Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved The Family Murders Part Two: The Family As the families of five young men mourned, investigators began to circle around their top suspect, Bevan Spencer von Einem. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' - Amazon.com.au 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. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. 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. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. 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. 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. This section explores his social network. The Family Murders - Wikipedia 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. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. The Family Murders of Adelaide Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. 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. That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. 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. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. This was as good of a tip as police were going to get, and since the most recent victim of this strange killing spree had been found in the Foothills, police decided to follow through on the tip. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. 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. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. This was about 300 metres from his family home. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. 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. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. 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. 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 . He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. 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. Bevan Spencer von Einem - Wikipedia 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. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. [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. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. 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. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. 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. 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. 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. On this night, in particular, that included these three men. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. 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. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. 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? 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. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. 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. 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. 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. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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 group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. The Family Murders - 5 Teen Boys Raped, Tortured, And Killed The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. 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. 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. [citation needed]. They knew then that the description of the remains - should it become public knowledge - would alert a lot of media to the story and scare a lot of people. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. 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". It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. 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. Rumours of high-society involvement and cover-ups. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. A day or two prior, at least. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. South Australia's overdue for another Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. 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. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. 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." Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. 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. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. A span of 4 years. The Family Murders | Adelaide's most notorious unsolved serial killings Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. 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. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. 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. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. Case 166: The Family - Casefile: True Crime Podcast They phoned police that evening, hoping that their son's whereabouts could be chalked up to a simple miscommunication. He was last seen while hitchhiking being picked up by a white HQ Holden sedan carrying three or four people. Richard and Boris remained at the park for a bit longer, kicking around the soccer ball and chatting, before eventually, Boris decided to make his way home. He had a network of over 30 people. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. Several eyewitnesses remembered seeing Alan and his long, blond hair standing along Grand Junction Road that Sunday. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern Adelaide. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. 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. 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. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. 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. Victims - The Family Murders 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. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. 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. Banquet: A Marvelous Book about "The Family Murders" in Adelaide 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 skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. 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. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. Murdered victims were kept in captivity by the Family for up to five weeks. 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. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. 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. Police were now back, right where they had started. 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. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. True Crime Conversations: The Family Murders Of Adelaide on - Apple However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. 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. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. But at this point, police were already preoccupied with a separate lead from Neil Muir's social circle: a man named Dr. Peter Millhouse. 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 . The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. 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. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. View description Share. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. Players - The Family Murders The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved In the days to come, police began asking around the area for any sign of Peter Stogneff and discovered that the teen had essentially vanished into thin air. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. 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. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. Listen to "The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders)" on Spreaker. 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. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. Wife 'kills family in murder-suicide' - news.com.au 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,. 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. 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.