of these crimes. victim - The Family Murders He was found wearing most of the clothing he had last been seen in, minus an undershirt and without the chains he often wore around his neck (which contained his zodiac sign, Cancer). The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. The emergence of this drug would prove to be very interesting in the years to come, but at this point in the investigation, police were still struggling to connect all of the dots. But he decided to instead head to a local mall, named Tea Tree Plaza, where Peter and his friends often hung out on the weekends. This is an analysis of the information provided by Wendy Roles and Greg McInerney in the book The Family Murders: Dissected The Timeline 25 Aug (Sat) Michael B sees band-aid on Neil's leg at the methadone clinic during the day.