But at this point, police were already preoccupied with a separate lead from Neil Muir's social circle: a man named Dr. Peter Millhouse. Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. The medical examiners conducting the autopsy and examinations also discovered that Alan's body had been washed extensively after his death; likely an effort to scrub away any evidence linking him to the killer. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. 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. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. 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. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. Mark Andrew Langley RICHARD KELVIN Richard Kelvin, aged 15 years, was abducted at about 6.15 p.m. on Sunday 5 June 1983 from a laneway off Ward Street, North Adelaide. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. Father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach snubs Alex Murdaugh's family 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. 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. A span of 4 years. 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. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. 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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. [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. Apart from von Einem, three other core members are thought to be directly involved in the murders; while DNA testing re-commenced in 2008, no further charges have been laid. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. 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. 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. For a week, his loved ones had been bracing themselves for the worst, but this was a confirmation of everything they had been fearing for the past several days: Alan had been violently murdered, and had spent his final hours in agony. The area around the scar had even been shaved away, implying that this a methodical decision by someone with surgical experience perhaps someone trying to rectify a mistake. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. 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. It was speculated that a foreign object had caused the internal perforations, leading to the belief that the killer had been a sexual sadist whose only intent was to cause physical pain. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. There were signs that he had been tortured and beaten by a sexual sadist, who had likely kept Alan drugged with a chemical compound named chloral hydrate. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. [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. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. 's had discovered the chemical compound chloral hydrate in the system of Alan Barnes, who also had an above-average level of alcohol in his system: roughly four times the legal limit, which was unusually high for a teenager. View description Share. Dylan John Kovarskis murdered Nathan Russell in 2021 . He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. 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. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. 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. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. 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. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. 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. 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. 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. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. This meant doing away with large plots of dried-out farmland in a prescribed burn to prepare for the upcoming spring bloom. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. 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. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. 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. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. 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. 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. The following Sunday, June 24th - one week after Alan had last been seen alive - a couple of hikers were bushwalking up in the area known as the Adelaide Foothills. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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 . 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". The bodies were found from 24th June 1979 and the fifth and last body on 24th July 1983. A Breakdown of a series of murders that took place in Adelaide, South It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. Of only one victim. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. His remains had been dissected and neatly cut into many pieces, placed in a garbage bag and thrown into the Port River at Port Adelaide. The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. The Family Murders - Wikipedia Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. The Family Murders - Wikipedia 17-year-old Alan Barnes, 25-year-old Neil Muir, 14-year-old Peter Stogneff, 18-year-old Mark Langley and 15-year-old Richard Kelvin were later found dumped in the Adelaide Hills and surrounds. 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. 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. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. A post-mortem examination revealed that Barnes had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury, likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object. 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. 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). Description. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. The Family Murders is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. 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. 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.). 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. 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. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. This witness recalled Alan getting into a vehicle, which appeared to be a white Holden sedan. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. 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. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. 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. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. They admitted that he'd faced some issues with other kids at his school, but he was otherwise happy and had just gotten a serious girlfriend. 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. Players - The Family Murders 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. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. 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." When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. 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. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. In the latter half of the 1970s, South Australia had started to regulate drugs like Mandrax, known throughout most of the world as "Quaaludes." 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. 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. The Kelvins, though upset at the duration of time that had already passed, understood why the process was so delayed but were hopeful that their son would return home to them, safe and sound. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. "CIA: Crime Investigation Australia" The Butchered Boys (TV - IMDb 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. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. The Family Murders - Strange Matters Podcast True Crime Conversations: The Family Murders Of Adelaide on - Apple The name of the group stems from an interview a police detective gave on 60 Minutes, claiming the police were taking action to break up the happy family. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. The death of George Duncan would serve as a catalyst, eventually martyring Duncan himself and leading to repeals of South Australia's harsh anti-homosexuality laws. 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. Police were now back, right where they had started. 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. This section explores his social network. Dylan John Kovarskis sentenced to 20 years' jail for murder of Adelaide If that was true, then could that have been happening to the other young male victims that had been viciously murdered in the preceding years? The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. 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. Four of the five murders remain unsolved. 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. A day or two prior, at least. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. We know, from the 2014-2017 Royal Commission, that Debi Marshall's count of 150 disappeared boys in Adelaide is miniscule compared to the number tens of thousands of victims who stepped forward once they were invited by the RC. 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. 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. Victims - The Family Murders Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. Bevan Spencer von Einem is serving a life sentence for one of those murders. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . This is an analysis of the information provided by Wendy Roles and Greg McInerney in the book The Family Murders: Dissected The Timeline 25 Aug (Sat) Michael B sees band-aid on Neil's leg at the methadone clinic during the day. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' Kindle Edition - Amazon.com.au 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. Listen to "The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders)" on Spreaker. 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. This was cancelled the night before. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. 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. 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). Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. Due to changes in the Forensic Procedures Act, which later allowed DNA samples to be taken from suspects in major indictable offences, all the suspects voluntarily submitted to DNA testing. The periphery of The Family is a grey area. Case 166: The Family : r/Casefile - reddit 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. 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. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five sadistic murders committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as The Family. [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. They phoned police that evening, hoping that their son's whereabouts could be chalked up to a simple miscommunication. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. 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. Their psychological profile indicated that Neil's body had been carved up due to either a psychotic killer that derived pleasure from inflicting pain on others or someone that wanted to hide his/her identity. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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 This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. 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. 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. 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. 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. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. The Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. 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. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. Australia's murder capital: Why can't Adelaide bury the myth? [8] The reward carried an offer of immunity to accomplices, dependent on their level of involvement. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. 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. Once in the car they would be offered a drink that was laced with a knockout drug. 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 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. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George.