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. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . But a discovery by the medical examiner seemed to undermine that: in addition to all of this, Neil's genitals had been mutilated by his killer. In June of 1983, Richard Kelvin was approaching sixteen years of age. 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. 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. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. 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. Australia's most notorious unsolved serial killings. 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. 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. 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. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. 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. 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. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. 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. 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. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. 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. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. 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. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. 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. [citation needed]. Kelvin was held captive for approximately five weeks[24] and a post-mortem examination revealed that he had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury,[25] likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. 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. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. After taking the pills, George's memory began to blur. 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. 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. 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. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. 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. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. 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. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. Mr B - The Family Murders Mr B Mr B was named by South Australian police in 2008 as one of the three main suspects who were involved in the murders alongside Bevan 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. 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"). 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. 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. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. [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. 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. 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. 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. Bevan von Einem was no exception he also preferred youths between the 15 and 19 year old age group. There was a bridge above where his body had been discovered, with a clearing of about a meter; implying that whoever had tried to throw him into the water below had missed the mark, but had not rectified their mistake. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. The other murders remain unsolved. When they finally got around to doing this, after the discovery of Richard Kelvin's body, one name popped out at them. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. Description. 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." Meanwhile, the mutilation of Neil Muir's body seemed to be identical to that perpetrated upon Peter Stogneff's remains, whose limbs had been similarly severed with a saw-like device. Criminologist Alan Perry of the University of Adelaide, has argued that the murders were part of widespread series of kidnappings and sexual assaults of boys that might number several hundred victims in South Australia from about 1973 to 1983.[11]. 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. Also, like the other victims, Mark's cause-of-death seemed to be nearly identical: blood loss from an anal injury, caused by the forced insertion of an unknown item. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. Witnesses would later recall having seen the two at some of the area's gay bars and clubs (which I referenced just a moment ago). The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. He was last seen while hitchhiking being picked up by a white HQ Holden sedan carrying three or four people. [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. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. 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. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. 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. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. 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. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. In the days after Neil Muir's body was discovered in separate black trash bags, police had received two separate phone calls alerting them to the victim's relationship with a local doctor. 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. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. Young Blood refers to the age of the victims who were brutally murdered. When using other people (sometimes transgenders, sometimes cross-dressers, and sometimes Mr B), a common ploy was to ask a lone youth if he want to go to a party where there was plenty of booze and women. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. 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. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). He found like minded people who shared a similar sexual bent, and he found people he could mutually exploit to lure victims into his car. 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. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. In a word, no. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. This was about 300 metres from his family home. 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. This theory is that whatever item had been used to sexually assault Mark with - which ultimately led to his death - had gotten caught up in his intestines, and required surgery to retrieve. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. 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. Police got the number one offender. Mark Langley 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 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. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. 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. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. Like the other victims, investigators would learn a lot from the status of Mark's remains. 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. While the men in the river struggled to make it back to the shore, the group that had thrown them into the water made their escape before camera crews or onlookers could begin to gather. This meant doing away with large plots of dried-out farmland in a prescribed burn to prepare for the upcoming spring bloom. 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. 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. 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". Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. 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. In May of 1972, three gay men - George Duncan, Roger James, and another man (whose identity has been withheld in the decades since) - were picked up by members of South Australia's police force. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. 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 . 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. 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. 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. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. 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 is a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. He vividly remembered hearing a young voice shout out (which we can assume was Richard) and a group of voices screaming in protest, almost in unison. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. 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 Family were not an official group, gang, or organisation. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. 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. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. 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. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. For that reason, many of these men and women had to keep their sexuality confined to specific locations. 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. Our locations section shows where all the events happened and where all the players lived. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. View description Share. 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. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. A man who donned a balaclava and stormed a man's Adelaide CBD unit, stabbing him within nine seconds, will spend 20 years behind bars. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). 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 . 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. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. 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 bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. [11], Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35, List of serial killers by number of victims, Von Einem: Lawyers in new bid to re-open Kelvin case, "Doctor found not guilty of 'Family' murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW", "Australian police reopen notorious 1970s Family murders case", "Body in bag: jury acquits doctor in Adelaide", "Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes murder by The Family", "Many Theories, Few Clues in String of Adelaide Murders", "Record 24-year non-parole period for boy's killer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Family_Murders&oldid=1141259172, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35. 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. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. The closest thing to hard evidence that police found in this sweep was what appeared to be traces of blood on the bathroom floor, which had been cleaned multiple times over with a chemical agent; and, as such, could not be tested. 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. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. 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. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. 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. He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. 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.