Evidence given at a coroner’s inquest in Cardiff revealed that three persons who died in a car accident in which two other people sustained serious injuries were declared dead at the scene. Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Darcy Ross, 21, were all killed in the crash that occurred on the A48(M) close to the city’s St Mellons neighborhood.
Additionally, it was revealed throughout the hearing that the victims’ families were familiar with their identities. Both Shane Loughlin, 32, and Sophie Russon, 20, sustained significant injuries, and both are still hospitalized in critical condition. On March 6, 46 hours after the accident, which occurred at 2:03 a.m. on March 4—the day of the crash—all five were discovered. The University Hospital Wales’s post-mortem investigations of the three bodies did not produce a plausible cause of death at this time in the absence of additional histological and toxicological investigation.
In response to worries about how long it took to discover the gang, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has opened an investigation into the actions of the Gwent Police and the South Wales Police. One of the victims’ sisters “disappointed” the police, stating the investigators “should have acted sooner.” Assistant coroner David Regan postponed the three inquests today in Pontypridd, South Wales so that more investigation could be conducted. At the time being, there is no set timeframe for the investigations.
The coroner stated, “I would like to extend my sympathy to the families of Mr. Jeanne, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Ross. On March 3, the group spent the evening at The Muffler social club in Newport’s Maesglas district. Thereafter, they traveled less than 40 kilometers to the Porthcawl Trecco Bay Campsite. When they were there, the group might have spent some time unwinding in the caravan. After transporting a sixth passenger, the five passengers were last seen in Cardiff’s Pentwyn neighborhood at about two in the morning.