Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. 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. [citation needed]. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. A cold case review was opened in March 2008 with a $1,000,000 reward available for anyone who provided information leading to a conviction. 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. Show True Crime Conversations, Ep The Family Murders Of Adelaide - 10 Nov 2021. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. 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. In the days immediately after Neil Muir's death, Dr. Millhouse had gone on a bit of a self-described "bender." For that reason, this crime remains technically unsolved to this day. Noctec was found in his blood, suggesting he had been drugged. [4][10], Some authorities do not recognise the term "The Family", stating that "[t]hey should not be given any title that infers legitimacy. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. This reported sighting led police to the notion that a group of people might have been acting in-tandem to abduct Richard, for reasons that appeared nefarious. Australia - Australia -the Family, 1979-83, Adelaide, B S Von Einem 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 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. Australian police launch appeal to solve string of notorious killings stretching back to 1966, The Advertiser - Doctor found not guilty of Family murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW, Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. 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. According to his family, this was right in-line with Richard's odd sense of humor. The Family Murders - Wikipedia 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. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. An accountant by profession, he was convicted in 1984 for the murder of 15-year-old Adelaide teenager Richard Kelvin, the son of local television and radio personality Rob Kelvin. 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. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. But he then set off again, likely headed towards the distant Rundle Mall, where he was due to meet up with his friend, Daniel, that day. 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. Following the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1975, Adelaide began to be known as one of the more progressive cities in all of Australia. von Einem is serving life imprisonment. Police didn't believe that this voice was Richard, as he was a teenager with a deep voice that had already cracked. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. 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. The Family murders: Bevan Spencer von Einem's shocking jailhouse Unfortunately, it did not. 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. Alan's friend made it back to his house within minutes, but unfortunately, Alan was not so lucky. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Unfortunately, as the farmer's land burned, so did the remains of the missing teenager. 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. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. Most were later described as being worthless, but a few piqued the interest of Investigator O'Brien. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. This was about 300 metres from his family home. The Family Murders - Strange Matters Podcast Like most of the victims targeted by this unknown subject, Richard Kelvin was a young and athletic young man, who seemed destined to have a long and rewarding life. Some of his strategies were to unscrew his car muffler or pull out his choke and ask an unsuspecting youth to help him with car trouble. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. Because of this lack of clarity, police were unable to press forward with any charges for the offenders, and George's story would become buried by more pressing police concerns in the coming weeks and months. Mr B - The Family Murders Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. Mr B made contact with police two days after Alan Barnes was found. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. 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. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. [14][24] His body was found on 24 July by a geologist who was searching for moss-covered rocks near a dirt airstrip at Kersbrook. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. Millhouse would have. 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,. Because homosexuality was still outlawed in Australia at this point, Vice officers would often detain individuals that they believed were loitering nearby known gay hotspots. Neil Fredrick Muir, aged 25,[12][13] murdered two months after Barnes in August 1979. 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. A Breakdown of a series of murders that took place in Adelaide, South But underneath the surface, a monster lingered 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. Their psychological profile indicated that Neil's body had been carved up due to either a psychotic killer that derived pleasure from inflicting pain on others or someone that wanted to hide his/her identity. 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. 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. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. Police believe this murder is associated with other high profile murders commonly referred to in the media as the 'Family Murders'. Once it became clear that something had happened to Peter, his family launched a frantic search for him, starting in the family's home. Banquet: A Marvelous Book about "The Family Murders" in Adelaide Wife 'kills family in murder-suicide' - news.com.au What the two got up to that evening is anyone's guess, but rumors and theories have propagated this story in the decades since. 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 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". Bevan von Einems life revolved around sexual sadism. Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. An examination of Richard's body discovered that his cause-of-death was virtually identical to the other young male victims: blood loss caused by extensive anal injuries. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. While police pounded the pavement to find out what had happened to Richard Kelvin, the young man's life was slowly coming to an end. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. See what they say here. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. 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. 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. [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. The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. 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. 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. This was cancelled the night before. At the same time he was developing a network of people who made it possible for him to carry out his sexually sadistic fantasies. The skeletal remains of one victim bore marks to reasonably indicate a similar experience and outcome. Dylan John Kovarskis sentenced to 20 years' jail for murder of Adelaide 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. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes The first of which was a very specific call alleging that two men - named Doug and Mark - were responsible for abducting Richard Kelvin. 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. Case 166: The Family : r/Casefile - reddit Five murders and over 150 rapes. Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. 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. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. 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. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. 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. Alan's body had fallen to the dirt below, twisting and contorting in such a way that - should he have been alive - would have surely resulted in death or serious injury. His friend likely just assumed that Peter had bailed on their plan, and likely gone to school that day. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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? The Family Murders: 'Dissected' Kindle Edition - Amazon.com.au The Family Murders Of Adelaide. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. 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. Mark Langley However, when Neil Muir's body was discovered, his internal organs had been removed and were gone entirely, leading to police being unable to test his blood levels. 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. 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. 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. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. Apart from von Einem, three other core members are thought to be directly involved in the murders; while DNA testing re-commenced in 2008, no further charges have been laid.