The police investigation into a crash that killed three young people and left two others seriously ill continues as officers piece together what happened on the tragic night. The five young people disappeared after meeting on a night out in Newport.
The car they had been travelling in was found crashed near the St Mellons area of Cardiff nearly 48 hours after they were last seen in the Pentwyn area of the city. Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Darcy Ross, 21, died and Sophie Russon and Shane Loughlin were seriously injured in the crash.
Over the weekend their families and friends had issued a number of appeals after getting increasingly concerned as time went by without them having had any contact from any of those missing. One family member said that it was "unusual" for them not to have been in touch. Police confirmed their worst fears in the early hours of Monday morning when they confirmed the car they had been travelling in had been found crashed off the A48 near St Mellons.
Here are the facts released so far on this tragedy.
The three young people who died
Eve and Darcy had been friends since primary school along with friend Sophie Russon who is critically ill in hospital. The three girls were all from the Maesglas area of Newport and had gone for a night out at the Muffler bar and club. Rafel Jeanne was pictured with Darcy in the club and was confirmed to have also died in the crash.
Eve, who is the sister of Xana Doyle who was killed when a car in which she was a passenger flipped over at 60mph in January 2015, has been described by her dad as his "queen". In a heartbreaking tribute he said: "It’s taken a couple of days and I just can’t believe what has happened, the pain and numbness constantly reminding me that I will never see my beautiful daughter Eve again. I would give anything to hear her sing a song again. Fly high my queen, I loved you more than words can say and will cherish the 21 years I had with you bossing my life! My family and I would appreciate time to grieve and mourn."
Rafel's former school paid tribute to him describing him as a "joyful pupil, full of life and energy at school, popular within his year group and a very sincere friend". The statement from Ysgol Glantaf described Rafel as having a "warm smile" which attracted people to him. You can read the full tribute here.
Hundreds of tributes have also been left at the scene and more than 500 people attended a vigil to remember and celebrate the lives of the three who died on Tuesday night.
First missing person report to police
During Saturday family and friends were becoming increasingly concerned as it was "unusual" for them to not have made any contact. Police have said that the first missing person report was made to Gwent Police at 7.34pm on Saturday, March 4. Further missing person reports were made to Gwent Police at 7.43pm and 9.32pm on the same night. A further missing person report was made to South Wales Police at 5.37pm on Sunday, March 5.
Appeals were also made across social media over the weekend and in the press. Family and friends said they had not been active on social media since around 2am on Saturday. Gwent Police confirmed at around 11.35pm on Sunday that they were searching for five missing people.
Last sighting in Cardiff
The group travelled from Newport to the Trecco Bay caravan park and returned back to Cardiff in the early hours of the morning. It had originally been reported that the five had last been seen in the Llanederyn area of the Cardiff at around 2am but in an updated statement from police on Tuesday that was changed to the Pentwyn area. There was a sixth person who was in the car before being dropped off around 2am. Police have spoken to him as part of their investigation.
Group visited caravan park
The group did visit the Trecco Bay caravan park before leaving and returning to the Cardiff area. There have been reports there was an altercation there but that is understood to have been ruled out and does not form an integral part of the invesigation.
Police have said: "South Wales Police is continuing to investigate the fatal road traffic collision on the A48 in the St Mellons area of Cardiff. Our thoughts continue to be with the families and all those affected by this tragic incident. Specialist officers are carrying out a detailed investigation to piece together what has happened. Family liaison officers are supporting the families involved at what must be a hugely difficult time for them." Stay up to date by subscribing to our daily newsletter here
Survivor was suspended in crashed car for two days
Sophie is critically in hospital after being recovered from the car in the early hours of Monday. Her mum Anna Certowicz told media that the impact left her with burns from her seatbelt and that she was suspended inside the car and unable to reach for her phone. It was reported that the car came to rest at a steep angle pointing down.
Anna added:. "She had panic attacks throughout the night when she came round so they sedated her. She’s in shock and has a lot of injuries. You can't recognise her.”
Speaking to The Sun she continued: “There’s no words to describe it. I can’t imagine how long it’s going to take for her to get over this. She’s going to need a lot of support. I’m heartbroken for the families of Eve and Darcy. They’ve lost a child at the end of the day. I nearly lost mine.”
The weekend timeline
Friday evening - Sophie, Eve, and Darcy, who are all from Newport, were at the Muffler bar and club in Maesglas in Newport. Eve's car was still parked outside the bar on Sunday.
Friday night - They headed to Trecco Bay in Porthcawl with Shane Loughlin, 32, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, who were also later reported missing.
Saturday morning - The five were last seen around 2am in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff after dropping a sixth person home.
Saturday - Relatives became increasingly concerned, saying none of those missing had been seen or heard from since 2am on Saturday and none of them had been active on social media over the weekend.
Sunday - Relatives shared pictures of the five missing people asking for help in tracing them. On Sunday evening Gwent Police issued a statement saying: "We’re appealing for information to find Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21, all from Newport, who have been reported as missing. The three women were last seen on Saturday, March 4, at about 2am in the Llanedeyrn area of Cardiff. They had travelled there from Porthcawl in a VW Tiguan, registration number VE64 YLB, with two men. These two men from Cardiff, Rafel Jeanne, 24 and Shane Loughlin, 32, have also been reported as missing. Anyone with any information on their whereabouts is asked to call us on 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting 2300071791. All five are also urged to get in touch with us to confirm that they are safe and well."
Monday morning - Gwent Police confirmed they had found the Volkswagen Tiguan and that it had crashed off the A48 at St Mellons. They confirmed the tragic news that three people in the car were dead and two had been seriously injured. The road was closed in both directions as investigations are carried out at the scene.
Police appeal for information
Police believe the car was involved in a road traffic collision and came off the A48. It is the main road that leads from the east of Cardiff to Newport where the missing women lived. According to a joint statement from South Wales Police and Gwent Police it was 11.50pm on Sunday, March 5, when the police helicopter was requested to search an area of Cardiff which resulted in a vehicle being located in a wooded area off the A48. Gwent Police officers, who were in the area conducting inquiries during Sunday evening, discovered a Volkswagen Tiguan vehicle at 12.02am on Monday, March 6.
Police are now trying to work out the exact time of the crash. They believe the collision happened during the early hours of Saturday, March 4, though the exact time is still to be confirmed by the investigation, which includes CCTV and ANPR inquiries. At this stage officers believe only one vehicle to be involved.
IOPC investigation under way
As would be routine in such situation both police forces have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The organisation has confirmed that it has decided to investigate how the missing person reports were handled.
Director David Ford said: “My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives, to those who have been injured, and indeed to the many people who have been affected by this incident. After careful assessment of referrals from Gwent Police and South Wales Police we have decided to independently investigate how police responded to the missing person reports.
“We will be examining what information police had, the grading given to any risk assessments, and the steps taken by police to locate the missing people prior to the Volkswagen Tiguan being found just after midnight on Monday. We will also consider what communication took place between the two forces and whether police action was appropriate and followed relevant policy and procedures. Our investigation is at a very early stage.
“We will be contacting the families involved to express our sympathies, explain our role, and set out how our investigation will progress. We are aware of the significant community concern about the tragic events that have unfolded and would like to assure everyone that we will conduct a thorough and timely investigation.”
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