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[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. Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. Detective O'Brien was the unfortunate one tasked with notifying the Kelvins that Richard's body had been found; which he describes in his book as one of the most heartbreaking duties he's ever had to endure. 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. Banquet: A Marvelous Book about "The Family Murders" in Adelaide In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." 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. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. [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. Eventually, Peter's parents discovered the plot among Peter and his friend to skip school, and conveyed this information to the police - who were just as alarmed as they were. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. 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 Muir had been missing for less than 24 hours by the time his body was discovered, and because he was an adult that lived alone, police were already at a disadvantage when it came to trying to figure out what happened to him. 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. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. 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. We know that on the morning of Sunday, June 17th, Alan and his friend woke up, and tried their luck hitchhiking back to Alan's family's house (a practice that wasn't that uncommon in the late 1970s). If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' - Amazon.com.au They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. 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. 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. On this night, in particular, that included these three men. 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.). Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. 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. 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. 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. 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 Family Murders (Part One: The Murders) - Spreaker Mark Langley 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. At the same time he was developing a network of people who made it possible for him to carry out his sexually sadistic fantasies. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. 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. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th, 1983, Richard was kicking around a soccer ball with his father Rob and his friend Boris at a park near his home. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. An accountant by profession, he was convicted in 1984 for the murder of 15-year-old Adelaide teenager Richard Kelvin, the son of local television and radio personality Rob Kelvin. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. This meant doing away with large plots of dried-out farmland in a prescribed burn to prepare for the upcoming spring bloom. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. 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. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. 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. So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. Any person complicit in the abduction, rape and murders of the five victims, plus any person who visited the place of captivity when a victim was knowingly present, plus any person involved in the abduction, spiking and raping of teenage boys or young men with other members of The Family. Global Nav Open Menu . 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. 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. South Australia's overdue for another Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. Mr B - The Family Murders Mandrax was quickly gaining notoriety as a drug used in the commission of date-rape crimes, and the local government decided that the best way to combat their usage was to keep them regulated so that they had a record of everyone that was prescribed them. This bore signs of premeditation, implying that this wasn't an impulsive decision, but a conscious one by a killer afraid of being identified through forensic testing. victim - The Family Murders Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. It's important to note that, even though members of the LGBTQ community felt more comfortable to express themselves socially, that did not mean that everyone in the area was necessarily welcoming. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. They kicked the footy around. When Dr. Millhouse's trial eventually commenced in the latter half of 1980 - more than a year after Neil Muir's murder - the prosecution continued to rely heavily upon their circumstantial evidence and witness statements, failing to establish any motive for the crime or provide any definitive evidence. He was seventeen years old, with a youthful, handsome appearance, and a carefree, fun-loving attitude. 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. 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. While changes in Southern Australia's draconian laws had decriminalized homosexuality, there were still people eager to prey on or harass gay men and women - behavior that lingers to this day. 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. Unfortunately, it did not. 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. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. [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. Family Murders Are Adelaide's Most Horrific Unsolved Crime - PEDESTRIAN.TV The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. Our locations section shows where all the events happened and where all the players lived. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. The Family Murders - Wikipedia 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. Rather than have to read the whole site, or miss updates in the case because you dont know they exist, this section will show time-stamped updates so you can keep up to date with developments. Oh, that reminds me. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. They drove to War Memorial Drive (150m east of the Adelaide Rowing Club ) when Mark had a minor argument with the other male so got out and left. 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. Victims - The Family Murders Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. 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. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. 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. 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? That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. Enjoy reading. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. "CIA: Crime Investigation Australia" The Butchered Boys (TV - IMDb 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. 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. 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. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. 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. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. 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. Four of the five murders remain unsolved. 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. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. But now, they needed to find a suspect. The Butchered Boys of Adelaide. Interview with Homicide Detective Bob O Father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach snubs Alex Murdaugh's family Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. 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. 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. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. 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. Unfortunately, this lead ultimately led nowhere, so police began investigating people more tentatively linked to Neil through his social circle. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. 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). 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. Australia's murder capital: Why can't Adelaide bury the myth? [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. 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. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. 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. 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. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. The Family Murders | Adelaide's most notorious unsolved serial killings In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. But underneath the surface, a monster lingered At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. The area around the scar had even been shaved away, implying that this a methodical decision by someone with surgical experience perhaps someone trying to rectify a mistake. The Family Murders Unresolved 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. 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. 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. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. 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. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. 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". They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. 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. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. 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. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. 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. 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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body.