Two Missouri families are in mourning following an “incredibly senseless” crash in which two 18-year-olds were dead and one critically injured. A man in a police chase hit the three head-on as they were heading to a performance.
A Sunday morning crash near the Iowa-Missouri boundary claimed the lives of Lucy Yeates, 18, and her companion, Kole Cunningham, 18. The crash also critically injured Lucy’s twin sister, Aubrey, resulting in her airlift to a Nebraska hospital. Her family says she is suffering from several serious injuries, according to KCTV.
“This incredibly senseless and tragic event has left our families with a hole that will never be filled,” said the Yeates family in a statement released Tuesday night. “We thank our friends, family and community for their support, love and prayers as we come together to help Aubrey recover from this horrific experience.”
According to authorities, the incident occurred as a consequence of a police pursuit that led a 29-year-old Nebraska man southbound on Interstate 29’s northbound lanes. A woman informed the Fremont County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Department that she and her 1-year-old child had been kidnapped by someone she knew.
The woman claimed that the man was fleeing from Nebraska police authorities and was both violent and suicidal, as reported by WOWT.
Police pursued him after he dropped the woman off at the hospital, crossed the state line into Missouri, and collided with the Yeates brothers and Cunningham.
All three 18-year-olds were recent Kearney High School graduates from Missouri. According to a GoFundMe page created for the Yeates family, they were on their way to Omaha, Nebraska, to see Billy Eilish perform.
“Lucy was a beautiful 18-year-old attending her first year of college. She was interested in business and leadership,” the family said. “Aubrey is a dynamic young lady who is also attending college. While this unexpected journey is sidetracking her, we look forward to supporting her every day as she heals.”
The 29-year-old male passed away at the site. An Iowa hospital received the one-year-old after he sustained moderate injuries.