Cardiff car crash – latest: Police hit back at claims over missing search
Police involved in the search for victims following the fatal Cardiff car crash have hit back at claims suggesting members of the public discovered the wreckage, not officers.
Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died after a Volkswagen Tiguan came off the A48(M) and crashed into trees. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in critical condition.
The three found dead and two others seriously injured in the crash are reported to have lain in the wreckage for up to 46 hours before being discovered.
The victims’ loved ones have since accused South Wales Police and the Gwent force of not taking the missing person reports seriously, alleging the car was only found through their own search efforts.
In a joint statement, police said that shortly before midnight on Sunday, a police helicopter “was requested to search an area of Cardiff which resulted in a vehicle being located in a wooded area off the A48.”
Two officers in the area then arrived to discover the Volkswagen Tiguan, the statement said.
Key Points
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Police confirm timeline of events leading to discovery of Cardiff horror crash
Police hit back at claims over missing search
15:15 , Emily Atkinson
Police involved in the search for victims following the fatal Cardiff car crash have hit back at claims suggesting members of the public discovered the wreckage, not officers.
Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died after a Volkswagen Tiguan came off the A48(M) and crashed into trees. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in critical condition.
The three found dead and two others seriously injured in the crash are reported to have lain in the wreckage for up to 46 hours before being discovered.
The victims’ loved ones have since accused South Wales Police and the Gwent force of not taking the missing person reports seriously, alleging the car was only found through their own search efforts.
In a joint statement, police said that shortly before midnight on Sunday, a police helicopter “was requested to search an area of Cardiff which resulted in a vehicle being located in a wooded area off the A48.”
Two officers in the area then arrived to discover the Volkswagen Tiguan, the statement said.
16:08 , Katy Clifton
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Questions over police search as Cardiff car crash victims found two days after going missing
16:00 , Emily Atkinson
Questions have been raised over the police search for five young people who were found in wreckage of a car crash 46 hours after they went missing.
Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the accident while Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in a critical condition in hospital, according to police.
All five were in a Volkswagen Tiguan that came off the A48(M) in Cardiff and crashed into trees in the St Mellons area of the city.
Thomas Kingsley has more:
Questions over police search for Cardiff car crash victims
Floral tributes left near scene of accident
14:37 , Emily Atkinson
Watch: Drone footage of fatal Cardiff car crash scene
13:45 , Emily Atkinson
School pays tribute to ‘joyful pupil and sincere friend’ Rafel Jeanne
12:45 , Emily Atkinson
A school attended by a victim of the Cardiff car crash has paid tribute to its formal pupil.
Rafel Jeanne, 24, was described by Ysgol Glantaf as a “joyful pupil, full of life and energy at school, popular within his year group and a very sincere friend.”
In a statement, his school said said: “It is with great sadness that we hear of the loss of one of our dear, former pupils Rafel Jeanne, who was cruelly and unexpectedly taken this week. Rafel was a joyful pupil, full of life and energy at school, popular within his year group and a very sincere friend who was well respected among his classmates.
“He contributed regularly to school activities, starring as a member of rugby teams, at the National Stadium winning the Welsh Cup in 2013 and travelling with the school’s 7-a-side squad to compete in the Rosslyn Park finals in 2012. His energetic, enthusiastic approach and warm smile attracted people to him and marked his character.
“Rafel was a popular and happy pupil, keen to support others, indeed seeing his development during his time at school was proof of his maturity and consistent effort within the school community. We send our sincere condolences to Rafel’s family and friends throughout the city and beyond, as we dearly remember a joyful and dear pupil whom we are delighted and proud to know as a member of teulu Glantaf.”
Family criticise police search as tributes pour in for three killed in Cardiff crash
11:42 , Emily Atkinson
A mother who spent hours searching for her missing daughter who was involved in a deadly car crash in Cardiff has criticised police after allegedly being told to “stop calling for updates”.
Concerns were raised after three women and two men went missing at the weekend, with family and friends of the group making repeated appeals to locate them.
