Police told wrong family their son died after ID mix-up

Police told one family their teenage son had died after officers used personal items from a December crash to identify victims; dental records later showed the identities had been swapped.

Police mistakenly informed the family of a teenager that he had died following a car crash near Rotherham on 13 December. Officers had relied on personal items recovered from the scene and visual comparisons to identify those involved. It later emerged that the identities had been swapped and that dental records were needed to confirm who had died and who was surviving in hospital. The error came to light in early January and has been raised at an inquest. What officials said: - The collision on 13 December between Dinnington and Todwick resulted in two teenagers dying at the scene and a third being critically injured. - Officers told the court that several personal items were found near the wreckage but not on any individual, and those items were used in attempts to identify the people involved. - The family of Trevor Wynn, 17, were told he had died while the family of Joshua Johnson, 18, were told he was in hospital; those identifications were later shown to be incorrect. - Joshua Johnson's father raised concerns on 1 January, prompting a forensic review and the use of dental records, which confirmed Joshua had died and Trevor was the hospital patient. - The force referred the matter and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an independent investigation. - The coroner's inquest is continuing and any potential criminal proceedings are expected to take priority; two people arrested on suspicion remain on bail. Summary: The identification error led to families being incorrectly informed about which teenager had died and which was surviving in hospital, and the issue was confirmed by dental records in January. An independent IOPC investigation is under way, the coroner's inquest continues, and any criminal proceedings will take precedence.