Notorious South Australian child killer Bevan Spencer von Einem has been seen publicly for the first time in decades after being rushed to hospital with terminal cancer, sparking urgent calls for a deathbed confession to unsolved murders.
The Final Chance for Justice
On Monday, von Einem was transported to Adelaide's Yatala Prison infirmary in critical condition. His imminent death from cancer has created a pressing deadline for investigators and victims' families who have waited decades for answers about Adelaide's most chilling unsolved crimes.
Mark Langley was just 18 years old when he vanished in 1982. His mutilated body was discovered weeks later in the Adelaide foothills, with police suspecting his death was connected to the infamous Family Murders - a series of brutal killings targeting young Adelaide men during the late 1970s and 1980s.
A Family's Forty-Five Year Wait
Mark's sisters, Robyn and Michelle, have broken their silence nearly 45 years after their brother's suspected murder. They describe their brother as cheeky, charming and deeply loved by his family.
"The last link to our brother's killer is going to the grave," Michelle told 7NEWS, highlighting the urgency of their situation.
Von Einem was convicted of murdering 15-year-old Richard Kelvin in 1983, just one year after Mark Langley's body was found. While he was eventually charged over Langley's death as well, those charges were ultimately dropped. Each reopening of the case forced the Langley family to relive the horror of Mark's disappearance and murder.
"I watched my father fight so hard for justice," Robyn recalled. "So many times let down, the devastation etched on his face."
Secrets Heading to the Grave
With von Einem expected to die at any moment, hopes for a confession are fading rapidly. South Australian Police Minister Blair Boyer expressed the community's sentiment, stating: "Bevan Spencer von Einem belongs in the ground. Once he is there, no one will visit his grave."
The Langley sisters suspect there's more to the story than what has been revealed publicly. "It feels like people in very high places have been protected," Michelle said.
While the victims' names are known and their families continue to grieve after decades without closure, the suspects' identities remain protected by suppression orders. The sisters are now demanding these orders be lifted and calling for a Royal Commission before more suspects take their secrets to the grave.
No one has ever been convicted for the murder of 18-year-old Mark Langley, and with von Einem's death approaching, the window for justice is closing fast.
