Homicide probe into rural crash that killed four
Source: NSW Police
Police are investigating a crash that left four people dead on a quiet road in regional New South Wales as a homicide.
Emergency services were called to Back Channel Road at Wardell, south of Ballina on the NSW north coast, about 5.45am on February 24 following reports of a single-vehicle crash.
Local police found a blue Mazda BT50 that had left the road and crashed.
Mark Dodds, 36, and his passengers – 33-year-old Sophie-Lee Fullagar, 50-year-old Benjamin Watego, and 42-year-old James Doherty – were all declared dead at the scene.
NSW Police on Tuesday confirmed that a homicide probe had been launched into the fatal incident after an initial crash investigation found a second vehicle was believed to have been involved.
Richmond Police District Commander, Superintendent Scott Tanner, urged those in the second vehicle to come forward.
“Information provided to police indicates that the vehicle involved is an early 2000s-model silver Toyota Corolla sedan bearing stolen number plates,” Tanner said on Tuesday.
“We believe the occupants of that vehicle would have information crucial to this investigation, and it is essential that they come forward and speak with detectives.”
Source: NSW Police
Tanner urged those in the Toyota to contact Lismore Police or Crime Stoppers, anonymously if they wanted to.
“My detectives are working to provide answers for the grieving families of these people, and we know there will be people in our community that have information which will assist investigators,” he said.
Fullagar’s mother said she was a “beautiful girl, she had a heart of gold”.
“[Any witnesses] need to come forward and they need to speak about what happened. My daughter was an innocent victim in this and she deserves justice. She deserves justice. They all deserve justice,” she said.
-with AAP
