A man accused of stealing a car at knifepoint and killing three people in a horrific crash has been released from hospital days before the tragedy despite his mother’s desperate pleas to keep him in hospital.
Rafferty Rolfe was in a stolen car which collided with a car in a three-car collision on the federal Bruce Highway near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast about 4am on Friday.
According to police, the 25-year-old stole an Isuzu MU-X and was allegedly driving a northbound Nissan Navara carrying his girlfriend, Gypsy Satterley.
Mrs Satterley, 25, who is believed to have two daughters aged six and eight, and the 65-year-old Navara who were driving both died in the crash, as did Jessica Townley, 38, who was driving the Great Wall Camel.
A relative of Roffel revealed he was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital after being involved in a fight on July 17 – days before the crash.
Rafferty Rolfe, 25, was released from hospital three days ago after hitting a car carrying his girlfriend in a three-car crash that killed three people.
Rolf allegedly stole an Isuzu MU-X at knifepoint before chasing a Nissan Navara on the federal Bruce Highway near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
The relative told the Courier Mail that Roloff was involved in a physical altercation between family members in Yandina.
He was released from the hospital the next day despite his mother’s pleas to keep him in hospital as he was ‘not well’.
“The whole time (he was in hospital) his mother was on the phone saying he’s not well, he’s mentally ill, he has a long history of mental health,” a relative said.
‘He’s telling them ‘you can’t let him go please … don’t let him go please put him on a 72-hour hold’, calling Ryan’s rule.
‘(A mental health nurse), when they released him, actually told him ‘there’s nothing wrong with him and it doesn’t matter if he goes to jail anyway’.
The family was notified of the fatal accident three days after Rolfe’s release.
Roloff is accused of holding a woman at knifepoint before stealing her car in Gympie on Thursday afternoon.
Relatives of Mr Rolf said he suffered from mental illness.
Police said Ms Satterly and the Navara driver were not known, and investigations are ongoing to determine when or how Ms Satterly ended up on the side of the Bruce Highway before the good Samaritan picked her up.
Ms Satterly’s death is now being treated as a domestic-violence murder.
Rolf’s girlfriend, mother-of-two Gypsy Satterley, 25, (pictured) died in the crash along with the 65-year-old driver of the Nissan Navara.
Imbil resident and alpaca breeder Jessica Townley, 38, (pictured) also died in the crash when the Navara swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with her Great Wall ute.
Rolfe allegedly chased and rammed the Navara, which swerved into oncoming traffic, colliding with a blue Chinese-made Great Wall ute traveling southbound.
The Great Wall utility driven by Imbil resident and alpaca breeder Jessica Townley, 38, died in the collision.
Rolfe is in a stable condition and under police guard at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
His family said they were ‘devastated’ to learn of the accident but believe it could have been prevented.
Rolf’s mother has since made an official complaint to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, according to the Sunday Mail.
Detective Superintendent Ben Fadian told reporters the investigation into the accident was complex and appealed to anyone who saw the stolen Isuzu to contact police.
Detective Superintendent Fadian said: ‘The tragedy is that three people have now died and the impact on their families.’
‘We are appealing for anyone who was driving on the Bruce Highway between the Federal and Noosa turn-offs between 3am and 4am this morning to please contact Crimestoppers.’
Raphael’s mother pleaded with Sunshine Coast University Hospital (pictured) not to release her son fearing he was ‘not well’ mentally just three days before the fatal accident.
Queensland Ambulance Service Sunshine Coast acting director Nigel Jones said it was a challenging incident for all emergency services.
‘The scene was obviously quite confrontational due to the processes of the forces involved – it was clearly a very high speed incident involving these vehicles,’ Mr Jones said.
‘So much so that our paramedics reported that two patients had died from their injuries with a third patient, unfortunately, dying shortly afterwards.’
In a haunting final Facebook post just four days ago, Ms Satterley, also from Yandina, posted ‘Keep Going’, a poem about pushing through cruel odds.
It includes the lines: ‘No matter how bad things are now, no matter how long you’ve cried, no matter how down and hopeless you feel…
‘I promise you you won’t feel this way forever. keep brewing.’