the family murders adelaide victims

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. 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. These people have no such bond, only an association that with time probably no longer exists". If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. 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. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. 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. Police were now back, right where they had started. At the time of the murder, Dr. Millhouse - a gay man in his mid-forties - lived alone in northern Adelaide, and drove a ten-year-old Holden sedan. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. 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. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. 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. 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. When Boris had last seen Richard, walking away from the bus stop down the street from his home, he had still been wearing the collar, and it is has been theorized that the collar itself might have been a trigger for the deviant (or deviants) that ultimately decided to abduct Richard. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. 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. 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. If your information is verified and its not breaking any laws, we may publish it. For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. As the 1970s entered their homestretch, Alan was beginning to enter the phase of his life where he experimented with drug and alcohol usage. Enjoy reading. 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. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. We know, from the 2014-2017 Royal Commission, that Debi Marshall's count of 150 disappeared boys in Adelaide is miniscule compared to the number tens of thousands of victims who stepped forward once they were invited by the RC. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. 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. Things then came full circle when he began using heroin again, and shortly thereafter, followed that up with a dependence on Rohypnol ("roofies", commonly known as the date-rape drug). Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. Police had still not linked the two cases - Barnes and Neil Muir - but while being questioned about the first murder, von Einem inquired about the second without any provocation. 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. The Family Murders revolved around von Einem. 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. During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. 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. This was cancelled the night before. 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. A span of 4 years. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. 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. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. 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). Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. 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. 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. 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). 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. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. 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 victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. The son of popular local Nine Network news presenter Rob Kelvin, he was abducted a short distance from his North Adelaide home on 5 June. The Adelaide Festival of Arts (also known as just Adelaide Festival) started in 1960 and led to something of a "cultural revival" in the area. 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. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. 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. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. 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. Bevan Spencer von Einem is serving a life sentence for one of those murders. Five murders and over 150 rapes. The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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 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. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. 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. 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. 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. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. View description Share. 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. [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. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison. 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. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. 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. In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. However, they quickly began to narrow in on the one avenue of the investigation that seemed most enticing to them at the time: Neil's dependency on drugs and alcohol. Just two days after the body of Alan Barnes was discovered - when the investigation was still unfolding - an anonymous caller reached out to police. 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. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. 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". 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. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? 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. He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. No additional leads would surface in that time-span, and police would continue to refrain from stating that the two victims so far - Alan Barnes and Neil Muir - were connected in any way (at least, they wouldn't say so publicly). Like the other victims, Richard Kelvin's blood and organs were tested for any sign of drugs, with investigators hoping to find a connection to any of the prior victims. 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. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five sadistic murders committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as The Family. 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. He had a network of over 30 people. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. Police got the number one offender. This witness would also recall hearing this supposed argument on the street come to a sudden end, punctuated with the sound of a loud exhaust system as a car sped down the street. But underneath the surface, a monster lingered The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. The ongoing investigation featured in an episode of Crime Stoppers which went to air on 2 March 2009. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. 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. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. 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. 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. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. 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. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 . [15] A post-mortem examination revealed that Muir had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury, likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object[16] and Noctec was found in his blood. He was able to exploit and manipulate enablers, helpers and participants over a long period of time. 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. Do you think the Family Murders case will ever be solved? The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. Millhouse would have. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. He failed to make any contact with his family, and police began to express concern that he had gone missing under duress. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. If that was true, then could that have been happening to the other young male victims that had been viciously murdered in the preceding years? 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.

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