By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. 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. Criminologist Alan Perry of the University of Adelaide, has argued that the murders were part of widespread series of kidnappings and sexual assaults of boys that might number several hundred victims in South Australia from about 1973 to 1983.[11]. The Butchered Boys: This episode revisits Adelaide's notorious Adelaide Family Murders case, where six young Adelaide men were murdered during the 1970s and '80s. Players - The Family Murders 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. 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. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. Victims - The Family Murders [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. 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. 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. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. 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. He never made it home. 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. 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. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. These were connections that were hard to overlook, as police began to theorize that a single offender (or, rather, a group of offenders) had been behind all of these crimes. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. When using other people (sometimes transgenders, sometimes cross-dressers, and sometimes Mr B), a common ploy was to ask a lone youth if he want to go to a party where there was plenty of booze and women. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries Peter Stogneff. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved 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. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. But now, they needed to find a suspect. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. Bevan Spencer von Einem - Wikipedia An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. 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. In June of 1983, Richard Kelvin was approaching sixteen years of age. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. 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. 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,. If you recall, M.E. 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 story would become historic, in more ways than one. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes 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. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. I think we might get closer to understanding what happened but I think lack of physical evidence pretty much rules out any more charges being laid. 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. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. 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. 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. For many, that meant gay-specific bars and clubs, where these individuals were allowed to socially express themselves honestly for the first time in their lives. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. Wife 'kills family in murder-suicide' - news.com.au Case 166: The Family - Casefile: True Crime Podcast True Crime Conversations: The Family Murders Of Adelaide on - Apple 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. Richard Kelvin's disappearance was a slightly higher profile case than the others I've covered so far - due to him being the son of the region's top newscaster - but even then, the investigation was not without fault. 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. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. 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. This was about 300 metres from his family home. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. 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. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. Lock up your sons in the world's murder capital The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. A span of 4 years. 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. 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. 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. 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. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. 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. In October of 1982 - in the very midst of this crime spree - a teenage hitchhiker named George had been picked up by a passing car. 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. Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. 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. 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. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. [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. 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). He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. 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. This is made apparent when we look at a story from 1972, which ultimately led to drastic overhauls in Southern Australian law and cemented its place in the nation's history. Description. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. Police were now back, right where they had started. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. 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. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . This section explores his social network. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. 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. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. Global Nav Open Menu . He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. 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. 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. 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. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. Between 1979 and 1983, the city of Adelaide in South Australia was the stage for a horrific string of crimes against young men and teenagers.Five known victims of kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder showed up in those years, and police became convinced that the perpetrator was actually a group of several men . Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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 . Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. 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. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders) - Spreaker [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. After taking the pills, George's memory began to blur. 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. Unfortunately, it did not. A Breakdown of a series of murders that took place in Adelaide, South But at this point, police were already preoccupied with a separate lead from Neil Muir's social circle: a man named Dr. Peter Millhouse. 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.