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. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. This theory is that whatever item had been used to sexually assault Mark with - which ultimately led to his death - had gotten caught up in his intestines, and required surgery to retrieve. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved 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. 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. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. 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. 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. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. 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. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. 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 . [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. This was about 300 metres from his family home. 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. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. Gay people (in particular, gay men) began to become more comfortable in their own skin, and no longer had to suppress their sexuality in public. 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]. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. 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. 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. 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. 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. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. While charges would later be filed against several police officers, they were ultimately acquitted; and it has been widely accepted in the decades since that local law enforcement engaged in a systematic cover-up. 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 bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. When 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. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. 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. 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. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. Alan Arthur Barnes, aged 16, murdered in 1979. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. The following morning, however, is a different story. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. The "Family Murders" - Amateur Sleuth Of the young men whose stories I'll cover in this episode, he was by far the youngest, and his face showed it: he still had the youthful appearance of a child, and by all accounts, seemed to be your typical teenage boy. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. 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. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. This reported sighting led police to the notion that a group of people might have been acting in-tandem to abduct Richard, for reasons that appeared nefarious. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. 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. The Family murders: Bevan Spencer von Einem's shocking jailhouse [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. 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). Unsolved - The Family Murders | Page 148 | BigFooty Forum With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. 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. 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. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. 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 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,. 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. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. They phoned police that evening, hoping that their son's whereabouts could be chalked up to a simple miscommunication. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. [4][5] In 1989, von Einem was charged with the murders of two other victims, Barnes and Langley, but the prosecution entered a nolle prosequi (voluntarily discontinue criminal charges) during the trial when crucial similar fact evidence was deemed inadmissible by the presiding judge. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. 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. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. 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. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. South Australia's overdue for another Five murders and over 150 rapes. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. 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. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. 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. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. The Family Murders | Adelaide's most notorious unsolved serial killings Because of this prime location, Adelaide has become one of the country's most populated areas, and more than a million Australians live in the city itself; which is split in half by the Torrens River, which runs through the center of Adelaide. But underneath the surface, a monster lingered 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. If you recall, M.E. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. 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. Listen to "The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders)" on Spreaker. 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. 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. If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. Police had still not linked the two cases - Barnes and Neil Muir - but while being questioned about the first murder, von Einem inquired about the second without any provocation. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' - Amazon.com.au Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. 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? 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. 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. However, police would reach out to all of Mark's known friends, and learned that the night prior - February 27th - he had simply wandered off into the night and had not been seen since. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. Allegations would even surface that indicated Dr. Millhouse had been one of the people in the area that supplied Neil with prescription drugs, but that would remain an allegation for the foreseeable future. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. The man that had driven George there offered him a couple of pills called "No-Doz," which - he promised - would help him stay awake to enjoy the party. 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. Referred to as a "Randy Mandy" among the era's deviants, Mandrax was a sedative that had just become popular worldwide with the branding "Quaalude." Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. Five young men were mysteriously abducted in different . [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. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. 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). Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. 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. In May of 1972, three gay men - George Duncan, Roger James, and another man (whose identity has been withheld in the decades since) - were picked up by members of South Australia's police force. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. The very next day - August 28th, 1979 - a couple of fishermen were heading out to the Port Adelaide River, on what was supposed to be a regular workday for them. 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. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. He was in G Block of Yatala Prison for decades but was transferred to Port Augusta Prison in the north of the state in 2007. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. But the rumors that he engaged in sex work were mainly perpetrated by those that knew him from his regular haunts: members of Adelaide's gay community, who regularly saw Neil at the gay-friendly bars they frequented. Like the other victims, Richard Kelvin's blood and organs were tested for any sign of drugs, with investigators hoping to find a connection to any of the prior victims. This witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. Due to changes in the Forensic Procedures Act, which later allowed DNA samples to be taken from suspects in major indictable offences, all the suspects voluntarily submitted to DNA testing. 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. 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. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. 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. 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. '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. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. 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. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. Do you think the Family Murders case will ever be solved? The periphery of The Family is a grey area. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries 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.
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