June car crash: Two people charged with manslaughter after a boy drove away in a crashed car

Two people have been charged with manslaughter after a young boy was killed when he was allegedly left in the wreckage of a crashed 4WD, which was then hit by a semi-trailer on a country road.

Riley Wells, 6, died of head injuries in the accident on January 6, 2021 on the Carnarvon Highway near the town of Injune, some 500 km west of Brisbane.

Investigators claim the boy was not removed from a Toyota LandCruiser that went off the road and repeatedly rolled over, although two adults – Jesse Dennis, 34, and Anne Harrison, 19 – managed to get out of the vehicle.

The 4WD overturned in the northbound lane around 2 a.m. before a passing truck collided with it. The boy died at the scene of the crime.

Roma’s Riley Wells (pictured right) was left behind in the run over car. He is pictured here with his parents Ian Wells and Shanowahh Dennis who were not involved in the crash

The RACQ Lifelight helicopter visited the scene near Injune in January 2022 (pictured).

After a year-long investigation, police on Wednesday charged the vehicle’s driver, Mr Dennis, and the passenger, Ms Harrison.

The man was also charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle resulting in death, while both were charged with taking a protected animal.

The three were reportedly returning from a kangaroo shooting trip in the rural area when the crash happened.

Both have been granted police bail and will appear before the Roma Magistrates Court on January 17.

Ms Harrison, whose pup was also killed in the impact, shared online a month after the crash that Riley’s smile “would brighten everyone’s day”.

Family friend Lynette Goodworth said: “I knew how hard it was going to be on his family. Riley was a really beautiful kid.’

“He loved his brothers, he loved hog hunting, fishing and hunting with his father. He was a real country kid and loved all the things that kids do out here in Roma,” she said.

Two people have been charged after they allegedly failed to quickly remove the boy from the run over car, which was then hit by a truck