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But a discovery by the medical examiner seemed to undermine that: in addition to all of this, Neil's genitals had been mutilated by his killer. 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 . Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. 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. Part One: The Murders Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. Other times he would just pick up a hitch hiker. He consented to any available tests or analysis, and during a medical screening, it was discovered that the young man did have tears in his anus, proving that he had been raped. Police believe that up to 12 people, several of them high-profile Australians, were involved in the kidnappings. This ultimately resulted in a victory for Dr. Peter Millhouse's attorneys, earning the man an acquittal and his freedom. Millhouse would have. Investigators were unable to pinpoint Peter's exact cause-of-death, or even estimate when he had been killed. [20] His mutilated body was found in scrub in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance. Over the next year or so, the case would stagnate. The Family Murders - Wikipedia This has come to be disputed over the years, with some speculating that Alan might have willingly consumed the drug the weekend before his death; or, perhaps, he might have been slipped it by someone at the bars he was rumored to visit with his friends that Saturday. On Saturday, February 27th, 1982, Mark attended a friend's 18th birthday party in Windsor Gardens, a neighborhood in northeastern Adelaide. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' Kindle Edition - Amazon.com.au The Family Murders | Adelaide's most notorious unsolved serial killings With tattoos, long hair, and a gruff demeanor, Neil looked like your average rock musician, and his transient lifestyle seems to support that. Unfortunately, it would later be determined that he would suffer in anguish for weeks before meeting eventually dying more than a month after his initial disappearance. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. 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. 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. He had a network of over 30 people. The Family Murders (Part Two: The Family) Unresolved The Family Murders Part Two: The Family As the families of five young men mourned, investigators began to circle around their top suspect, Bevan Spencer von Einem. 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. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office . The Family Murders Of Adelaide. It has been reported that the exposed skin on his face and neck had begun to wither away, leading to the theory that he had been killed shortly after going missing. While police began to investigate who might be responsible for this heinous crime, medical examiners testing the body made a pretty shocking discovery: the presence of drugs in his blood. 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. In the latter half of the 1970s, South Australia had started to regulate drugs like Mandrax, known throughout most of the world as "Quaaludes." 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. This caller alleged that the two older men had been driving around a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. 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,. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. They now had five bodies - five victims - and five families pushing for answers. The head was tied to the torso with rope passed through the mouth and out through the neck. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. 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. 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. This bore signs of premeditation, implying that this wasn't an impulsive decision, but a conscious one by a killer afraid of being identified through forensic testing. Neil Muir was someone that you could describe as a transient. . For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. This argument would carry on for a few minutes, while the trio was parked along War Memorial Drive, overlooking the Torrens River. Wife 'kills family in murder-suicide' - news.com.au Only one suspect has been charged and convicted for a crime. 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. He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. The group was involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, torturing and murdering 5 boys. The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. Some of the employees that worked at the area's bars recalled seeing the two together multiple times that weekend, and other character witnesses described Dr. Millhouse and Neil as being very close friends (intimate, even). 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. 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. 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. 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. The Family Murders is the name given to a series of five murders speculated to have been committed by a loosely connected group of individuals who came to be known as "The Family". Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. 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. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. The Family murders: Bevan Spencer von Einem's shocking jailhouse The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . 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. Referred to as a "Randy Mandy" among the era's deviants, Mandrax was a sedative that had just become popular worldwide with the branding "Quaalude." 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. [7] Suspect 1, an Eastern Suburbs businessman, is believed to have been with von Einem when Kelvin was abducted. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. [16][22] The sedative-hypnotic drug Mandrax, popular in the 1970s disco scene, was found in Langley's blood. Trace evidence, including hair and fibres from von Einem's home, was found on Kelvin's body and clothing. The next day was a Sunday, they both planned to hitchhike to Alan's home in Salisbury. This screening also revealed that the young man had been drugged with Mandrax ("Randy Mandys"), which had resulted in him losing consciousness. Five young men who were drugged, viciously raped and tortured, kept captive for up to five weeks, horrifically mutilated, and ultimately murdered. 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. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. 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. He would literally go on to write the book about this terrifying saga, called "Young Bloods," which - if you're interested - is one of the best resources for this case. Lost diary gives South Australia police new lead into Alan Barnes The smallness of Adelaide and the six degrees of separation theory became even more evident when it was revealed that one of the Family murder victims was Richard Kelvin, son of a popular Channel . 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. 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. In Adelaides gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, young men were coveted for sex. Neil Muir's body had been so badly mutilated that he still barely resembled an entire being. [8] Little more could be determined as the remains had been accidentally burnt by the farmer while clearing his property of scrub.[11][19]. Kelvin was held captive for approximately five weeks[24] and a post-mortem examination revealed that he had died of massive blood loss from an anal injury,[25] likely caused by the insertion of a large blunt object. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. However, police would reach out to all of Mark's known friends, and learned that the night prior - February 27th - he had simply wandered off into the night and had not been seen since. Ian and Paula, Mark's friends, drove away but would return just minutes later, cooler heads having prevailed. He immediately contacted the police, and when they arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly identify the remains as Peter. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. 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. However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. 