A day or two prior, at least. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. 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. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. 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. 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. He was seventeen years old, with a youthful, handsome appearance, and a carefree, fun-loving attitude. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. 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. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. Because of this prime location, Adelaide has become one of the country's most populated areas, and more than a million Australians live in the city itself; which is split in half by the Torrens River, which runs through the center of Adelaide. 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. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. 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. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. 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. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. After being arrested, Dr. Millhouse had denied ever knowing Neil, and continued stating so over the next year, openly defying the dozens of witness statements that claimed they were acquaintances at the least, intimate friends at the most. 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. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. Unfortunately, it would later be determined that he would suffer in anguish for weeks before meeting eventually dying more than a month after his initial disappearance. 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). 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. 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 skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. Police had still not linked the two cases - Barnes and Neil Muir - but while being questioned about the first murder, von Einem inquired about the second without any provocation. Alan was supposed to find a ride back home and was taking his luck hitchhiking, hoping that someone willing to pick him up would be heading north towards his family's neighborhood of Salisbury. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. 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 son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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 . If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. George and the driver, a man roughly twice his age with artificially-dyed hair, traveled to a nearby house where a couple of young women welcomed them. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. On the final weekend of August 1979, Neil was spotted at both the Duke of York and Buckingham Arms ("The Buck"), two local gay bars that I referenced at the top of the episode. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. Five murders and over 150 rapes. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. [8] The reward carried an offer of immunity to accomplices, dependent on their level of involvement. 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 convicted killer and notorious head of "The Family" ring who picked up hitchhikers and schoolboys to drug and offer to South Australia's elite to sexually abuse has broken his 20-year silence, to blame his victim, and to claim innocence over other murders. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. 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 . Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. Once in the car they would be offered a drink that was laced with a knockout drug. 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. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. 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. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. 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". In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. 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 . Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. 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. Five young men were mysteriously abducted in different . Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. 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. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. Young Blood refers to the age of the victims who were brutally murdered. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. 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. Dylan John Kovarskis murdered Nathan Russell in 2021 . Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. 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. See what they say here. 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. 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. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. 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. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. Because this murder seemed like the type of crime beset by emotional issues - or likely someone with an ax to grind against Alan, personally - police initially began investigating this as a personal crime. 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. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. A span of 4 years. 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. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? This witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. 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. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. 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. 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). 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. After taking the pills, George's memory began to blur. At the time of the murder, Dr. Millhouse - a gay man in his mid-forties - lived alone in northern Adelaide, and drove a ten-year-old Holden sedan. 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. (What a lovely country, Australia!) They began probing those that knew Alan and might have taken issue with something he did or said in the weeks before his death; in particular, those that drove a white sedan. 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. The periphery of The Family is a grey area. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. Oh, that reminds me. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. 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. Bevan von Einem was no exception he also preferred youths between the 15 and 19 year old age group. They kicked the footy around. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. George gave police a description of the older man that had picked him up and driven him to the house in question, but he could not remember his name, nor the name of the two women at the house they had traveled to. Unlike other drugs, Mandrax was heavily-regulated, meaning that police could search through government records to find out who had a prescription, and whether or not they appeared on their suspect lists. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. 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. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for the crimes: Bevan Spencer von Einem was sentenced in 1984 to a minimum of 24 years (later extended to a minimum 36-year term) for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. He had good grades at school, was well-liked by just about everyone, had a stable of trusted friends, and played soccer for a local Lockley club on the weekends. While charges would later be filed against several police officers, they were ultimately acquitted; and it has been widely accepted in the decades since that local law enforcement engaged in a systematic cover-up. 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. 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 . 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. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 25, and most were found to have suffered brutal violence, sexual assaults, and/or body mutilation before their death. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. . 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. This was cancelled the night before. According to some witnesses in the area, screams had been heard at around the time that Richard had disappeared, some time between 5:30 and 6:30 PM that Sunday. [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. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. 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. 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. 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? He never made it home. 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. Nine days after Mark Langley went missing, his body was discovered in the Adelaide Foothills, close to Mount Lofty in the area known as Summertown. Alan Arthur Barnes, aged 16, murdered in 1979. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. When police had arrived at the crime scene, they assumed that whoever had tried to dump the body of Alan Barnes had failed, in some way. It 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. The emergence of this drug would prove to be very interesting in the years to come, but at this point in the investigation, police were still struggling to connect all of the dots. 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 Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. 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 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. 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. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? Murdered victims were kept in captivity by the Family for up to five weeks. 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. Even though he was nearly an adult at this point - and had a fair amount of independence in his life - this disappearance was deemed very out-of-the-ordinary. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. Police didn't believe that this voice was Richard, as he was a teenager with a deep voice that had already cracked. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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". Unfortunately, from there, the trail would go cold for over a year at which point, another victim had already become ensnared in this tragic saga. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. In a word, no. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew.
the family murders adelaide victims