West Yorkshire Police issue major update on A61 crash which killed six, including young sisters

Detectives say they are still investigating a fatal crash that killed six people, including four members of a family.

Parents Shannen Morgan and Shane Roller were killed alongside their daughters Rubie and Lillie after their Ford Focus collided with a motorbike on the A61 near Wakefield, West Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon. Two people on the motorcycle – a man and a woman – were also killed.

The tragedy left Ms Morgan and Mr Roller’s other daughter, who was not in the car at the time, an orphan. Now police have reiterated their appeals for anyone who witnessed the horror smash.

Speaking outside Wakefield district headquarters on Monday afternoon, Surf. Alan Travis from West Yorkshire Police has appealed for any witnesses to come forward, as well as anyone with dashcam footage. He said: “To the officers and emergency services who attended the scene, I would like to pass on my thanks to the officers in West Yorkshire and also South Yorkshire who supported us, as well as Western Fire and Rescue Service and South and Yorkshire Ambulance. Service.”

He added: “My hearts go out to the family and loved ones who lost people in this incident. This is a truly horrific collision that we are currently in the early stages of investigating. I would ask anyone who witnessed the incident or the dash cam footage to please contact the Major Collision Investigation Team.”

Emergency services were called to the road near the village of Newmillerdam, between Wakefield and Barnsley, after the crash at 3.54pm on Sunday. Unfortunately, all six people were declared dead on the spot.

Grim photos from the scene show the heavily damaged roadway. Security Minister Dan Jarvis, who is MP for Barnsley North, said on X, formerly Twitter: “Devastating news. Sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of those who tragically lost their lives.”

Tributes have since been paid to the family of four who were in Focus. In a public post, Shane’s brother Callum Roller said his heart was “torn into a million little pieces” after losing his brother, sister-in-law and nieces.

“Today we lost two of our nieces my sister in law and my wonderful brother in a car accident,” he wrote. “I am absolutely devastated. I will miss you all! It broke my heart and I absolutely broke both sides of the families! You all had a heart of gold and you will all be missed like crazy! My heart Shannen’s side of the family and I are all in shock!

Meanwhile, donations have gone to a GoFundMe page set up to support the family’s 11-year-old daughter, who was not in the car at the time. Almost £35,000 has been raised at the time of writing on the platform to help the young man through an unimaginable loss.

In a message on the fundraising page, family friend Paul Hepple said: “With her immediate family gone, she needs support to ensure she has a stable, loving environment in which to heal and grow.”