WATSON, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – Two Missouri families are mourning after an “incredibly senseless” crash that left two 18-year-olds dead and one seriously injured. The three were headed to a concert when they were hit head-on by a man involved in a police chase.
The Sunday morning crash near the Iowa-Missouri border killed 18-year-old Lucy Yeates and her friend, 18-year-old Kole Cunningham. It also seriously injured Lucy’s twin sister, Aubrey, who was airlifted to a Nebraska hospital. Her family says she is recovering from multiple traumatic injuries, KCTV reports.
“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.”
Authorities say the crash was the result of a police pursuit that led a 29-year-old Nebraska man to drive southbound on the northbound lanes of Interstate 29. A woman told the Fremont County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Department that she and her 1-year-old child had been kidnapped by the man, who was someone she knew.
According to the woman, the man was fleeing Nebraska law enforcement, and he was homicidal and suicidal, WOWT reports.
After the man dropped the woman at a hospital, he was pursued by police, crossed the state line into Missouri and crashed head-on into the vehicle with the Yeates twins and Cunningham.
All three 18-year-olds were recent graduates of Kearney High School in Missouri. They were on their way to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend a Billie Eilish concert, according to a GoFundMe set up for the Yeates family.
“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 man died at the scene. The 1-year-old was moderately injured and taken to an Iowa hospital.
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