An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. 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. Like the other victims, investigators would learn a lot from the status of Mark's remains. 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". 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. 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. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. Global Nav Open Menu . Some of the employees that worked at the area's bars recalled seeing the two together multiple times that weekend, and other character witnesses described Dr. Millhouse and Neil as being very close friends (intimate, even). They kicked the footy around. 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. 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. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. 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. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. Our locations section shows where all the events happened and where all the players lived. 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. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. 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. 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. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. 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. 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. The severing of Neil's limbs and the mutilation of his body was originally believed to have been part of an effort to dispose of his body. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. 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. Australia's most notorious unsolved serial killings. 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. Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. 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 witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. Unfortunately, this lead ultimately led nowhere, so police began investigating people more tentatively linked to Neil through his social circle. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. On the final weekend of August 1979, Neil was spotted at both the Duke of York and Buckingham Arms ("The Buck"), two local gay bars that I referenced at the top of the episode. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. Within hours, Alan's father and grandfather found themselves tagged to identify the remains, which were undoubtedly the remains of their missing 17-year-old. 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. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. 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. Alan's body had fallen to the dirt below, twisting and contorting in such a way that - should he have been alive - would have surely resulted in death or serious injury. This witness would also recall hearing this supposed argument on the street come to a sudden end, punctuated with the sound of a loud exhaust system as a car sped down the street. 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. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. 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. He would literally go on to write the book about this terrifying saga, called "Young Bloods," which - if you're interested - is one of the best resources for this case. 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. 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. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. 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. This caller told detectives that a man named Bevan Spencer von Einem was responsible for Alan's death, and his name was added to the list of potential suspects to explore. 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. View description Share. 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. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. However, what wasn't up for debate was the fact that Alan had been violently tortured for hours before his death, with his death ultimately coming from blood loss due to an anal injury. [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. Among friends, Alan had begun to smoke weed and experiment with new things, pushing himself to the limits of his comfort zone to discover who he was and what he enjoyed. It is confirmed that 5 of these victims were murdered, usually by having an object forced so far up their anus that it split the lining and they bled out. 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"). Millhouse would have. 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 short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. 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). 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. 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. Of only one victim. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. Description. If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. 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. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. 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. 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. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. For a week, his loved ones had been bracing themselves for the worst, but this was a confirmation of everything they had been fearing for the past several days: Alan had been violently murdered, and had spent his final hours in agony. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. Because Mark had been killed and his body been dumped in the Australian summer months, his remains had already suffered some serious decomposition by the time police were called to the scene. 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. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. 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. 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 the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. Unfortunately, it did not. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. . 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. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. 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 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. South Australia's overdue for another When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. 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). 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. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. While police pounded the pavement to find out what had happened to Richard Kelvin, the young man's life was slowly coming to an end. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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. 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. The other murders remain unsolved. A span of 4 years. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. 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. 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. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. 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. In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. 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. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. 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. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. [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. 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. 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 never made it home. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. 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. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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." Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. [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. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? Peter Stogneff. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. 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. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. Several eyewitnesses remembered seeing Alan and his long, blond hair standing along Grand Junction Road that Sunday.
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