Criminologist Alan Perry of the University of Adelaide, has argued that the murders were part of widespread series of kidnappings and sexual assaults of boys that might number several hundred victims in South Australia from about 1973 to 1983.[11]. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. This was about 300 metres from his family home. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. He had good grades at school, was well-liked by just about everyone, had a stable of trusted friends, and played soccer for a local Lockley club on the weekends. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. He vividly remembered hearing a young voice shout out (which we can assume was Richard) and a group of voices screaming in protest, almost in unison. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders) - Spreaker Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. Of only one victim. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. Millhouse would have. Homosexuality itself would become decriminalized just a few years later, in 1975, with the passing of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, making South Australia the first Australian state or territory where members of the LGBTQ community no longer had to fear government persecution. Alan was supposed to find a ride back home and was taking his luck hitchhiking, hoping that someone willing to pick him up would be heading north towards his family's neighborhood of Salisbury. Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. Because very little physical evidence had been left behind, it was hard to tell whether or not these crimes belonged to the same spree, or were simply copycats. 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. 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. This case includes mysterious attacks, brutal murders, and a dark conspiracy surrounding a secret group of elites that preyed on the young in the city. 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. The Family Murders was a series of murders in the 1970s and 1980s that targeted young men in Adelaide, South Australia between the ages of 14 and 25. 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. The Family Murders - 5 Teen Boys Raped, Tortured, And Killed 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. An examination of Richard's body discovered that his cause-of-death was virtually identical to the other young male victims: blood loss caused by extensive anal injuries. Bevan Spencer von Einem - Wikipedia 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. 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). Among friends, Alan had begun to smoke weed and experiment with new things, pushing himself to the limits of his comfort zone to discover who he was and what he enjoyed. Unfortunately, it would later be determined that he would suffer in anguish for weeks before meeting eventually dying more than a month after his initial disappearance. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. 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). But underneath the surface, a monster lingered This horrific sight was quickly reported to police, who arrived at the scene and immediately cordoned off the area around where the fisherman had reportedly discovered the floating trash bags. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 25, and most were found to have suffered brutal violence, sexual assaults, and/or body mutilation before their death Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. Peter Stogneff. Their psychological profile indicated that Neil's body had been carved up due to either a psychotic killer that derived pleasure from inflicting pain on others or someone that wanted to hide his/her identity. 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. 1979: The Family (1 year) 1999: Snowtown murders discovered (20 years) As of 2021, this is the longest Adelaide has gone without a crime that has made national or international headlines as either a weird case (Somerton Man), child kidnapping or brutal serial killings since WWII. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five sadistic murders committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as The Family. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. 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. 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. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. 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. 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. (What a lovely country, Australia!) He found like minded people who shared a similar sexual bent, and he found people he could mutually exploit to lure victims into his car. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. Listen to "The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders)" on Spreaker. 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. If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. Interview with a monster: The City of Corpses murders - news [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. The ongoing investigation featured in an episode of Crime Stoppers which went to air on 2 March 2009. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. 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. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? 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.). Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. 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. If you recall, M.E. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. 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. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. The medical examiners conducting the autopsy and examinations also discovered that Alan's body had been washed extensively after his death; likely an effort to scrub away any evidence linking him to the killer. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. But a discovery by the medical examiner seemed to undermine that: in addition to all of this, Neil's genitals had been mutilated by his killer. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. 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. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. Some of the employees that worked at the area's bars recalled seeing the two together multiple times that weekend, and other character witnesses described Dr. Millhouse and Neil as being very close friends (intimate, even). [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. 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. However, what wasn't up for debate was the fact that Alan had been violently tortured for hours before his death, with his death ultimately coming from blood loss due to an anal injury. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. Five young men were mysteriously abducted in different . Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. Unlike other drugs, Mandrax was heavily-regulated, meaning that police could search through government records to find out who had a prescription, and whether or not they appeared on their suspect lists. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. Eventually, Peter's parents discovered the plot among Peter and his friend to skip school, and conveyed this information to the police - who were just as alarmed as they were. