The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. Police got the number one offender. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . 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. 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. 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. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. He had a network of over 30 people. They wanted to continue eliminating suspects that personally knew Alan ahead of time, but promised to check out von Einem in the future. Bevan von Einem was an apex predator. This meant doing away with large plots of dried-out farmland in a prescribed burn to prepare for the upcoming spring bloom. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. 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. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. 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 . An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. The severing of Neil's limbs and the mutilation of his body was originally believed to have been part of an effort to dispose of his body. 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. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. In a word, no. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th, 1983, Richard was kicking around a soccer ball with his father Rob and his friend Boris at a park near his home. He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. 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. The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. 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. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. The convicted killer and notorious head of "The Family" ring who picked up hitchhikers and schoolboys to drug and offer to South Australia's elite to sexually abuse has broken his 20-year silence, to blame his victim, and to claim innocence over other murders. 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. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. Like the other victims, investigators would learn a lot from the status of Mark's remains. He never made it home. 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 searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. But the rumors that he engaged in sex work were mainly perpetrated by those that knew him from his regular haunts: members of Adelaide's gay community, who regularly saw Neil at the gay-friendly bars they frequented. 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. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. But now, they needed to find a suspect. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. 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. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. 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. 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). 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. 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. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. 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 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. 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. Richard Kelvin's disappearance was a slightly higher profile case than the others I've covered so far - due to him being the son of the region's top newscaster - but even then, the investigation was not without fault. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. Peter Stogneff was a fourteen-year-old that lived with his family in a middle-class home, in a northeastern suburb of Adelaide. 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. 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. 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. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . 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. We know that on the morning of Sunday, June 17th, Alan and his friend woke up, and tried their luck hitchhiking back to Alan's family's house (a practice that wasn't that uncommon in the late 1970s). He had seemingly disappeared, and a brief search of the area failed to come up with him. (What a lovely country, Australia!) Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. 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. 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. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. 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 post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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. The other murders remain unsolved. This was cancelled the night before. 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. 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. 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. 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. Mark Andrew Langley, aged 18,[17] murdered in February 1982. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. I think we might get closer to understanding what happened but I think lack of physical evidence pretty much rules out any more charges being laid. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. Oh, that reminds me. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. 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. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan, Producers: Maggyjames, Ben Krokum, Roberta Janson, Quil Carter, Peggy Belarde, Laura Hannan, Damion Moore, Amy Hampton, Scott Meesey, Steven Wilson, Scott Patzold, Marie Vanglund, Lori Rodriguez, Jessica Yount, Aimee McGregor, Danny Williams, Sue Kirk, Victoria Reid, Sara Moscaritolo, Thomas Ahearn, Marion Welsh, Seth Morgan, Sydney Scotton, Alyssa Lawton, Kelly Jo Hapgood, Patrick Laakso, Meadow Landry, Rebecca Miller, and Tatum Bautista, Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music, Other music created and composed by Ailsa Traves, Young Bloods: The Story of the Family Murders by Bob OBrien, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Alan Arthur Barnes, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Neil Fredrick Muir, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Peter Stogneff, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Mark Andrew Langley, Crime Stoppers (South Australia) - Richard Kelvin, The Sydney Morning Herald - Adelaides Duncan case: letting some light shine in, The Sydney Morning Herald - Boys murderer refused High Court appeal, The Sydney Morning Herald - Macabre Adelaide (1), The Sydney Morning Herald - Macabre Adelaide (2), The Sydney Morning Herald - Murderer quizzed on death of youth, The Age - Men fled as Duncan died, court told, The Sydney Morning Herald - The Beaumonts, Kirste and Joanne: the mystery may be over, The Sydney Morning Herald - Witness feared threats to his life, The Age - Court told rape victim thought he would die, The Sydney Morning Herald - Family killings murder charge dropped, The Age - Lock up your sons in the worlds murder capital, The Weekend Australian - How Mother Goose ducked pedophile net, The Advertiser - Police seek von Einem associate, Perth Now - DNA tests for Family murder suspects, The Advertiser - $5M reward bid to solve Family murders, The Sydney Morning Herald - Reward doubled to solve Family murders, The Telegraph - Australian police reopen notorious 1970s Family murders case, The Sydney Morning Herald - Aussie pedophile deported from Indonesia, The Advertiser - Focus on three key suspects, The Advertiser - Revealed: The double life of a magistrate who sought young men, ABC News - Mother Goose sex trial starts in Adelaide, The Advertiser - Mother Goose claims he was set up by gay ex-prostitutes, The Advertiser - Doctor with alleged links to The Family identified as Stephen George Woodards, The Advertiser - Sex-case doctor Stephen George Woodards free to practise, ABC News - Mother Goose acquitted of sex charges, The Advertiser - Paedophile Peter Liddy fears prison attack, ABC News - Former TV entertainer sentenced for sex offences, The Advertiser - Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes murder by The Family, The Daily Mail - Will $13million reward solve the murders of 18 children? 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. 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 . I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. 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. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. 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. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. 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. 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. 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. 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. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. 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. Global Nav Open Menu . 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 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. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. 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 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. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. 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. Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. Of only one victim. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. 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. However, Neil's life was far less glamorous; rumors persist to this day that, leading up to August of 1979, Neil was engaging in sex work to support his bad habits and lifestyle. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. But he decided to instead head to a local mall, named Tea Tree Plaza, where Peter and his friends often hung out on the weekends. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . 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. 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. However, they were able to learn that - before his body was burned in the brush fire - his remains had been cut into multiple parts with a saw. [citation needed]. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. 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. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. A day or two prior, at least. It was broad daylight, and both were assured that Alan would easily be able to find a ride to take him the few miles home. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. On this night, in particular, that included these three men. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. 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. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. This young man, Bevan Spencer von Einem - an acquaintance of James' - had helped James make it to shore and then drove him to the nearby Royal Adelaide Hospital. 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. 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. 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. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. If you recall, M.E. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. Alan and his friend bid adieu to one another, with his friend assured that Alan would be okay; Grand Junction Road was always busy and teeming with life, and it wasn't like he was leaving Alan in the middle of the night. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan.
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