The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. 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. 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. 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). 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. 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. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. 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. Global Nav Open Menu . However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. 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 was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. 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. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. He had been killed elsewhere and then transported to this location postmortem, implying that the killer had a base of operations for his or her dark deeds. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. 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. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . 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.). Sadly, almost all of the evidence that may have been left behind was now gone, burned away to ash along with all of Peter's remaining soft tissue. 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. After taking the pills, George's memory began to blur. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. 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. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. A day or two prior, at least. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. 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,. This was about 300 metres from his family home. Detective O'Brien was the unfortunate one tasked with notifying the Kelvins that Richard's body had been found; which he describes in his book as one of the most heartbreaking duties he's ever had to endure. According to some witnesses in the area, screams had been heard at around the time that Richard had disappeared, some time between 5:30 and 6:30 PM that Sunday. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. The name of the group stems from an interview a police detective gave on 60 Minutes, claiming the police were taking action to break up the happy family. The Family murders are the name of the murders of five young men and teenagers who happened in Adelaide, South Australia between 1979 and 1983. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. 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. 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. 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. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. 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. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. 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. Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. 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. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. 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. Mr B - The Family Murders Mr B Mr B was named by South Australian police in 2008 as one of the three main suspects who were involved in the murders alongside Bevan von Einem. 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. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. [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. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. Oh, that reminds me. (What a lovely country, Australia!) They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. Witnesses would later recall having seen the two at some of the area's gay bars and clubs (which I referenced just a moment ago). Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. . The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. 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. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. 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. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. When police had arrived at the crime scene, they assumed that whoever had tried to dump the body of Alan Barnes had failed, in some way. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. 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. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. 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. 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. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. 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 following Sunday, June 24th - one week after Alan had last been seen alive - a couple of hikers were bushwalking up in the area known as the Adelaide Foothills. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. He had become so messed up on drugs and alcohol that a bouncer had to physically drag him outside of a bar, where he stumbled onto the pavement and struggled to get up. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. 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. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. The two had been dating for about a month now, and Richard had excitedly told his mother that he planned on proposing when his girlfriend and he were nineteen years old. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. Five murders and over 150 rapes. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. It was speculated that a foreign object had caused the internal perforations, leading to the belief that the killer had been a sexual sadist whose only intent was to cause physical pain. 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. 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. Several eyewitnesses remembered seeing Alan and his long, blond hair standing along Grand Junction Road that Sunday. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. However, when Neil Muir's body was discovered, his internal organs had been removed and were gone entirely, leading to police being unable to test his blood levels. Description. 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. 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. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. Police got the number one offender. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). 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. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. 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. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. Also, like the other victims, Mark's cause-of-death seemed to be nearly identical: blood loss from an anal injury, caused by the forced insertion of an unknown item. 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. George gave police a description of the older man that had picked him up and driven him to the house in question, but he could not remember his name, nor the name of the two women at the house they had traveled to. 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. 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. 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. Victims - The Family Murders Victims Alan Barnes Feb 12, 2021 The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. This section explores his social network. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. 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. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. With these results, police were able to successfully link Richard's disappearance and death to at least two prior cases: Alan Barnes and Mark Langley, who had been similarly drugged and sexually assaulted before their deaths. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. 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 He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. 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. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . 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. Neil's remains were brought in and carefully examined by the area's medical examiners, who quickly discovered an alarming red flag, which harkened back to the discovery of Alan Barnes' corpse. 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. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. 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. The evidence is contained in a detailed diary kept by a man who was a close associate of several key players in the so-called Family murders. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. 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. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution.
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