the family murders adelaide victims the family murders adelaide victims

Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. While investigators had been keeping information closely guarded in this case, they decided to publicize this information to the media in the hopes that it would attract follow-up tips. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. This was about 300 metres from his family home. 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. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. 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 . 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. There's a conviction in the last murder in the series, but I will include it due to the similarity and due to the man convicted being suspected in the other murders as well. 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. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. 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. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. 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. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. This witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. 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. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. 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. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. This was done in a different method to what had happened to Neil Muir's remains, but medical examiners were able to identify points in the bones just above the knees and the back where a saw had carved the body into pieces. 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. 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. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. [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. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Gay people (in particular, gay men) began to become more comfortable in their own skin, and no longer had to suppress their sexuality in public. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. 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. South Australia's overdue for another Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. Our locations section shows where all the events happened and where all the players lived. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. Police got the number one offender. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. 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. Australian police launch appeal to solve string of notorious killings stretching back to 1966, The Advertiser - Doctor found not guilty of Family murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW, Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. Global Nav Open Menu . (What a lovely country, Australia!) The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. 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. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. The following morning, however, is a different story. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. He then explained to the investigator that he was a former lover of Neil's, from roughly four years beforehand, and had run into the man just days before his eventual murder. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. 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. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. 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. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. 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"). They tried to hitch a ride on Grand Junction Road, a busy thoroughfare in Adelaide, before realizing that they were going to have no luck hitchhiking together. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. 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. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. 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. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. This meant doing away with large plots of dried-out farmland in a prescribed burn to prepare for the upcoming spring bloom. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. The other murders remain unsolved. 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. 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. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. 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. Sadly, almost all of the evidence that may have been left behind was now gone, burned away to ash along with all of Peter's remaining soft tissue. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. The final two - Mark Langley and Richard Kelvin - had disappeared just blocks away from one another. 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. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. 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). Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. No additional leads would surface in that time-span, and police would continue to refrain from stating that the two victims so far - Alan Barnes and Neil Muir - were connected in any way (at least, they wouldn't say so publicly). 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. 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. Mark Langley Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is perhaps most well known for its beautiful, scenic landscape, which is wedged in-between the Adelaide Foothills to the east, the coastline that runs along the west and down into the southern cape, and expanse of vast Australia that lies to the north. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. 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. This case includes mysterious attacks, brutal murders, and a dark conspiracy surrounding a secret group of elites that preyed on the young in the city. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. 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. Like the other victims, investigators would learn a lot from the status of Mark's remains. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. 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. 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. The Family murders are the name of the murders of five young men and teenagers who happened in Adelaide, South Australia between 1979 and 1983. 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. If you recall, M.E. 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. He had been killed elsewhere and then transported to this location postmortem, implying that the killer had a base of operations for his or her dark deeds. View description Share. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. Bevan von Einem was no exception he also preferred youths between the 15 and 19 year old age group. The body count had essentially doubled within a couple of months, and police were still unsure whether or not the cases were related. But the rumors that he engaged in sex work were mainly perpetrated by those that knew him from his regular haunts: members of Adelaide's gay community, who regularly saw Neil at the gay-friendly bars they frequented. It was broad daylight, and both were assured that Alan would easily be able to find a ride to take him the few miles 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. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. 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. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. Young Blood refers to the age of the victims who were brutally murdered. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. 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. 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.). Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. They kicked the footy around. The name of the group stems from an interview a police detective gave on 60 Minutes,[1] claiming the police were taking action "to break up the happy family". Of the young men whose stories I'll cover in this episode, he was by far the youngest, and his face showed it: he still had the youthful appearance of a child, and by all accounts, seemed to be your typical teenage boy. 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. Some were involved in the abduction of victims who were murdered, some were involved in the rape of murdered victims, and some were involved in murder. 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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. 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. 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". 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. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern 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. 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. 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. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. 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. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. 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. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. [15] A post-mortem examination revealed that Muir had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury, likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object[16] and Noctec was found in his blood. 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. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. 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. 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. 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. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. 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. 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). 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. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. 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. 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. 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. 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? Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. This was cancelled the night before. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. [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. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. 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. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . 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. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths.