Allegations would even surface that indicated Dr. Millhouse had been one of the people in the area that supplied Neil with prescription drugs, but that would remain an allegation for the foreseeable future. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. [5][9] The cold case review was completed in November 2010 with no charges being laid against any of the three key suspects. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. 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. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. 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. 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. A thrash metal band singer and members of his family were killed in an apparent murder-suicide late last month, according to police. Bevan von Einem had a network of around 25-30 people. This notoriety brought with it a poor reputation, however, and by the late 1970s, Mandrax had become a regulated prescription drug throughout Australia. However, instead of charging them with any known crimes, the officers proceeded to throw the three men into the nearby Torrens River. 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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. Unlike the other murder victims, however, Mark's body showed an odd sign of surgical precision. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. 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.). When police had arrived at the crime scene, they assumed that whoever had tried to dump the body of Alan Barnes had failed, in some way. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. 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. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes 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. 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. This conflict has endured because Alan's bloodstream also showed signs of alcohol consumption, which Alan had participated in that same weekend. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. (What a lovely country, Australia!) It was speculated that a foreign object had caused the internal perforations, leading to the belief that the killer had been a sexual sadist whose only intent was to cause physical pain. Although there were in excess of 150 youths and young men who were drugged and raped, often by multiple men, this section focuses on the five young men who didnt come home. 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. Mark had likely hitched a ride with someone, and his friends trusted that he would make it home. 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. [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. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. 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. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. They began probing those that knew Alan and might have taken issue with something he did or said in the weeks before his death; in particular, those that drove a white sedan. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. A short time later, police were contacted and later arrived at the scene to document the grisly find. After being arrested, Dr. Millhouse had denied ever knowing Neil, and continued stating so over the next year, openly defying the dozens of witness statements that claimed they were acquaintances at the least, intimate friends at the most. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. 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 were involved in the abduction of victims who were murdered, some were involved in the rape of murdered victims, and some were involved in murder. While working for Major Crimes, Investigator O'Brien received an anonymous tip that Richard Kelvin was being held against his will in a caravan in the Adelaide Foothills. [3], Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of the murder of Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. 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? 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. 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 . 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). The older driver not only offered to give George a ride but offered to show him a good time with some ladies he knew. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. Alan was supposed to find a ride back home and was taking his luck hitchhiking, hoping that someone willing to pick him up would be heading north towards his family's neighborhood of Salisbury. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. 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. victim - The Family Murders It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. 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. 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. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. Regardless, this information was incredibly helpful to police, who began to expand their interests to finding people in the area that drove similar vehicles. 17-year-old Alan Barnes, 25-year-old Neil Muir, 14-year-old Peter Stogneff, 18-year-old Mark Langley and 15-year-old Richard Kelvin were later found dumped in the Adelaide Hills and surrounds. 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 Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved The Family Murders Of Adelaide - True Crime Conversations 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. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. 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. 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. Police didn't believe that this voice was Richard, as he was a teenager with a deep voice that had already cracked. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . Case 166: The Family : r/Casefile - reddit The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. 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. 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). 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. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. 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. This story would become historic, in more ways than one. But now, they needed to find a suspect. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. Family Murders Are Adelaide's Most Horrific Unsolved Crime - PEDESTRIAN.TV During the 1970s von Einem started developing strategies to lure victims into his car. 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. 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. 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. Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. The closest thing to hard evidence that police found in this sweep was what appeared to be traces of blood on the bathroom floor, which had been cleaned multiple times over with a chemical agent; and, as such, could not be tested. View description Share. 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 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). One such case is the Family Murders of Adelaide, Australia. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. Enjoy reading. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s.