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. Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. 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. 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. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. 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. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern Adelaide. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. 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. 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 group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. 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. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. 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. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. A span of 4 years. 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. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. 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. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. He never made it home. 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. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved The Family Murders Part Two: The Family As the families of five young men mourned, investigators began to circle around their top suspect, Bevan Spencer von Einem. Alan Arthur Barnes, aged 16, murdered in 1979. In the latter half of the 1970s, South Australia had started to regulate drugs like Mandrax, known throughout most of the world as "Quaaludes." 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. This was cancelled the night before. During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. 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. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. 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. This period saw the creation of gay clubs in Adelaide (such as a location known as the Mars Bar) and other clubs where all sexualities were welcome (such as the Duke of York or Buckingham Arms, known in the area as "The Buck"). 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. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. When Boris had last seen Richard, walking away from the bus stop down the street from his home, he had still been wearing the collar, and it is has been theorized that the collar itself might have been a trigger for the deviant (or deviants) that ultimately decided to abduct Richard. They kicked the footy around. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. If you recall, M.E. Do you think the Family Murders case will ever be solved? Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. 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. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. 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. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. He remembered going to a back room of the house to have sex with one of the older women, only to discover - during the act itself - that she was transgender. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. 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. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. 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. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. 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. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. 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. 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. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. 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. 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. 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. Investigator Hunter made note of this, finding it odd that one man would have connections to two separate murder investigations - especially two gruesome murders that shared such grisly traits. 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. Their psychological profile indicated that Neil's body had been carved up due to either a psychotic killer that derived pleasure from inflicting pain on others or someone that wanted to hide his/her identity. [8] The reward carried an offer of immunity to accomplices, dependent on their level of involvement. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . 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. Bevan Spencer von Einem is serving a life sentence for one of those murders. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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. 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. 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. 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. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. However, they were able to learn that - before his body was burned in the brush fire - his remains had been cut into multiple parts with a saw. This witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. 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. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. 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. 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. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. They began probing those that knew Alan and might have taken issue with something he did or said in the weeks before his death; in particular, those that drove a white sedan. 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. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. Like most of the victims targeted by this unknown subject, Richard Kelvin was a young and athletic young man, who seemed destined to have a long and rewarding life. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Of only one victim. 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. 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. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. 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. 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. 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. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. This has come to be disputed over the years, with some speculating that Alan might have willingly consumed the drug the weekend before his death; or, perhaps, he might have been slipped it by someone at the bars he was rumored to visit with his friends that Saturday. 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. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." Mark had driven there with his family, as they were attending the party alongside him, but he would leave with a couple of friends afterward to hang out and cruise around the city with the young adults trying to squeeze out every bit of the Adelaide summer that they could. Five murders and over 150 rapes. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. The father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach refused to shake hands with Alex Murdaugh 's family in court after the legal scion was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son . Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. '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. 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. 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. This triggered a recurrence of his on-again/off-again bout with alcoholism, and within a week, he had checked himself into the Osmond House rehabilitation center but not before consulting with his attorney for any potential legal ramifications. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. 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). 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. South Australia's overdue for another 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. Now twenty-five years old, Neil had spent the better part of the last few years struggling with addictions and vices that left him moving from place-to-place pretty regularly. 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. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. 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. This horrific sight was quickly reported to police, who arrived at the scene and immediately cordoned off the area around where the fisherman had reportedly discovered the floating trash bags. So, they believed that this crime might have been perpetrated by someone that Neil owed money to, who wanted to cover up their tracks afterward. 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. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. The 'Family murders' involved the killing and torture of five young men from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. 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. 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. 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. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. Mark Langley 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. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. 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?