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for the crimes: Bevan Spencer von Einem was sentenced in 1984 to a minimum of 24 years (later extended to a minimum 36-year term) for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. Progressive ideas began to spread out from Adelaide, but even then, progress itself was rather slow to catch on throughout large chunks of South Australia. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. The medical examiners would also find a significant head wound on Neil, which wasn't significant enough to have killed him, but would have likely happened to incapacitate or subdue the man. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. Any person complicit in the abduction, rape and murders of the five victims, plus any person who visited the place of captivity when a victim was knowingly present, plus any person involved in the abduction, spiking and raping of teenage boys or young men with other members of The Family. In June of 1983, Richard Kelvin was approaching sixteen years of age. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. 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. While working for Major Crimes, Investigator O'Brien received an anonymous tip that Richard Kelvin was being held against his will in a caravan in the Adelaide Foothills. Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. 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. 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. Wife 'kills family in murder-suicide' - news.com.au Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison 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. On July 24th, 1983, a family was out looking for moss rocks in the vast reaches of the Mount Crawford Forest, about 35 kilometers northeast of Adelaide. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. Richard Kelvin's disappearance was a slightly higher profile case than the others I've covered so far - due to him being the son of the region's top newscaster - but even then, the investigation was not without fault. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. They kicked the footy around. Family Murders Are Adelaide's Most Horrific Unsolved Crime - PEDESTRIAN.TV Police didn't believe that this voice was Richard, as he was a teenager with a deep voice that had already cracked. After all, three of the victims (Alan Barnes, Neil Muir, and Mark Langley) had all died of similar injuries, and at least three (Alan Barnes, Mark Langley, and now Richard Kelvin) had all gone missing on Sundays. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. 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. A farmer that lived nearby Middle Beach and Two Wells, roughly an hour north of Adelaide, had been cleansing his farmland during the advised winter months. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . 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. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. Unfortunately, information gathered by police that fateful Tuesday began to cast doubt on the idea that Richard had willingly chosen to run away from home. Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is perhaps most well known for its beautiful, scenic landscape, which is wedged in-between the Adelaide Foothills to the east, the coastline that runs along the west and down into the southern cape, and expanse of vast Australia that lies to the north. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. 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. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. [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. Australian police launch appeal to solve string of notorious killings stretching back to 1966, The Advertiser - Doctor found not guilty of Family murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW, Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). Unsolved - The Family Murders | Page 148 | BigFooty Forum 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. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' Kindle Edition - Amazon.com.au 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. 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. 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. But now, they needed to find a suspect. 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. Australia - Australia -the Family, 1979-83, Adelaide, B S Von Einem Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. 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. Because Mark had been killed and his body been dumped in the Australian summer months, his remains had already suffered some serious decomposition by the time police were called to the scene. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. He had a network of over 30 people. We know, from the 2014-2017 Royal Commission, that Debi Marshall's count of 150 disappeared boys in Adelaide is miniscule compared to the number tens of thousands of victims who stepped forward once they were invited by the RC. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries Just east of Adelaide, this area is well-known to Southern Australians, as it serves as a primary destination for the area's outdoorsmen and women. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. Neil Muir had suffered the same type of anal injuries as Alan, implying that a large, bottle-shaped object had been used to intentionally injure him, which caused a large amount of blood loss. In the days to come, police began asking around the area for any sign of Peter Stogneff and discovered that the teen had essentially vanished into thin air. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. Dylan John Kovarskis sentenced to 20 years' jail for murder of Adelaide Rather than have to read the whole site, or miss updates in the case because you dont know they exist, this section will show time-stamped updates so you can keep up to date with developments. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. The periphery of The Family is a grey area. The "Family Murders" - Amateur Sleuth In a word, no. This witness would also recall hearing this supposed argument on the street come to a sudden end, punctuated with the sound of a loud exhaust system as a car sped down the street. [15] A post-mortem examination revealed that Muir had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury, likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object[16] and Noctec was found in his blood. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. The father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach refused to shake hands with Alex Murdaugh 's family in court after the legal scion was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son . Major Crimes was primarily responsible for serial killings, mass killings, and any other high-profile crimes that the local government wanted to be handled by a specialized task force. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 's had discovered the chemical compound chloral hydrate in the system of Alan Barnes, who also had an above-average level of alcohol in his system: roughly four times the legal limit, which was unusually high for a teenager.
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