POLICE are being investigated by a cop watchdog after it took them 48 hours to find five friends involved in a horror car crash that killed three.
Darcy Ross and Eve Smith, both 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the smash in the early hours of Saturday.
Meanwhile Sophie Russon and Shane Loughlin remain in critical condition in hospital.
They lay beside the bodies of their friends for 48 hours before being discovered by a member of the public.
Now police have referred themselves to a watchdog for an investigation.
Today Assistant Chief Constable Jason Davies of South Wales Police said: “Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected by this tragic incident.
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“Specialist officers are carrying out an investigation to piece together what has happened.
“Family liaison officers are supporting the families involved at what must be a hugely difficult time for them.
“To ensure independent oversight, South Wales Police has referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is usual in these circumstances.”
A spokesperson added that “investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident, including when the collision took place”.
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It comes after Sophie’s mum Anna Cerowicz said she called Gwent Police 20 times over Saturday and Sunday, only to be told her daughter was probably still partying.
A frantic Anna went searching for Sophie herself.
The mum-of-three said: “I drove past three times.
“Sophie was 20 yards away lying there scared, next to her friends who were dead.
“But I didn’t see her because of the trees and there was a dip.
“She was lying there wondering if help would ever arrive.
“She must have thought she was going to die.
“She was calling out at times but no one could hear her.
“It would have got light and then dark as night fell on Saturday, then she had to go through that again until she was found.”
Police finally escalated the inquiry, which included launching a helicopter search.
At midnight Anna had a call from her older daughter Georgia, 23, saying the car had been found by a member of the public searching for the pals.
And she blasted Gwent Police for not taking the disappearance of her daughter and her friends seriously.
Anna said: “The next 48 hours are critical - she is having surgery now and we are hoping and praying.
“I can’t stop thinking about how Sophie had to lie there wondering if she would ever be found.”
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Friends of the three girls also slammed the search carried out by cops - with many wondering if more of the friends could have survived if found earlier.
Tamzin Samuels, 20, said: “I do think the police could have done a lot more in putting the helicopters out earlier.
“They only posted the appeal an hour before the girls were found. We found them before the police found them - we rang the police.
“The search party found the girls before the police found the girls.
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“I think that speaks volumes really, they had all that equipment, and we had cars when we were looking.
“They were really popular girls, the life of the party, and it was really out of character for them to do what they did, which is why we knew something was wrong.”
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