The women, Sophie Russon, Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, were seen travelling in a Volkswagen Tiguan with two men, Rafel Jeanne and Shane Loughlin. They were last seen at around 2am in Cardiff.
Thomas Kingsley has more:
Family criticise police search as tributes pour in for three killed in Cardiff crash
Floral tributes left near scene of crash in St Mellons
10:23 , Emily Atkinson
Map showing the route taken by the group on the night of the crash
09:41 , Emily Atkinson
Police issue timeline of events before Cardiff crash
08:40 , Emily Atkinson
The police have set out a timeline of events leading to the discovery of a crashed car in which three people died and two were seriously injured:
The last confirmed sighting of the five people was at 2am on Saturday 4th March in Pentwyn.
The collision occurred during the early hours of Saturday 4th March, the exact time to be confirmed by the investigation, including CCTV and ANPR enquiries.
The first missing person report was made to Gwent Police at 7.34pm on Saturday 4th March.
Further missing person reports were made to Gwent Police at 7.43pm and 9.32pm on Saturday 4th March.
A further missing person report was made to South Wales Police at 5.37pm on Sunday 5th March.
At 11.50pm on Sunday 5th March 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 on the ground had sight of the car (a Volkswagen Tiguan) at 12:02am on Monday 6th March, and this culminated in a log being created by South Wales Police at 12:15am.
At this stage we believe only one vehicle to be involved.
Watch | Fireworks light up sky as vigil held for Cardiff car crash victims
08:00 , Emily Atkinson
Cardiff crash: Everything we know about friends’ night out that ended in tragedy
07:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Fateful night out included 70-mile round trip that started with Sophie Russon, Eve Smith, and Darcy Ross at Muffler bar in Newport. Read the full piece by Martha McHardy here:
All we know about friends’ night out that ended in fatal Cardiff crash
ICYMI: Family criticise police search as tributes pour in for three killed in Cardiff crash
07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A mother who spent hours searching for her missing daughter who was involved in a deadly car crash in Cardiff has criticised police after allegedly being told to “stop calling for updates”.
Concerns were raised after three women and two men went missing at the weekend, with family and friends of the group making repeated appeals to locate them.
The women, Sophie Russon, Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, were seen travelling in a Volkswagen Tiguan with two men, Rafel Jeanne and Shane Loughlin. They were last seen at around 2am in Cardiff.
Read the full story by Thomas Kingsley here:
Family criticise police search as tributes pour in for three killed in Cardiff crash
ICYMI: Survivor lay next to dead friends for two days, says mother
06:40 , Emily Atkinson
A survivor of a fatal Cardiff car crash lay injured beside her dead friends for two days before they were found, her mother has said.
Speaking to The Sun, Sophie Russon’s mother told of how while searching for her daughter, she unwittingly drove three times past the scene of the crash.
“Sophie was 20 yards away lying there scared, next to her friends who were dead. But I didn’t see her because of the trees and there was a dip.”
“She was lying there wondering if help would ever arrive,” said Ms Certowicz. “She must have thought she was going to die.
“She had head injuries so she may not have really known what was going on — at least I hope she didn’t.”
Tributes continue to pour in for three people killed in Cardiff car crash
06:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Tributes have been paid to three people who were killed in a car crash in Cardiff. Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the accident. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in critical condition, police have confirmed.
Watch the video here:
Tributes pour in for three people killed in Cardiff car crash
Police confirm timeline of events leading to discovery of Cardiff horror crash
06:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The police have set out a timeline of events leading to the discovery of a crashed car in which three people died and two were seriously injured.
Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the accident while Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, survived but remain in a critical condition at the University Hospital of Wales, according to police.
The five were in a Volkswagen Tiguan that came off the A48(M) in Cardiff and crashed into trees in the St Mellons area of the city.
Gwent and South Wales Police released information in a joint statement on Tuesday afternoon that they said was the result of an initial investigation.
Both forces have come under heavy criticism over the length of time it took to discover the wreckage.
