This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. Witnesses would later recall having seen the two at some of the area's gay bars and clubs (which I referenced just a moment ago). Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. 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. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. The periphery of The Family is a grey area. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. Neil Muir had suffered the same type of anal injuries as Alan, implying that a large, bottle-shaped object had been used to intentionally injure him, which caused a large amount of blood loss. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. 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. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). 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. 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. His head had also been removed from the rest of his body, but was placed in its own separate black trash bag and connected with a rope tie to the rest of the remains. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. Young Blood refers to the age of the victims who were brutally murdered. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. Because very little physical evidence had been left behind, it was hard to tell whether or not these crimes belonged to the same spree, or were simply copycats. They hoped to use character witnesses to build up the relationship between the two, and then use other eyewitnesses to fill in the rest (the drugs, the sexual relationship, etc.). 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. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. 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. 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. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. 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. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. 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. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. 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. Police were now back, right where they had started. 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. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. But a discovery by the medical examiner seemed to undermine that: in addition to all of this, Neil's genitals had been mutilated by his killer. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. This section explores his social network. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. But underneath the surface, a monster lingered [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. 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. [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. 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. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. Global Nav Open Menu . Oh, that reminds me. The other murders remain unsolved. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. 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. 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. The convicted killer and notorious head of "The Family" ring who picked up hitchhikers and schoolboys to drug and offer to South Australia's elite to sexually abuse has broken his 20-year silence, to blame his victim, and to claim innocence over other murders. South Australia's overdue for another He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. 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. This was about 300 metres from his family home. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. The smallness of Adelaide and the six degrees of separation theory became even more evident when it was revealed that one of the Family murder victims was Richard Kelvin, son of a popular Channel . 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. 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 . His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. 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. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. 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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. 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. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. 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. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. 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 believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. 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.

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