Gino Gambardella regularly scouted Rundle Mall and video game arcades for runaways, homeless teenagers, and youths who he was able to exploit. 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. The Butchered Boys: This episode revisits Adelaide's notorious Adelaide Family Murders case, where six young Adelaide men were murdered during the 1970s and '80s. While searching, they ended up discovering the body of Richard Kelvin, who had been missing for just shy of two months. They tried to hitch a ride on Grand Junction Road, a busy thoroughfare in Adelaide, before realizing that they were going to have no luck hitchhiking together. The older man in the driver's seat reached into the backseat and pulled out a beer from a cooler, offering it to George. It wasn't until the following year, 1983, that police finally rediscovered George's story. Analysis of Kelvin's bloodstream revealed traces of four hypnotic drugs,[11][26] including Mandrax and Noctec. This section explores the people who at this stage are thought to have been on the periphery. He had multiple channels to procuring young men. 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. Mark had driven there with his family, as they were attending the party alongside him, but he would leave with a couple of friends afterward to hang out and cruise around the city with the young adults trying to squeeze out every bit of the Adelaide summer that they could. 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. Police spoke to Alan's friend, who had left him behind on Grand Junction Road. He was also found to be wearing clothing that did not belong to him, and his original clothing was missing entirely. 's had discovered the chemical compound chloral hydrate in the system of Alan Barnes, who also had an above-average level of alcohol in his system: roughly four times the legal limit, which was unusually high for a teenager. And at least one witness - a security guard that lived just down the street from the Kelvins - recalled some more details succinctly. 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. Bevan von Einem was no exception he also preferred youths between the 15 and 19 year old age group. 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. Peter Leslie Millhouse was a doctor from Mt. It's 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. [14] The hair around the area had been shaved as it would have been in an operation in a hospital. 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. The post-mortem revealed that Langley had died from a massive loss of blood from gross injuries to his anus, similar to Barnes. Just a few months later, in June of 1982, the family of missing 14-year-old Peter Stogneff would finally get some resolution. But he didn't commit these crimes on his own. However, that was very circumstantial evidence at best, and anything but definitive. 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. On Saturday, June 16th, 1979, Alan spent the night at a friend's house. The final two - Mark Langley and Richard Kelvin - had disappeared just blocks away from one another. 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. Listen to "The Family Murders (Part One: The Murders)" on Spreaker. 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. Once known as the "City of Churches," Adelaide began going through a stark progression in the 1960s. Five murders and over 150 rapes. 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. See what they say here. 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. 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. This was as good of a tip as police were going to get, and since the most recent victim of this strange killing spree had been found in the Foothills, police decided to follow through on the tip. 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. 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. It shows the facts and most likely scenarios, but is fluid so when new information comes to light changes can easily be made. Neil's penis had been cut, and he was missing a testicle at the time of discovery. 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 case includes mysterious attacks, brutal murders, and a dark conspiracy surrounding a secret group of elites that preyed on the young in the city. 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. The other two men thrown into the river with him managed to escape with their lives, but they did not escape unscathed. Like the other victims, Richard Kelvin's blood and organs were tested for any sign of drugs, with investigators hoping to find a connection to any of the prior victims. The other murders remain unsolved. He had school the next day, dinner was waiting, and he wanted to call his girlfriend. His mother, Judy, would later describe him as being incredibly witty; "cheeky," as she describes in a 2006 documentary, going on to say that Alan was always quick on his feet, and would respond to any type of comment with something sarcastic and bitterly funny. Shockingly, police found an insane combination of sedatives in his system, which included the drugs Noctec, Mandrax, valium, Rohypnol, and amytal. High profile lawyer and murder victim Derrance Stevenson regularly entertained teenage youths. Even though he was nearly an adult at this point - and had a fair amount of independence in his life - this disappearance was deemed very out-of-the-ordinary. The ongoing investigation featured in an episode of Crime Stoppers which went to air on 2 March 2009. 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 . He was last seen stumbling down the street, supposedly wandering off to parts unknown. Ten years von Einem's junior, Mr B helped von Einem pick up, drug, and rape several young men. That was believed to have been Neil's cause-of-death, same as Alan Barnes. When this young man woke up the next day, he was surprised to find himself both at home and in significant pain. 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. 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. 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. 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). Unfortunately, that Thursday, Peter never arrived at the mall to meet his friend. George, an impressionable young man, was enticed by the offer and accepted. This witness would also recall hearing this supposed argument on the street come to a sudden end, punctuated with the sound of a loud exhaust system as a car sped down the street. He loved music - both playing it and listening to it - and had a good rapport with his friends, whom he hung around constantly. 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. [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. Just like Neil Muir, whoever had taken him had killed him and dumped his body pretty quickly, within a day or two. Like the other victims, investigators would learn a lot from the status of Mark's remains. Some showed signs of prolonged captivity, while death came quick to others . However, the medical examiners in Adelaide concluded definitively that Alan had died several hours before this happened. From the outside looking in, von Einem was incredibly average. 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 4 had horrific injuries with clear signs of torture, abuse and confinement lasting up to 5 weeks. Stogneff's body had been cut into three pieces in a similar fashion to Muir. Dylan John Kovarskis murdered Nathan Russell in 2021 . Oh, that reminds me. The last victim was the son of our local television newsreader. So they tried to safely guard the parts of the investigation that they could. It was this rapport that caused Peter to skip school on Thursday, August 27th, 1981. But his teachers recalled him being absent, and hours would pass that afternoon (heading into the evening) and Peter would fail to return home. 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. 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. Some time after they went missing, their bodies would each be found, often horribly mutilated. The Family werent an official club or group, rather a loose collection of people with Bevan von Einem at the centre. But only one recalled seeing where Alan might have gone. 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. Police first treated Richard as a runaway; an unfortunate symptom of the times. He had been sexually assaulted and went on to report this bizarre, terrifying incident to police. 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. In 2014 when Trevor passed away, his diaries were recovered. The Family Murders is one of Australias most captivating true crime stories. 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.
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