"The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. 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,. 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. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. On this night, in particular, that included these three men. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. 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. 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. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. 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 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. 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. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. 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. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. The other murders remain unsolved. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). 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". Even though he was nearly an adult at this point - and had a fair amount of independence in his life - this disappearance was deemed very out-of-the-ordinary. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. 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. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. 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. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. The body count had essentially doubled within a couple of months, and police were still unsure whether or not the cases were related. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. '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. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. He was the son of Channel 9 News host Rob Kelvin, who had just recently taken over the hosting gig after more than a decade of field reporting through the station and a radio affiliate. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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. This was cancelled the night before. 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. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. Rumours of high-society involvement and cover-ups. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. 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. This is an analysis of the information provided by Wendy Roles and Greg McInerney in the book The Family Murders: Dissected The Timeline 25 Aug (Sat) Michael B sees band-aid on Neil's leg at the methadone clinic during the day. 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. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. 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. 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. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. 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. View description Share. 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. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. 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. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. 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 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. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. 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. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Because of this lack of clarity, police were unable to press forward with any charges for the offenders, and George's story would become buried by more pressing police concerns in the coming weeks and months. He was last seen while hitchhiking being picked up by a white HQ Holden sedan carrying three or four people. A witness says she saw Stogneff at Tea Tree Plaza with someone matching Noel Brook's appearance. Mark Langley attended party in Windsor Gardens but left with a male and female. 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. Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. 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. 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. 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. 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. Richard's family disputed this, vigorously denying the notion that Richard would have run away of his own accord. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. 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. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. 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. Mark Langley was an 18-year-old with the entire world in front of him: an athletic and good-looking young man, who quickly endeared himself to others. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. His family knew this but accepted that there was little they could do to curtail this behavior; letting Alan grow and develop at his own pace as his adolescence came to an end. Even though Dr. Peter Millhouse had supposedly known Neil Muir for several years, there was never any proof that the two had a sexual relationship. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan, Producers: Maggyjames, Ben Krokum, Roberta Janson, Quil Carter, Peggy Belarde, Laura Hannan, Damion Moore, Amy Hampton, Scott Meesey, Steven Wilson, Scott Patzold, Marie Vanglund, Lori Rodriguez, Jessica Yount, Aimee McGregor, Danny Williams, Sue Kirk, Victoria Reid, Sara Moscaritolo, Thomas Ahearn, Marion Welsh, Seth Morgan, Sydney Scotton, Alyssa Lawton, Kelly Jo Hapgood, Patrick Laakso, Meadow Landry, Rebecca Miller, and Tatum Bautista, Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music, Other music created and composed by Ailsa Traves, Young Bloods: The Story of the Family Murders by Bob OBrien, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Alan Arthur Barnes, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Neil Fredrick Muir, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Peter Stogneff, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Mark Andrew Langley, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Richard Kelvin, The Sydney Morning Herald - Adelaides Duncan case: letting some light shine in, The Sydney Morning Herald - Boys murderer refused High Court appeal, The Sydney Morning Herald - Macabre Adelaide (1), The Sydney Morning Herald - Macabre Adelaide (2), The Sydney Morning Herald - Murderer quizzed on death of youth, The Age - Men fled as Duncan died, court told, The Sydney Morning Herald - The Beaumonts, Kirste and Joanne: the mystery may be over, The Sydney Morning Herald - Witness feared threats to his life, The Age - Court told rape victim thought he would die, The Sydney Morning Herald - Family killings murder charge dropped, The Age - Lock up your sons in the worlds murder capital, The Weekend Australian - How Mother Goose ducked pedophile net, The Advertiser - Police seek von Einem associate, Perth Now - DNA tests for Family murder suspects, The Advertiser - $5M reward bid to solve Family murders, The Sydney Morning Herald - Reward doubled to solve Family murders, The Telegraph - Australian police reopen notorious 1970s Family murders case, The Sydney Morning Herald - Aussie pedophile deported from Indonesia, The Advertiser - Focus on three key suspects, The Advertiser - Revealed: The double life of a magistrate who sought young men, ABC News - Mother Goose sex trial starts in Adelaide, The Advertiser - Mother Goose claims he was set up by gay ex-prostitutes, The Advertiser - Doctor with alleged links to The Family identified as Stephen George Woodards, The Advertiser - Sex-case doctor Stephen George Woodards free to practise, ABC News - Mother Goose acquitted of sex charges, The Advertiser - Paedophile Peter Liddy fears prison attack, ABC News - Former TV entertainer sentenced for sex offences, The Advertiser - Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes murder by The Family, The Daily Mail - Will $13million reward solve the murders of 18 children? This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. 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.