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Two Welsh police officers to be investigated by Independent Office for Police Conduct following criticism Three bodies found and two in hospital after group went missing in Cardiff The actions of Gwent Police and South Wales Police in connection with the fatal Cardiff car crash and their search for victims will be investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The police watchdog announced the decision to investigate the two Welsh police forces after criticizing that they did not appear to be taking the matter seriously.
The three people found dead and two others seriously injured in the crash are believed to have remained in the rubble for up to 46 hours before being discovered.
A survivor of the fatal Cardiff crash lay injured next to her dead friends for two days before they were found, her mother said.
Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died after a Volkswagen Tiguan left the A48(M) and crashed into trees. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in critical condition.
Speaking to The Sun, Ms Russon's mother recounted how, while looking for her daughter, she unknowingly passed the scene of the accident three times.
The friend of a young man who died in a car crash near Cardiff on Sunday criticized police for saying they failed to find the victims.
Matthew Pace, 45, and his son Lewis, 26, told Sky News that police should have started searching for the missing passengers earlier.
The father and son, who said they were the "best friends" of 24-year-old victim Rafel Jeanne, say they located the car just after midnight Sunday morning, wrecked in a wooded area along the A48.
Police arrived "about a minute" after Pace and his father found the vehicle, they said.
Read the full Eleanor Noyce story here:
Lewis Pace, 26, a friend of Rafel Jeanne, says he located the crashed vehicle just after midnight Sunday morning.
One of the victims of a fatal car crash in Cardiff that killed three people also lost his sister in a road accident eight years ago.
The bodies of Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were recovered 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 after spending two days badly injured as police searched for them.
In 2020, Ms Smith appeared alongside her stepfather Tony Borg and mother Emma on the television show This is Our Family, where they documented coping with the death of their half-sister, Xana Doyle.
The 19-year-old aspiring beautician was killed when a stolen car she was riding in flipped over while driving at 60mph in 2015.
Read the full Thomas Kingsley story here:
Eve Smith appeared alongside her stepfather Tony Borg and mother Emma on the television show This is Our Family, where they documented how they coped with the death of their half-sister, Xana Doyle.
The police watchdog said it would investigate the actions of two Welsh police forces after criticizing that they did not appear to be taking the matter seriously.
"After careful assessment of references from Gwent Police and South Wales Police, we have decided to independently investigate the way in which police have responded to missing person reports," the IOPC chief officer said. , David Ford.
“We will review the information available to the police, the rating given to any risk assessment, and the steps taken by the police to locate the missing persons prior to the discovery of the Volkswagen Tiguan shortly after midnight on Monday.
"We will also consider what communication took place between the two forces and whether the police action was appropriate and followed relevant policies and procedures."
He said the IOPC Funds investigation was "at a very early stage".
Gwent Police and South Wales Police said they had referred the case to the IOPC Fund "as is customary in these circumstances".
Darcy Ross, Eve Smith and Raphael Jeanne
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