A devastating car accident unfolded recently, claiming the lives of two young teenagers as they were on their way to a Billie Eilish concert.
Lucy Yeates and Kole Cunningham, both 18, were traveling down Interstate 19 in Missouri when their car collided with a suspect involved in a high-speed police chase.
The crash not only took their lives but also left Lucy’s twin sister, Aubrey, with multiple traumatic injuries.
Aubrey is now recovering at a hospital in Nebraska, surrounded by support from family and friends.
The Heartbreak of a Community
The teens were on their way to Omaha, hoping to catch Billie Eilish’s show at the CHI Health Center on Sunday night.
Tragically, they never made it. The close-knit community in Missouri has been rocked by the loss, and an overwhelming wave of support has poured in for the families involved.
The Yeates family shared a statement expressing their devastation, saying, “On November 17, 2024, our lives changed instantly when a wrong-way driver hit the car our twin daughters, Lucy and Aubrey Yeates, and their friend Kole Cunningham were in.
This incredibly senseless and tragic event has left our families with a hole that will never be filled.”
The Police Chase and Crash
The incident began early on Sunday morning when a woman called 911, claiming she and her one-year-old child had been kidnapped by a man described as “suicidal and homicidal.”
According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect had dumped the woman at a hospital in Hamburg, Iowa, before fleeing with her child.
As officers tracked the suspect’s vehicle, a high-speed chase ensued across state lines, heading in the wrong direction on the busy interstate.
At the 123-mile marker in Missouri, the suspect’s car collided head-on with the Ford Focus carrying Lucy, Aubrey, and Kole.
The crash left Lucy and Kole dead on the scene, while Aubrey was rushed to a Nebraska hospital with serious injuries.
The suspect’s car came to a stop nearby, bursting into flames.
A Fremont County deputy heroically pulled the one-year-old child from the burning wreckage, and the infant was airlifted to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Support for the Families
The community’s grief was shared widely on social media, with fan accounts like @billieeilishtours spreading the news of the crash.
Billie Eilish herself reached out, commenting on the post, “Sending so much love to the families. So heartbreaking.”
As of Wednesday, a GoFundMe page created to support Aubrey’s recovery had raised over $17,000, approaching its $20,000 goal.
Meanwhile, the Cunningham family’s Meal Train fundraiser exceeded its $2,500 target, with more than $12,000 raised to support their needs during this difficult time.
The Missouri State Patrol is continuing to investigate the collision.