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Several eyewitnesses remembered seeing Alan and his long, blond hair standing along Grand Junction Road that Sunday. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. He likely did this to hide it from his parents, in case they made it home before he did. Because Neil's transient lifestyle led to him becoming known as a bit of a vagabond, his sexuality was not exactly common knowledge. 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. That evening, as Mark drove around with his friend Ian and Ian's girlfriend, Paula, an argument broke out. He then moved away from Adelaide and the murders continued. 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. 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".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 . The two were hiking through the area near the South Para Reservoir when they noticed something on the ground. Sadly, Neil's biggest vice was his ever-evolving drug addiction. 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. 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. They organized a helicopter search of the area, which O'Brien was present for, but unfortunately, the police were unable to find anything definitive. 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. This site is constantly being updated as more is learned. Alan lived with his parents, both English immigrants, in Salisbury: a northern suburb of Adelaide. Subsequent efforts to reach Alan through his friends had failed, and none of them had seen him since the weekend. Between 1979 and 1983, a series of heinous murders shocked Adelaide. His body also showed signs of beatings and torture. Following the supposed abduction of Richard Kelvin, the police unit known as Major Crimes was tasked with overseeing the investigation. However, Neil's life was far less glamorous; rumors persist to this day that, leading up to August of 1979, Neil was engaging in sex work to support his bad habits and lifestyle. 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. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is perhaps most well known for its beautiful, scenic landscape, which is wedged in-between the Adelaide Foothills to the east, the coastline that runs along the west and down into the southern cape, and expanse of vast Australia that lies to the north. It was the body of Neil Muir or, rather, what remained of him. While investigators had been keeping information closely guarded in this case, they decided to publicize this information to the media in the hopes that it would attract follow-up tips. 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 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"). This is made apparent when we look at a story from 1972, which ultimately led to drastic overhauls in Southern Australian law and cemented its place in the nation's history. He was seventeen years old, with a youthful, handsome appearance, and a carefree, fun-loving attitude. Both witnesses - who were friends with Neil and drug users themselves - were prepared to testify should this man be tried for the murder. 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. One victim was killed and dumped within 24 hours, another was kept alive for five weeks, and the rest were in between. 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. Needless to say, over the past few months, this investigation had become a new beast entirely. Mark Langley 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). Police were called out to the scene, and an extensive search of the area commenced. 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. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. Because very little physical evidence had been left behind, it was hard to tell whether or not these crimes belonged to the same spree, or were simply copycats. The Family Murders Of Adelaide. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. In 1979, residents of Adelaide were gripped by fear when several young men began to go missing under mysterious circumstances. 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. Hundreds of sordid and terrifying crimes and only one man found guilty in relation to only one victim. [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. A few more anonymous calls would be received in the coming weeks. 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. Five young men were mysteriously abducted in different . 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. Unfortunately, this lead ultimately led nowhere, so police began investigating people more tentatively linked to Neil through his social circle. The victims were found in random locations throughout the state, their bodies neatly cut into pieces. He remembered going to a back room of the house to have sex with one of the older women, only to discover - during the act itself - that she was transgender. The son was fifteen when he was snatched from the street . This young man, Bevan Spencer von Einem - an acquaintance of James' - had helped James make it to shore and then drove him to the nearby Royal Adelaide Hospital. Over the next few days, it became apparent that Alan Barnes was not returning home. Due to the state of the young man's remains, it was believed that Alan had been detained against his will for several days. He had been killed elsewhere and then transported to this location postmortem, implying that the killer had a base of operations for his or her dark deeds. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. See what they say here. Millhouse would have Peter intended to skip school and meet his uncle (similar age) in Rundle Mall. A span of 4 years. Progressive ideas began to spread out from Adelaide, but even then, progress itself was rather slow to catch on throughout large chunks of South Australia. 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]. POLICE are investigating new information linking convicted killer Bevan Spencer von Einem to the abduction and murder of teenager Alan Barnes. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Stogneff still skipped school but never made it home. Bob O'Brien was an investigator for Major Crimes, who had just started working with the unit the year prior (1982).