Read the full story by Bronwen Weatherby here:
Police confirm timeline of events leading to discovery of Cardiff horror crash
Fireworks light up sky as vigil held for Cardiff car crash victims
05:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Hundreds of people gathered in Cardiff on Tuesday evening to pay tribute to the victims of a deadly car crash. A firework display lit up the sky near the crash site in St Mellons as friends and family looked on.
Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, both 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the collision. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in a critical condition.
The group had been to a social club in Maesglas, Newport, on Friday, 3 March. When they did not return home, the five were reported missing.
Watch the video here:
Fireworks light up sky as vigil held for Cardiff car crash victims
ICYMI: Victim of Cardiff car crash ‘called for help but no one could hear’
05:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A girl injured in a fatal Cardiff car crash called out for help but no one could hear her, as friends claim they found the wreckage before the police.
The bodies of Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were pulled from the wreckage of the Volkswagen Tiguan in St Mellons, Cardiff on Monday morning – almost 48 hours after they were last seen.
Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were found alive, having spent two days critically injured amid a police search.
Anna Certowicz, mother of Sophie, said she spent two days driving around South Wales searching for her daughter after she claimed police told her “stop calling.” The mother said she drove past the site where the white VW Tiguan was found three times in her desperate hunt, passing within 20 yards of the SUV that was hidden by trees.
She revealed that her daughter was ‘conscious some of the time’ in the car after it ran off the A48 in Cardiff and had ‘called out but no one was close enough to hear her.’
Read the full story by Thomas Kingsley here:
Girl injured in Cardiff car crash ‘called for help but no one could hear’
Cardiff crash: Everything we know about friends’ night out that ended in tragedy
05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Fateful night out included 70-mile round trip that started with Sophie Russon, Eve Smith, and Darcy Ross at Muffler bar in Newport. Read the full piece by Martha McHardy here:
All we know about friends’ night out that ended in fatal Cardiff crash
Man who found best friend dead in Cardiff car crash slams police for not finding victims sooner
04:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The friend of a young man killed in a car crash near Cardiff on Sunday has criticised police over claims they failed to find the victims.
Matthew Pace, 45, and his 26-year-old son Lewis told Sky News that the police should have started looking for the missing passengers sooner.
The father and son - who said he was “best friends” with 24-year-old victim Rafel Jeanne - claim they located the car shortly after midnight on Sunday morning, crashed in a wooded area along the A48.
The police arrived “about a minute” after Mr Pace and his father found the vehicle, they said.
Read the full story by Eleanor Noyce here:
Man who found friend in Cardiff car crash slams police for not finding victims sooner
Double tragedy for Cardiff crash victim’s family as sister killed by drug-driver eight years ago
04:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar
One of the victims of a fatal Cardiff car crash that killed three people also lost her sister to a road accident eight years ago.
The bodies of Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were pulled from the wreckage of the Volkswagen Tiguan in St Mellons, Cardiff on Monday morning – almost 48 hours after they were last seen.
Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were found alive, having spent two days critically injured as police searched for them.
In 2020, Ms Smith appeared alongside her stepfather Tony Borg and mother Emma for the TV show This is Our Family documenting how they coped after the death of her half-sister, Xana Doyle.
The 19-year-old aspiring beautician was killed when a stolen car in which she was a passenger flipped over while travelling at 60 mph in 2015.
Read the full story by Thomas Kingsley here:
Sister of Cardiff crash victim Eve Smith killed by drug-driver eight years ago
Police watchdog to investigate Welsh forces' actions over search for crash victims
04:03 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed they will launch an official investigation into the actions of the Gwent and South Wales police forces after the fatal Cardiff car crash.
The police watchdog said they will investigate the actions of two Welsh police forces after criticism that they did not appear to take the matter seriously.
“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,” said IOPC director David Ford.
“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.”
He said that the IOPC’s investigation was “at a very early stage”.
Gwent police and South Wales police say they referred the matter to the IOPC “as is usual in these circumstances”.
