'The Family' serial killings suspects should be named, victims' relatives say

Relatives of some of the victims of "The Family" murders are demanding the public release of the long-suppressed names of suspects linked to the case.Five young males were murdered in South Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in a series of unsolved abductions police have linked to a group known as "The Family".With the support of other victims' families, Robyn Barnes — the sister of Alan Barnes — is seeking half a million signatures to a public petition to lift 80-year suppression orders on the names of suspects who were allegedly involved."One of the points is that we have to prove public interest outweighs the orders, and that's what we're trying to do," Ms Barnes said.Alan Barnes's body was found beneath the South Para Bridge near Williamstown in June 1979.Robyn Barnes is the sister of Alan Barnes. (ABC News)The 17-year-old was last sighted in the presence of two other males the evening before his body was discovered.The report is considered credible by police, and the two males are known to police.Four other males — Mark Langley, Neil Muir, Peter Stogneff, Richard Kelvin — were each murdered between 1979 and 1983.Notorious child killer Bevan Spencer von Einem was convicted of the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin but he was thought to have been connected, alongside "The Family" group, to the brutal murders of the four other young men.Von Einem died of cancer while in prison in December 2025, and had refused to cooperate with police as they attempted to bring other perpetrators to justice. "The Family" group, it has been speculated, potentially included members of the state's elite. Court documents revealed that, at the time, police told the media the five crimes were linked, sexually motivated "serial killings".Ms Barnes has turned to the public in an effort to show there is support for lifting the decades-old suppression orders.Richard Kelvin was murdered in 1983. (Supplied: SA Police)"In many ways, there's quite a few areas where we've gone as far as we can," she said."We know we will never, ever see the inside of a courtroom. We're never going to see justice as we know it."This is the next best thing we can do for these boys."Ms Barnes said she had received strong support from the community on social media, and was optimistic that would translate to signatures."I like to believe in the public, I like to believe they agree with what's right," she said.Bevan Spencer von Einem was jailed for the murder of Richard Kelvin. (ABC News)Investigation remains openWhile Ms Barnes is seeking signatures to her petition to demonstrate public interest, a Supreme Court spokesperson told ABC News a petition was not necessary for a court to consider revoking a suppression order."Applications to revoke suppression orders may be made under s 69A(6) of the Evidence Act 1929 (SA) by a range of people specified in s 69A(5), which include the person who sought the order, the parties to the proceedings, media representatives and others," they said."A petition is not required under s 69A," they said.SA Attorney-General Kyam Maher told 891 ABC Adelaide the state government did not object to the suppression orders being lifted, but that it would not apply to the courts to do so.He said any interested parties could apply for the lifting of a suppression order."It's the prosecuting investigating authorities who are in the best place to advise the court about what their ongoing investigations are, and what they need," Mr Maher said."We as a government don't have any objection at all to suppression orders being lifted — but, quite rightly, it shouldn't be up to politicians or the government of the day."Mr Maher said he did not know the names of the individuals whose identities were suppressed, and whether the individuals themselves were still alive.An SA Police spokesperson urged anyone with information about the murders to contact Crime Stoppers."Investigations into the murders of Alan Barnes, Mark Langley, Neil Muir, Peter Stogneff and Richard Kelvin remain open and will remain so until resolved," they said.