Sources and further reading

Follow the records behind the story, and explore other perspectives on this history.

Reviewed 27 October 2026. Each entry explains what the source supports and what has been checked. Original photographs, articles and book extracts are not reproduced here. Some external records contain distressing details.

Read the story of the Adelaide Family Murders

The five cases

Official case profile
Case profile — Alan Arthur Barnes (opens in a new tab)
Crime Stoppers SA · 18 June 2021
Missing-person report, discovery, uncertain sightings and a dated reward appeal.
Official case profile
Case profile — Neil Frederick Muir (opens in a new tab)
Crime Stoppers SA · 30 August 2021
Neil’s known circumstances, discovery and the 1980 acquittal.
Official case profile
Case profile — Peter Stogneff (opens in a new tab)
Crime Stoppers SA · 27 August 2021
The missing-person report, an uncertain sighting and the June 1982 discovery.
Official case profile
Case profile — Mark Langley (opens in a new tab)
Crime Stoppers SA · 28 February 2022
The party, War Memorial Drive, discovery and the police assessment of links between cases.
Official appeal
More people suspected in the abduction and murder of Richard Kelvin (opens in a new tab)
Crime Stoppers SA · 9 June 2020
Abduction, discovery, conviction and the police belief that other people participated. Its reference to von Einem being in custody describes 2020, before his death.

Investigation and public records

Reported case history
Chapter closes on ‘The Family’ murders that stole Adelaide’s innocence (opens in a new tab)
ABC News · Jordanna Schriever · 30 November 2025
The Kelvin prosecution, later charges, the origin of the public label and the families’ earlier appeals. This retrospective predates von Einem’s death.
Contemporary court reporting
Record 24-year non-parole period for boy’s killer (opens in a new tab)
The Canberra Times · Trove, National Library of Australia · 10 November 1984 · page 10
Reports the original sentencing and the judge’s statements about accomplices. This is newspaper reporting, not the sentencing transcript. Its original non-parole period should not be mistaken for the final position after appeal.
Contemporary court reporting
Murder case abandoned (opens in a new tab)
The Canberra Times · Trove, National Library of Australia · 2 February 1991 · page 10
Reports the discontinuance of Alan’s charge and the earlier withdrawal of Mark’s, following an evidentiary ruling. Read as a contemporary report of those court events, rather than a complete charging chronology.
Contemporary radio transcript
SA Govt doubles reward for ‘Family murders’ (opens in a new tab)
ABC PM · Margie Smithurst · 28 October 2008
A Major Crime review, DNA sampling and police comments about possible accomplices. These are statements from 2008, not a current forensic update.
Primary court record · PDF
Inquest into the death of Bevan Spencer von Einem [2026] SACC 38 (opens in a new tab)
Coroners Court of South Australia · State Coroner Whittle · 28 August 2026
Confirms the date and cause of death in custody. It does not determine responsibility for the unresolved murders.

Suppression orders and the campaign

Reporting with police and court responses
‘The Family’ murders suspects should not be protected by suppressions, victims’ relatives say (opens in a new tab)
ABC News · Matthew Ward Agius and Rachael Merritt · 2 September 2026
Robyn Barnes’s petition, the police position, the government response and the court’s explanation that a petition is not required.
Primary legislation · PDF
Evidence Act 1929 (SA), sections 69A–69AC (opens in a new tab)
South Australian Legislation · Consolidation current from 1 July 2026
Open justice, grounds for suppression, applications to vary or revoke orders and review provisions. The terms of an individual order must be checked separately.
Journalist’s interview
The Interview: Debi Marshall can’t stop investigating murder (opens in a new tab)
ABC News · Rhiannon Stevens · 12 September 2026; updated 15 September
Marshall explains her continuing work and the effort to review some suppressions. Her assessment of the cases is her stated position.

Books, interviews and community history

Family interview · audio
Neil Muir Was My Father | Episode 5 (opens in a new tab)
Debi Marshall Investigates Frozen Lies · Omny · October 2019
Sonya Muir remembers her father and the effect of his death on his family. The episode description is checked; the full audio has not been independently transcribed for this story.
Investigative book · publisher record
Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders (opens in a new tab)
Debi Marshall · Vintage Australia / Penguin · 31 August 2021
Publisher confirms the edition, date and ISBN 9781760893002. The book is further reading; its full text has not been audited for this story.
Book · library catalogue
Young Blood: The Story of the Family Murders (opens in a new tab)
Bob O’Brien · HarperCollins · 2002 print edition; later ebook
South Australian library listing, including ISBN 9780732269135. Bibliographic details are checked; individual claims in the book still need page-level verification.
Cultural research · thesis and audio archive
Fictocritical sentences (opens in a new tab)
Simon Robb · University of Adelaide · 2001
The repository includes a thesis and audio archive. Its ‘Family Values’ feature was made with Lachlan Colquhoun. This is cultural and media analysis, not a police finding or a straight factual case history.
Community-history research lead · PDF
Did we manage to kill the family? The media whirlwind that was (opens in a new tab)
Kenton Miller · Australian Homosexual Histories conference register · 1998 presentation; later published chapter
The archive’s conference list identifies this lesser-known work and its publication in Australia’s Homosexual Histories: Gay and Lesbian Perspectives V. The full chapter has not been checked here; this link verifies its bibliographic trail.
Independent secondary account · includes graphic material
The Family Murders — independent research website (opens in a new tab)
familymurders.com · Accessed 27 October 2026
Supplied by Cheryl as further reading. The homepage describes alleged recruitment methods and a wider network. Its victim and participant estimates have not been independently established for this account. Names, allegations and interpretations on the external site are not adopted as court findings.