Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. 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. Within hours, Alan's father and grandfather found themselves tagged to identify the remains, which were undoubtedly the remains of their missing 17-year-old. 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. 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. 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. 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. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Five murders and over 150 rapes. However, they quickly began to narrow in on the one avenue of the investigation that seemed most enticing to them at the time: Neil's dependency on drugs and alcohol. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. Enjoy reading. 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. 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. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. 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. 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. Richard walked him down the road to the nearby O'Connell Street bus stop, arriving without incident, and waited there for his friend's bus to arrive. 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. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. 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]. 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. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? 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). Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. 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. The other murders remain unsolved. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. [citation needed]. This was as good of a tip as police were going to get, and since the most recent victim of this strange killing spree had been found in the Foothills, police decided to follow through on the tip. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. Some of his strategies were to unscrew his car muffler or pull out his choke and ask an unsuspecting youth to help him with car trouble. He also happened to be a relative of Robin Millhouse, South Australia's former Attorney General who would become a Supreme Court Justice in 1982. 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. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. 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. The 'Family murders' involved the killing and torture of five young men from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. Over a span of several years starting in 1979 and into the 80s five young men, aged from 14 to 25, went missing in different areas of Adelaide. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. 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 Clermont County Sheriff's Office . Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. But at this point, police were already preoccupied with a separate lead from Neil Muir's social circle: a man named Dr. Peter Millhouse. 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.). It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. On the final weekend of August 1979, Neil was spotted at both the Duke of York and Buckingham Arms ("The Buck"), two local gay bars that I referenced at the top of the episode. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. Mark Langley Do you think the Family Murders case will ever be solved? Millhouse would have. While police pounded the pavement to find out what had happened to Richard Kelvin, the young man's life was slowly coming to an end. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. '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. Mandrax was quickly gaining notoriety as a drug used in the commission of date-rape crimes, and the local government decided that the best way to combat their usage was to keep them regulated so that they had a record of everyone that was prescribed them. He consented to any available tests or analysis, and during a medical screening, it was discovered that the young man did have tears in his anus, proving that he had been raped. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. (What a lovely country, Australia!) 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. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. But now, they needed to find a suspect. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. It had been reported that Richard was wearing the collar as a joke on the afternoon he went missing, while he was kicking around the soccer ball in the park with his dad and his friend, Boris. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. 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. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. 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. Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. Global Nav Open Menu . Alan's body had fallen to the dirt below, twisting and contorting in such a way that - should he have been alive - would have surely resulted in death or serious injury. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. 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 is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. 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. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. 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. 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. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. Murdered victims were kept in captivity by the Family for up to five weeks. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. 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. 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. A span of 4 years. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. It has been reported that the exposed skin on his face and neck had begun to wither away, leading to the theory that he had been killed shortly after going missing. 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. 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". 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. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. Richard was found wearing the same clothing that he had been wearing on the day of his disappearance, but in an unusual twist, was found to be wearing his family dog's collar. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. George and the driver, a man roughly twice his age with artificially-dyed hair, traveled to a nearby house where a couple of young women welcomed them. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. 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). Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. 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). The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. Description. 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".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 . 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. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. This group was believed to be involved in the kidnapping and sexual abuse of approximately 150 teenage boys and young men, as well as the torture and murder of 5 young men aged between 14 and 25, in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1970s and 1980s. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. There were signs that he had been tortured and beaten by a sexual sadist, who had likely kept Alan drugged with a chemical compound named chloral hydrate. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. There was not much to connect them, other than the graphic sexual nature of the crimes, and months would continue to pass before this story would begin to surface again in the public eye. 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. Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. No additional leads would surface in that time-span, and police would continue to refrain from stating that the two victims so far - Alan Barnes and Neil Muir - were connected in any way (at least, they wouldn't say so publicly). 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. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. While changes in Southern Australia's draconian laws had decriminalized homosexuality, there were still people eager to prey on or harass gay men and women - behavior that lingers to this day. 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. 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. When a warrant was eventually served on Dr. Millhouse's cottage in northern Adelaide, police found the same type of trash bags and rope that had been found with Neil Muir's remains. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. 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? He was seen in the presence of individuals who would become relevant later on, but - at the time - were simply believed to have been his friends. The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. 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. He had a network of over 30 people. These details made it clear to police that this mutilation was not done simply for the killer's ease-of-mind, but indicated that they were a particularly savage killer that had likely committed similar crimes in the past. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. It's important to note that, even though members of the LGBTQ community felt more comfortable to express themselves socially, that did not mean that everyone in the area was necessarily welcoming. [8] The reward carried an offer of immunity to accomplices, dependent on their level of involvement. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. 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. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. 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. 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. Neil's numerous tattoos had also been cut away from his flesh, and those patches of inked skin had been placed into his chest cavity along with his severed limbs. 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.

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