Six police officers will face disciplinary proceedings after a crash in which three people died.
Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, both 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were found dead at the scene of the incident in the St Mellons area of Cardiff, South Wales, in March 2023.
Passengers Sophie Russon, then 20, and Shane Loughlin, then 32, were also found with the Volkswagen Tiguan they had been travelling in.
It was almost 48 hours after they were all last seen.
Now the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has determined that six officers should face disciplinary proceedings.
Gwent Police says it fully co-operated with the probe relating to the fatal accident.
The decision was made after examining Gwent Police’s response to missing person reports made by family members, assessing if they were appropriately risk-assessed, reviewed and resourced.
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Derrick Campbell, director of the IOPC, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the young people who tragically lost their lives, those who were left seriously injured and everyone affected by this incident.
“This investigation has been complex and resource intensive, but it is important for public confidence in policing that this tragic incident was subject to thorough and independent scrutiny.
“It will now be for a police disciplinary panel, arranged by Gwent Police, to consider the evidence and reach a decision based on all the available information.”
The fatal collision is believed to have happened at about 2am on 4 March, with Gwent Police receiving the first missing persons report for the group at about 7.30pm that day.
The group were discovered just after midnight on 6 March, 46 hours after their last contact.
An initial inquest hearing into the deaths of Mr Jeanne, Ms Ross and Ms Smith heard they were declared dead at the scene.
Revealing its decision, the IOPC determined that a police sergeant has a case to answer for gross misconduct for their supervision of the missing persons enquiry.
It was further determined that another police sergeant has a case to answer for misconduct, after allegedly failing to review all available information at the time of conducting a risk assessment for the missing persons.
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Four police constables were also found to have cases to answer.
One allegedly failed to carry out basic enquiries, including not recording and sharing that information with their supervisor, in a case of gross misconduct.
Two more are accused of gross misconduct after allegedly failing to conduct house searches, and giving dishonest accounts to their supervisor and IOPC investigators.
According to the IOPC, one of the two police constables was also criminally investigated, but there was insufficient evidence to charge them with misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice.
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More than 30 complaints were made by victims’ families regarding the actions and decisions made by Gwent Police and South Wales Police.
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: “We determined that for more than half, the service provided was unacceptable, with recommendations for several officers and staff to take part in the reflective practice review process (RPRP).”
Deputy Chief Constable Nicky Brain of Gwent Police said: “Our thoughts and condolences continue to be with the family and friends of Darcy, Eve and Rafel who tragically lost their lives, and those who sustained injuries that night.
“We acknowledge the impact that this investigation has had on them and understand how important the findings of the IOPC will be to all those affected and the wider community.
“We have fully co-operated with the IOPC in their investigation. It’s important that these matters were investigated thoroughly in an open and transparent manner.
“We will now start the process to hold the relevant misconduct hearings and misconduct meetings.”
