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Shane Loughlin, Eve Smith, Sophie Russon, Rafel Jeanne and Darcy Ross (clockwise from top left) went missing on a night out
Six police officers will face a misconduct process following an investigation into their action after three people died in a car crash.
Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were last seen at about 02:00 GMT on 4 March 2023 after they went missing on a night out.
Two days after the crash, on 6 March Gwent Police confirmed the car had been found on the A48 near Cardiff, with three of the five occupants killed.
Family and friends made repeated appeals to find the missing group over the course of the weekend, with the mother of one of the girls saying she had been told to stop contacting police for updates.
In a statement the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had "examined Gwent Police's response" to the missing person reports made by family members of the victims "including if they were appropriately risk assessed, reviewed and resourced".
The statement said the following officers face disciplinary proceedings:
- A sergeant responsible for the investigation on 5 March for gross misconduct for their "supervision of the missing persons inquiry"
- A PC for gross misconduct for allegedly failing to carry out basic inquiries including not recording and sharing information with a supervisor, and allegedly failing to communicate appropriately with family members who had reported their loved ones missing
- Two PCs for gross misconduct after allegedly failing to conduct house searches as per policy and giving dishonest accounts to their supervisor and IOPC investigators about this
- One of these officers was also criminally investigated for offences of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice, but the IOPC did not find sufficient evidence to make a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service
- A PC for misconduct for allegedly not carrying out adequate house searches as per policy
- A sergeant for misconduct relating to allegations of failing to review all available information at the time of conducting a risk assessment for the missing women
