Two Missouri teenagers on their way to a Billie Eilish concert were killed after a police chase with a suspected kidnapper led to a massive highway crash. The singer spoke out about this “heartbreaking” tragedy.
Cole Cunningham and Lucy Yates, both 18, were killed along Interstate 29 near Iowa around 7:30 p.m. as authorities pursued the suspected kidnapper, a 1-year-old. Yates' twin sister Aubrey Yates was also seriously injured. inside the car, according to reports.
Police first received a call about the suspect Sunday morning from a woman in Nebraska who said a man assaulted her and took her baby during a domestic incident. According to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, Hawkeye.
She claimed the man was both suicidal and homicidal.
According to the sheriff's office, authorities spotted the suspect's speeding 2023 Kia Sorento SUV heading south against traffic in the left lane and began a pursuit. While most police cars were driving on the right side of the highway, one sheriff's cruiser was also driving against traffic to pursue the suspect.
The suspect drove the wrong way into Missouri and then headed to Irish when he crashed into a 2013 Ford Focus carrying three teenage boys. KMBC reported.
The crash caused a 2024 Volvo semi-truck to swerve in an attempt to avoid the collision, but ultimately struck the deputy who was pursuing the suspected kidnapper, law enforcement said.
The suspect, who has not been identified, also died in the multi-vehicle crash, but a 1-year-old child was rescued from the burning SUV, the sheriff's office said.
Eilish, who performed at Chicago's United Center the night of the accident, addressed the incident on Tuesday after posting an Instagram post raising money for the surviving victims.
“Sending lots of love to my family,” the Birds of a Feather singer wrote online. “It's very heartbreaking.”
The Yates family said in a statement that the “senseless” incident had left them with “a hole that will never be filled.” According to the Kansas City Star.
Cunningham was remembered as someone who had a passion for music and cared about his friends.
“He will be sorely missed,” his mother Shaneela Cunningham wrote on social media, according to the paper. “He's such a great guy and I'm so proud to have him as my child.”
