Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. This has come to be disputed over the years, with some speculating that Alan might have willingly consumed the drug the weekend before his death; or, perhaps, he might have been slipped it by someone at the bars he was rumored to visit with his friends that Saturday. This group was believed to be involved in the kidnapping and sexual abuse of approximately 150 teenage boys and young men, as well as the torture and murder of 5 young men aged between 14 and 25, in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1970s and 1980s. 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. 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. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. 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. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. Police were now back, right where they had started. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. 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. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. Richard and Boris remained at the park for a bit longer, kicking around the soccer ball and chatting, before eventually, Boris decided to make his way home. 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,. 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. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. 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. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . See what they say here. Just east of Adelaide, this area is well-known to Southern Australians, as it serves as a primary destination for the area's outdoorsmen and women. 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 caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. The male and female drove off but returned At about 6pm on a Sunday afternoon, Richard walked his friend to the bus stop on O'Connell St, North Adelaide. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. 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. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. 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. Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. Over a span of several years starting in 1979 and into the 80s five young men, aged from 14 to 25, went missing in different areas of Adelaide. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. 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 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. This case includes mysterious attacks, brutal murders, and a dark conspiracy surrounding a secret group of elites that preyed on the young in the city. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Players - The Family Murders Players Five murdered young men, over 150 violent abduction drug-rapes, two people arrested, one person found guilty. He consented to any available tests or analysis, and during a medical screening, it was discovered that the young man did have tears in his anus, proving that he had been raped. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. 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"). If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. 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. Several eyewitnesses remembered seeing Alan and his long, blond hair standing along Grand Junction Road that Sunday. 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. 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 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". [citation needed]. 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. 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. He was found wearing most of the clothing he had last been seen in, minus an undershirt and without the chains he often wore around his neck (which contained his zodiac sign, Cancer). Enjoy reading. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. 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. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. 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. 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 . Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. 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. 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. 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. 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. A span of 4 years. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. Medical examiners and investigators began to theorize about the rationale for the surgical scar, and the most plausible one to-date is perhaps one of the worst to imagine. Eventually, Peter returned home with his backpack, stowing it in his family's garage while his parents were at work. After all, three of the victims (Alan Barnes, Neil Muir, and Mark Langley) had all died of similar injuries, and at least three (Alan Barnes, Mark Langley, and now Richard Kelvin) had all gone missing on Sundays. 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. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five murders speculated to have been committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as "The Family".This group was believed to be involved in the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a number of teenage boys and young men, as well as the torture and murder of five young men aged between 14 and 25, in Adelaide, South . He 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . But now, they needed to find a suspect. Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. 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. 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. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. 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. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. This was cancelled the night before. Whatever it was, it looked like a human body but was somehow twisted and contorted in an inhuman nature. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. The two had been dating for about a month now, and Richard had excitedly told his mother that he planned on proposing when his girlfriend and he were nineteen years old. 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. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. 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. 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. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. 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). One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. While working for Major Crimes, Investigator O'Brien received an anonymous tip that Richard Kelvin was being held against his will in a caravan in the Adelaide Foothills. For many, that meant gay-specific bars and clubs, where these individuals were allowed to socially express themselves honestly for the first time in their lives. The Family Murders was a series of murders in the 1970s and 1980s that targeted young men in Adelaide, South Australia between the ages of 14 and 25. 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. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. This section explores his social network. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. 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. 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. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . 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. 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. 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. Alan Barnes was a teenager growing up in this environment, who seemed to live on the bubble between childhood and adulthood in the winter of 1979. On this night, in particular, that included these three men. Over time Trevor kept diary records of his conversations with that suspect as well as another suspect. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. 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. 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. 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. '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. The periphery of The Family is a grey area. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.