That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. While police began to investigate who might be responsible for this heinous crime, medical examiners testing the body made a pretty shocking discovery: the presence of drugs in his blood. 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. 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. 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. Police were now back, right where they had started. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. Now, with Mark Langley, police were able to confirm the presence of the drug Mandrax in his system. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. 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. Murdered victims were kept in captivity by the Family for up to five weeks. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. 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. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. 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. See what they say here. [5] Others, who have examined the cases, however, argue that there were many more victims. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. 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 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. 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. 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. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. He would literally go on to write the book about this terrifying saga, called "Young Bloods," which - if you're interested - is one of the best resources for this case. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. [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. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. 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. Do you think the Family Murders case will ever be solved? Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. 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. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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. Global Nav Open Menu . 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. Once in the car they would be offered a drink that was laced with a knockout drug. 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. 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. The other murders remain unsolved. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. 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. 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. 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. 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. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. 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. Because Mark had been killed and his body been dumped in the Australian summer months, his remains had already suffered some serious decomposition by the time police were called to the scene. 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. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. In the latter half of the 1970s, South Australia had started to regulate drugs like Mandrax, known throughout most of the world as "Quaaludes." Unfortunately, this lead ultimately led nowhere, so police began investigating people more tentatively linked to Neil through his social circle. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. 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 a well known and notorious series of crimes that occurred in Adelaide, Australia. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. 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. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. There, George was plied with beers and other alcoholic beverages while the older women flirted with him. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. 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. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. 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. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. 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. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. '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. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. The police came to this conclusion due to the status of his remains, which weren't nearly as decomposed as they should have been; by the time he was discovered at the end of July, he had been dead for no more than a week or two, despite having gone missing at the beginning of June. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. This was cancelled the night before. But now, they needed to find a suspect. 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. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. 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. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. If you recall, M.E. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. 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. 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. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. Rather than have to read the whole site, or miss updates in the case because you dont know they exist, this section will show time-stamped updates so you can keep up to date with developments. The following morning, however, is a different story. While investigators had been keeping information closely guarded in this case, they decided to publicize this information to the media in the hopes that it would attract follow-up tips. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. 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. 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. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. 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. In June of 1983, Richard Kelvin was approaching sixteen years of age. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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". Dylan John Kovarskis murdered Nathan Russell in 2021 . For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. 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. 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. 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 . It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. 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. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. 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. 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. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. 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. Rumours of high-society involvement and cover-ups. Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. In particular, they were members of the Vice Squad, who typically crackdown on "moral" crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and illegal substances. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance.
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