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. 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". Peter Stogneff, aged 14,[17] murdered in August 1981. 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. Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. He never made it home. 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. Richard Dallas Kelvin, (born 4 December 1967) aged 15,[23] murdered in July 1983. 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. I first heard of the murders in an episode of an Australian television program called . 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. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. Mark Langley was an 18-year-old with the entire world in front of him: an athletic and good-looking young man, who quickly endeared himself to others. Hence, the odd scar that seemed to serve no other purpose. Criminologist Alan Perry of the University of Adelaide, has argued that the murders were part of widespread series of kidnappings and sexual assaults of boys that might number several hundred victims in South Australia from about 1973 to 1983.[11]. 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"). If you recall, M.E. He had struggled to wean himself off of heroin, using methadone to do so, only to have methadone become his next addiction. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS. Police were now back, right where they had started. Was Dr Millhouse involved in Neil Muirs murder. This was about 300 metres from his family home. Trevor Peters lived two doors away from one of the transgender suspects and mixed in the same circles as a number of suspects. There are also notorious unsolved disappearances in Adelaide, including the Beaumont children. 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. 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. 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.). 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. 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 Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. This included people that visited the same bars and clubs as Neil and perhaps knew him that way. [18] His skeletal remains were found in October 1982 later by a local farmer at Middle Beach, 50km north of Adelaide. by enjin | Feb 12, 2021 | victim. 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. 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. It's important to note that, even though members of the LGBTQ community felt more comfortable to express themselves socially, that did not mean that everyone in the area was necessarily welcoming. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. The jury visits spot where Richard Kelvin's body was found, northeast of Adelaide. Some of the victims were brutally tortured, or horrifically mutilated or cut up. The victims were all young men, who had gone missing in or near the northern section of town. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. 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. 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. March 3, 2023 - 7:08PM. 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. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. Just east of Adelaide, this area is well-known to Southern Australians, as it serves as a primary destination for the area's outdoorsmen and women. 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. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. 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. Mark Andrew Langley RICHARD KELVIN Richard Kelvin, aged 15 years, was abducted at about 6.15 p.m. on Sunday 5 June 1983 from a laneway off Ward Street, North Adelaide. For many, that meant gay-specific bars and clubs, where these individuals were allowed to socially express themselves honestly for the first time in their lives. 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. After all, three of the victims (Alan Barnes, Neil Muir, and Mark Langley) had all died of similar injuries, and at least three (Alan Barnes, Mark Langley, and now Richard Kelvin) had all gone missing on Sundays. This website was built on publicly available information contributed by many people who have an interest in this case. Description. Richard's family disputed this, vigorously denying the notion that Richard would have run away of his own accord. 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 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. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. 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. 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. It wasn't until the next day, Sunday (February 28th), that Mark's parents began to grow concerned. Oh, that reminds me. SA convicted murderer Bevan Spencer Von Einem during the jury's tour of North Adelaide dumping spot of Richard Kelvin's body. 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. Of the five men that fell prey to this violent killer, at least two had been drugged with Mandrax, as had George. Veale Gardens had a thriving male prostitution scene, many of which were underage. His head had also been removed from the rest of his body, but was placed in its own separate black trash bag and connected with a rope tie to the rest of the remains. [2] The suspects and their associates were linked mainly by their shared habits of "actively [having] sought out young males for sex," sometimes drugging and raping their victims. However, they were able to learn from a witness that a young man matching Peter's description had been spotted at Tea Tree Plaza the morning of his disappearance, and had been in the company of an adult male. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. It is estimated that over 150 youths and young men were abducted, drugged, and then raped. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. This section explores his social network. 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. View description Share. By the time they managed to look outside, whoever had been outside had already sped off. Later on, Ian would recall the argument cropping up around cigarettes, but that just proves the point of how nonessential it was. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. The final two - Mark Langley and Richard Kelvin - had disappeared just blocks away from one another. 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." At this point, the idea of a random killer hadn't even crossed investigators' minds. 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. 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. 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. For obvious reasons, he didn't tell his parents, setting out that morning with his backpack and heading off like any other day. Many of these people were directly involved in the abductions and rape of victims who survived. Among those voices, he described, was a higher-pitched voice, which sounded almost feminine. 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. 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. 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.