The following morning, however, is a different story. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. 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. 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. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." On this night, in particular, that included these three men. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. That was when similar stories of young men being drugged and sexually assaulted began to make waves throughout Australia; young men that had been drugged with similar substances. There was a bridge above where his body had been discovered, with a clearing of about a meter; implying that whoever had tried to throw him into the water below had missed the mark, but had not rectified their mistake. 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. 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. 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. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. A cold case review was opened in March 2008 with a $1,000,000 reward available for anyone who provided information leading to a conviction. 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. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. 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. This young man, Bevan Spencer von Einem - an acquaintance of James' - had helped James make it to shore and then drove him to the nearby Royal Adelaide Hospital. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. This is made apparent when we look at a story from 1972, which ultimately led to drastic overhauls in Southern Australian law and cemented its place in the nation's history. Case 166: The Family - Casefile: True Crime Podcast 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. 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 is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. 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). 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. The 'Family murders' involved the killing and torture of five young men from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Adelaide Festival of Arts (also known as just Adelaide Festival) started in 1960 and led to something of a "cultural revival" in the area. The ongoing investigation featured in an episode of Crime Stoppers which went to air on 2 March 2009. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. 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. 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. Kelvin was held captive for approximately five weeks[24] and a post-mortem examination revealed that he had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury,[25] likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object. 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. 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). Young Blood refers to the age of the victims who were brutally murdered. Mark Langley This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. 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. '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. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. How, why, or where they had seen this tape escaped the caller, but it was enough to send detectives through the paces of investigating every lead related to this: known deviants, underground porn shops, etc. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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. 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 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. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. 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. The "Family Murders" - Amateur Sleuth He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. This bore signs of premeditation, implying that this wasn't an impulsive decision, but a conscious one by a killer afraid of being identified through forensic testing. 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. 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. 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. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. [11], Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35, List of serial killers by number of victims, Von Einem: Lawyers in new bid to re-open Kelvin case, "Doctor found not guilty of 'Family' murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW", "Australian police reopen notorious 1970s Family murders case", "Body in bag: jury acquits doctor in Adelaide", "Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes murder by The Family", "Many Theories, Few Clues in String of Adelaide Murders", "Record 24-year non-parole period for boy's killer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Family_Murders&oldid=1141259172, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35. Australia's most notorious unsolved serial killings. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. 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. [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. A Breakdown of a series of murders that took place in Adelaide, South Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. 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). He was seventeen years old, with a youthful, handsome appearance, and a carefree, fun-loving attitude. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved 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. Mr B - The Family Murders 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. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. 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. 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. He had a network of over 30 people. Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. The Butchered Boys: This episode revisits Adelaide's notorious Adelaide Family Murders case, where six young Adelaide men were murdered during the 1970s and '80s. He never made it home. Murdered victims were kept in captivity by the Family for up to five weeks. 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. 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. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. 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. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. 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. Lock up your sons in the world's murder capital POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. 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. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. A day or two prior, at least. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. 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. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. 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. He was last seen while hitchhiking being picked up by a white HQ Holden sedan carrying three or four people. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. (What a lovely country, Australia!) He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. If you recall, M.E. Dylan John Kovarskis sentenced to 20 years' jail for murder of Adelaide The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders) - Spreaker The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. 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. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. 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. 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. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. . His remains had been dissected and neatly cut into many pieces, placed in a garbage bag and thrown into the Port River at Port Adelaide. [14][24] His body was found on 24 July by a geologist who was searching for moss-covered rocks near a dirt airstrip at Kersbrook. 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. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. 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. His body had been dissected into parts, with his internal organs carved out and missing, replaced by his lower legs and arms, which had been sawed off and placed inside of his hollowed-out chest cavity. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. 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. 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. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. [8] The reward carried an offer of immunity to accomplices, dependent on their level of involvement. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. View description Share. Because homosexuality was still outlawed in Australia at this point, Vice officers would often detain individuals that they believed were loitering nearby known gay hotspots. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. 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. Banquet: A Marvelous Book about "The Family Murders" in Adelaide [21] Among the mutilations was a wound that appeared to have been cut with a surgical instrument that went from his navel to the pubic region and part of his small bowel was missing. 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. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. The Butchered Boys of Adelaide. Interview with Homicide Detective Bob O 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. Alan Barnes was a teenager growing up in this environment, who seemed to live on the bubble between childhood and adulthood in the winter of 1979. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. Enjoy reading. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern Adelaide. For that reason, many of these men and women had to keep their sexuality confined to specific locations. 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. The Family Murders Unresolved He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. 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 . They admitted that he'd faced some issues with other kids at his school, but he was otherwise happy and had just gotten a serious girlfriend. The body count had essentially doubled within a couple of months, and police were still unsure whether or not the cases were related. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Of only one victim. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. While investigators had been keeping information closely guarded in this case, they decided to publicize this information to the media in the hopes that it would attract follow-up tips.