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The Family Murders

COLD1979Adelaide, South Australia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Between 1979 and 1983, five young males aged 14 to 25 were abducted, tortured, and killed in and around Adelaide, South Australia. The crimes became known as "The Family Murders," a name derived from a detective's 1988 television reference to breaking up a "happy family" believed responsible for the killings. Police have said as many as 12 people, including some described as high-profile Australians, may have been involved in related kidnappings and sexual assaults of teenage boys and young men, with several suspects reportedly sharing a pattern of seeking out young males for sex, sometimes drugging and raping them.

The five identified victims were Alan Arthur Barnes (16, killed 1979), Neil Fredrick Muir (25, killed 1979), Peter Stogneff (14, killed 1981), Mark Andrew Langley (18, killed 1982), and Richard Dallas Kelvin (15, killed 1983). The victims had been sexually assaulted and tortured, and sedative drugs including Noctec and Mandrax were detected in several victims' bloodstreams; the remains of some victims had been dismembered. Kelvin, the son of Nine Network newsreader Rob Kelvin, was abducted near his North Adelaide home and held captive for about five weeks before his body was found near an airstrip at Kersbrook; trace evidence including hair and fibres from the home of Bevan Spencer von Einem was recovered from his body and clothing.

Von Einem was convicted in 1984 of Kelvin's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period later extended to 36 years following an appeal in 1985. In 1989 he was charged with the murders of Barnes and Langley, but the prosecution discontinued the case (entering a nolle prosequi) after the trial judge ruled key similar-fact evidence inadmissible. He was also reportedly one of the last people seen with Muir before Muir's disappearance.

Three other individuals — described in reporting as an Eastern Suburbs businessman, a former male prostitute referred to as "Mr B.," and an Eastern Suburbs doctor — have been identified as suspects believed to have been directly involved, but none has been charged. A cold case review beginning in March 2008 offered a $1 million reward and conditional immunity for information, and included renewed DNA testing of suspects; it concluded in November 2010 without further charges. Von Einem died in prison of natural causes on 5 December 2025, aged 79, without providing further information on the other killings. Rewards of between $200,000 and $1 million remain on offer for information leading to convictions in the unsolved cases.

Key facts

Victims
Richard Dallas Kelvin, Peter Stogneff, Neil Fredrick Muir, Mark Andrew Langley, Alan Arthur Barnes
Date
1979
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
Case status
cold

Case timeline

  1. 1979

    Alan Arthur Barnes, 16, is abducted while hitchhiking and later found murdered, his body dumped at South Para Reservoir.

  2. 1979-08

    Neil Fredrick Muir, 25, is murdered; his dismembered remains are found in the Port River at Port Adelaide.

  3. 1981-08

    Peter Stogneff, 14, is murdered.

  4. 1982-10

    Skeletal remains of Peter Stogneff are found by a farmer at Middle Beach.

  5. 1982-02

    Mark Andrew Langley, 18, is murdered; his mutilated body is found in the Adelaide foothills nine days after his disappearance.

  6. 1983-06-05

    Richard Dallas Kelvin, 15, is abducted near his North Adelaide home.

  7. 1983-07-24

    Richard Kelvin's body is found near an airstrip at Kersbrook.

  8. 1984

    Bevan Spencer von Einem is convicted of the murder of Richard Kelvin and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 24-year non-parole period.

  9. 1985-03

    Von Einem's non-parole period is extended to 36 years on appeal.

  10. 1988

    A detective's television interview describing the breakup of a 'happy family' gives rise to the name 'The Family' for the group believed responsible for the murders.

  11. 1989

    Von Einem is charged with the murders of Alan Barnes and Mark Langley; the prosecution later discontinues the case after similar-fact evidence is ruled inadmissible.

  12. 2008-03

    A cold case review is opened with a $1,000,000 reward and conditional immunity offer; DNA testing of suspects resumes.

  13. 2009-03-02

    The investigation features in a Crime Stoppers television episode.

  14. 2010-11

    The cold case review concludes with no new charges laid.

  15. 2025-12-05

    Bevan Spencer von Einem dies in prison of natural causes, aged 79.

Best coverage

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People

  • Bevan Spencer von Einem

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in 1984 of the 1983 murder of Richard Kelvin; sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period later extended to 36 years; charged in 1989 with the murders of Alan Barnes and Mark Langley, but that case was discontinued by the prosecution; died in prison in 2025 without further convictions.

  • Richard Dallas Kelvin

    VICTIM

    Aged 15, murdered in 1983 after being held captive approximately five weeks; son of newsreader Rob Kelvin.

  • Peter Stogneff

    VICTIM

    Aged 14, murdered in 1981; skeletal remains found at Middle Beach in 1982.

  • Neil Fredrick Muir

    VICTIM

    Aged 25, murdered in 1979; dismembered remains found in the Port River.

  • Mark Andrew Langley

    VICTIM

    Aged 18, murdered in 1982; body found mutilated in the Adelaide foothills.

  • Alan Arthur Barnes

    VICTIM

    Aged 16, murdered in 1979; body found mutilated at South Para Reservoir.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Adelaide, South Australia

-34.9285, 138.6007

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A series of five torture-murders of teenage boys and young men in Adelaide, South Australia, during the 1970s and 1980s, attributed to a loosely connected group later dubbed "The Family." Only Bevan Spencer von Einem was ever convicted, for the 1983 murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin; the other four murders remain unsolved.
Where did the murders happen?
Adelaide, South Australia.
Who was convicted?
Bevan Spencer von Einem (Convicted in 1984 of the 1983 murder of Richard Kelvin; sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period later extended to 36 years; charged in 1989 with the murders of Alan Barnes and Mark Langley, but that case was discontinued by the prosecution; died in prison in 2025 without further convictions.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: cold.
More cases in South Australia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICThe Family MurdersWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — trove.nla.gov.autrove.nla.gov.au · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ABC News (Australia)ABC News (Australia) · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026