the family murders adelaide victims

The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. Suspect 3, an Eastern Suburbs doctor. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. These individuals have come to be known as the "The Family" and are believed to have kidnapped and sexually abused over 150 boys and are believed to have tortured and murdered at least five teenage boys during a crime spree in Adelaide, South Australia. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? 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. They knew then that the description of the remains - should it become public knowledge - would alert a lot of media to the story and scare a lot of people. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. Police thought that these gruesome and violent actions had been part of an effort to easily transport Neil's remains out to sea, and dispose of them in a way that they'd degrade before being identified. In 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. The 'Family murders' involved the killing and torture of five young men from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. The Family murders are the name of the murders of five young men and teenagers who happened in Adelaide, South Australia between 1979 and 1983. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. [citation needed]. 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). 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. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. However, what wasn't up for debate was the fact that Alan had been violently tortured for hours before his death, with his death ultimately coming from blood loss due to an anal injury. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. He remembered going to a back room of the house to have sex with one of the older women, only to discover - during the act itself - that she was transgender. 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. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. 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. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. 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. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. In the latter half of the 1970s, South Australia had started to regulate drugs like Mandrax, known throughout most of the world as "Quaaludes." Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. 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. 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. Rumours of high-society involvement and cover-ups. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. 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. 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. Mark Langley 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. 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. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. 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. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. 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. 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. (What a lovely country, Australia!) 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. For that reason, many of these men and women had to keep their sexuality confined to specific locations. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. Neil Muir had been missing for less than 24 hours by the time his body was discovered, and because he was an adult that lived alone, police were already at a disadvantage when it came to trying to figure out what happened to him. [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. South Australia's overdue for another The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. 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. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. Richard's family disputed this, vigorously denying the notion that Richard would have run away of his own accord. 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. 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. View description Share. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. 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,. 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. Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. 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. 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. He had a network of over 30 people. 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. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. Mark Andrew Langley RICHARD KELVIN Richard Kelvin, aged 15 years, was abducted at about 6.15 p.m. on Sunday 5 June 1983 from a laneway off Ward Street, North Adelaide. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. He never made it home. 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. 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. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). 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. Oh, that reminds me. Between 1979 and 1983, the city of Adelaide in South Australia was the stage for a horrific string of crimes against young men and teenagers.Five known victims of kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder showed up in those years, and police became convinced that the perpetrator was actually a group of several men . The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. Our locations section shows where all the events happened and where all the players lived. While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). 1979: The Family (1 year) 1999: Snowtown murders discovered (20 years) As of 2021, this is the longest Adelaide has gone without a crime that has made national or international headlines as either a weird case (Somerton Man), child kidnapping or brutal serial killings since WWII. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. 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). 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. 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. Hours would begin to pass, and Alan would fail to return home at all that Sunday. 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. The very next day - August 28th, 1979 - a couple of fishermen were heading out to the Port Adelaide River, on what was supposed to be a regular workday for them. After a bit, Rob decided to walk home, leaving the two boys at the park; assured that it was just down the street from their house and it was still early in the day. 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? 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. 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. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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. Description. Bevan Spencer von Einem is serving a life sentence for one of those murders. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. Another anonymous caller claimed that they had seen Richard Kelvin in a snuff film, which had been filmed very recently. 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. 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. With these results, police were able to successfully link Richard's disappearance and death to at least two prior cases: Alan Barnes and Mark Langley, who had been similarly drugged and sexually assaulted before their deaths.