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. The Family Murders in South Australia : r/UnresolvedMysteries Add onto that abductions, drug-lacing, mutilations, victims held in captivity for weeks, and death by sado-masochism. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. 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. They phoned police that evening, hoping that their son's whereabouts could be chalked up to a simple miscommunication. 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. The night before he went missing he stayed at Darko Kastelan's house in Cheltenham. How did he manipulate large numbers of people to get involved to various degrees even if that involvement was merely remaining silent? 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. Make no mistake, Bevan Spencer von Einem is the architect behind all these crimes. 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. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. Although each attack and mutilation appeared different, police investigators soon began to link the horrific murders to one another. The "Family Murders" - Amateur Sleuth 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. 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. Through these connections, police were able to link all of these crimes together. Boris left on a bus, and Richard started making his way back home a trip that was no more than four-hundred meters. Police got the number one offender. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th, 1983, Richard was kicking around a soccer ball with his father Rob and his friend Boris at a park near his home. He told officers what the two had been up to that weekend: hanging out on Saturday and into Sunday morning, before splitting up. Police wouldn't get around to conducting a door-to-door canvas of the neighborhood until Tuesday, two days after Richard had gone missing. A couple of black trash bags were floating on the low tide of the river's coast. 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. Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. Likely, he was one of the people seen hanging out with Neil at the bars and clubs just days that weekend. In June of 1983, Richard Kelvin was approaching sixteen years of age. The "Family Murders" *Warning: graphic content and mentions of sexual abuse ahead. Due to changes in the Forensic Procedures Act, which later allowed DNA samples to be taken from suspects in major indictable offences, all the suspects voluntarily submitted to DNA testing. George and the driver, a man roughly twice his age with artificially-dyed hair, traveled to a nearby house where a couple of young women welcomed them. Richard was found wearing the same clothing that he had been wearing on the day of his disappearance, but in an unusual twist, was found to be wearing his family dog's collar. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. This section explores his social network. The Family Murders - Strange Matters Podcast The fishermen probed the bags - a mystery just waiting to be unearthed - and quickly discovered that the bags held human remains. Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. And, with the recent discovery of the chemical cocktail found in Richard Kelvin's system, they had a pretty decent foundation for their investigation. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. 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. Interview with a monster: The City of Corpses murders - news 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. In addition to the driver, there appeared to be a couple of other occupants inside of the car that they, unfortunately, could not recall many details of. 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.). 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. Moments later, George lost consciousness, falling prey to the drugs that he had consumed. The Family Murders: 'Dissected' - Amazon.com.au In August of 1979, Neil was living alone in an apartment on Carrington Street, right in the middle of Adelaide itself. Lock up your sons in the world's murder capital This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. 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. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. Its always easier to visualise events when you have maps. A witness says she saw Stogneff at Tea Tree Plaza with someone matching Noel Brook's appearance. Mark Langley attended party in Windsor Gardens but left with a male and female. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. It was there that they found his backpack hidden in the garage, which ultimately led to calls to all of his friends. "The Family murders" occurred in the period of time between the late 1970s and 1980s. Darko's brother dropped them at a bus stop near the corner of on Grand Junction Rd and Addison Neil Muir was last seen in Hindley St, Adelaide in the company of Dr Peter Leslie Millhouse at 3pm on the day he was murdered. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. The body count had essentially doubled within a couple of months, and police were still unsure whether or not the cases were related. 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. The information is easy to navigate and easy reference. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. Of only one victim. 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). Oh, that reminds me. This period saw the creation of gay clubs in Adelaide (such as a location known as the Mars Bar) and other clubs where all sexualities were welcome (such as the Duke of York or Buckingham Arms, known in the area as "The Buck"). So the police began reaching out to people that worked or had otherwise been in the area. 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. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. Five murders and over 150 rapes. That Monday - August 27th, 1979 - Neil Muir was seen alive for the last time. His body had been severely mutilated and dumped in the South Para Reservoir, northeast of Adelaide. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982). Sadly, this dark and tragic saga was just beginning. [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. That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. 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. 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. Global Nav Open Menu . 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). He vividly remembered hearing a young voice shout out (which we can assume was Richard) and a group of voices screaming in protest, almost in unison. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. Father of boat crash victim Mallory Beach snubs Alex Murdaugh's family 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 victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. 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. 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). 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. Australia's murder capital: Why can't Adelaide bury the myth? George Duncan, one of the three men thrown into the Torrens, would drown that evening. 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. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. The news was heartbreaking for those that had known Alan. It wasn't until Monday morning that Alan's parents decided to contact the police, having not seen him for several days. 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. How, why, or where they had seen this tape escaped the caller, but it was enough to send detectives through the paces of investigating every lead related to this: known deviants, underground porn shops, etc. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. 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. Even though Dr. Peter Millhouse had supposedly known Neil Muir for several years, there was never any proof that the two had a sexual relationship. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. 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. 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. 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. This meant that his remains had likely been sitting out in the wilderness for about a week. Meanwhile, as police struggled to answer these basic questions, the trial against Dr. Peter Millhouse remained a thing of the past. 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. They kicked the footy around. But now, they needed to find a suspect.