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While in rehab, Dr. Millhouse refused to speak to police about Neil Muir (or his alleged relationship with the man). 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 were not an official group, gang, or organisation. 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. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. Neil had several drug debts throughout Adelaide, and that is where police started their investigation. 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. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. 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 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 older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the case is how did von Einem find accomplices willing to be involved in such crimes? Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. Police got the number one offender. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. 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. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. 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,. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. 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. Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. 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. Suspect 2, a former male prostitute and close friend of von Einem known as Mr B. 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. 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. [6] Von Einem was also one of the last people seen with a fourth victim, Muir, following his abduction. A span of 4 years. 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. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. 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. 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. So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. The body count had essentially doubled within a couple of months, and police were still unsure whether or not the cases were related. In October of 1982 - in the very midst of this crime spree - a teenage hitchhiker named George had been picked up by a passing car. If you have information about the case then contact us through our contact page. Unfortunately, Richard Kelvin would never make it home. [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. Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. Five murders and over 150 rapes. Mark's remains had also clearly been thoroughly washed before being dumped, just like Alan Barnes. 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. And Marshall is no novice at delving into the minds of evil men. The bags looked as if they had been dropped from the higher-up wharf, just like the body of Alan Barnes had been. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. Gambier, a city roughly five hours south of Adelaide. Unfortunately, by the time they returned, Mark was nowhere to be found. 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. 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. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. 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. 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. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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. Millhouse was charged and went to trial but was acquitted. 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. They hoped to use character witnesses to build up the relationship between the two, and then use other eyewitnesses to fill in the rest (the drugs, the sexual relationship, etc.). The Family Murders is one of Australia's most captivating true crime stories. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. See what they say here. 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. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. 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. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. 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. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. 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. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. 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. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. 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 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 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. 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. 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. View description Share. 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. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. [citation needed]. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. 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. An ear witness said they heard some shouting, 2020 familymurders.com All Rights Reserved. It is confirmed that 5 of these victims were murdered, usually by having an object forced so far up their anus that it split the lining and they bled out. Examiners discovered that just a few inches above his groin - just below his navel - Mark had a small surgical scar that had been sealed shut with staples and a specific type of Johnson & Johnson surgical tape. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. [11], Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35, List of serial killers by number of victims, Von Einem: Lawyers in new bid to re-open Kelvin case, "Doctor found not guilty of 'Family' murder of Neil Muir dies in NSW", "Australian police reopen notorious 1970s Family murders case", "Body in bag: jury acquits doctor in Adelaide", "Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes murder by The Family", "Many Theories, Few Clues in String of Adelaide Murders", "Record 24-year non-parole period for boy's killer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Family_Murders&oldid=1141259172, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:35. He was in G Block of Yatala Prison for decades but was transferred to Port Augusta Prison in the north of the state in 2007. Now twenty-five years old, Neil had spent the better part of the last few years struggling with addictions and vices that left him moving from place-to-place pretty regularly. 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. They had no idea that they were about to make one of the most gruesome discoveries in Australian history. 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. 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. 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. But now, they needed to find a suspect. The other murders remain unsolved. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. 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 caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. If you recall, M.E. This was about 300 metres from his family home. 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. Needing to get away from his friends and clear his head, Mark decided to get out and walk away. 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. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys.