Six police officers are facing disciplinary action over their handling of a missing persons case that ended in tragedy when three young people were found dead two days after a car crash near Cardiff.
The victims Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21 died in the crash on the A48 in St Mellons in March 2023. Two others, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were critically injured.
The group had gone missing after a night out, but it took Gwent Police and South Wales Police 46 hours to locate their car, a white Volkswagen Tiguan, which had veered off the road into dense undergrowth.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it found serious failings in how Gwent police handled the missing persons reports.
Families of the victims had reported them missing on the evening of 4 March and repeatedly contacted police for updates, but were told to stop calling. The vehicle was eventually discovered just after midnight on 6 March.
The IOPC said one sergeant and three constables will face gross misconduct proceedings for failures in supervision, communication with families, and dishonesty during the investigation.
Another constable and sergeant face misconduct proceedings for inadequate searches and poor risk assessment.
IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said more than 30 complaints were received from families, and that “more than half of the service provided by both forces was unacceptable.”
Gwent Police’s Deputy Chief Constable, Nicky Brain, said the force had fully cooperated and would now begin the misconduct process. South Wales Police said it had already implemented improvements to its handling of missing person cases following the review.
