The man accused of stealing a car at knifepoint and killing three people in a horrific accident was released from hospital days before the tragedy despite his mother’s desperate pleas to keep him in the hospital.
Rafferty Rolfe was allegedly in a stolen car that struck a vehicle causing a three-car collision on Bruce Highway in Federal near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast around 4am Friday.
According to police, the 25-year-old stole an Isuzu MU-X and was allegedly chasing a northbound Nissan Navara carrying his girlfriend Gypsy Satterley.
Ms Satterley, 25, who is believed to have two daughters between the ages of six and eight, and the 65-year-old man driving the Navara were killed in the crash, along with Jessica Townley, 38, who was driving the Great Wall ute.
A relative of Rofle revealed that he was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital after being involved in a fight on July 17, days before the accident.
Rafferty Rolfe, 25, was released from hospital three days before he crashed into a car carrying his girlfriend, causing a three-car collision, killing three people.
Rolfe allegedly stole an Isuzu MU-X at knifepoint before chasing and ramming a Nissan Navara on Bruce Highway in Federal near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
The relative told the mailRolfe 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 the hospital because he “is not feeling well”.
“The whole time (she was in the hospital) her mother was on the phone saying she was not well, that she was mentally ill, that she had a long history of mental health problems,” a relative said.
“She’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 he was released, actually told him ‘there’s nothing wrong with him and it doesn’t matter that he’s going to end up in jail anyway.’
Three days after Rolfe’s release, the family was informed of the fatal accident.
Rolfe is accused of holding a woman at knifepoint in Gympie on Thursday afternoon before stealing her car.
Mr Rolfe’s relative said he had been having a psychotic episode.
Police said Ms Satterley and the Navara driver were not familiar, with an investigation underway to determine when or how Ms Satterley ended up on the side of the Bruce Highway before the Good Samaritan picked her up.
Ms Satterley’s death is now being treated as a domestic violence murder.
Rolfe’s girlfriend, mother of two, 25-year-old Gypsy Satterley (pictured) was killed in the crash along with the 65-year-old driver of the Nissan Navara.
Imbil resident and alpaca breeder Jessica Townley, 38, (pictured) was also killed in the crash when the Navara veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with her Great Wall ute.
Rolfe allegedly chased and rammed the Navara, which veered into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with a Chinese-made blue Great Wall ute traveling south.
The Great Wall utility vehicle driven by Imbil resident and alpaca breeder Jessica Townley, 38, was killed in the collision.
Rolfe is in stable condition and remains under police surveillance at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
His family said they were “devastated” to learn of the accident but believe it could have been prevented.
Rolfe’s mother has since filed an official complaint at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, according to the Sunday Mail.
Detective Superintendent Ben Fadian told reporters the accident investigation is complex and appealed to anyone who saw the stolen Isuzu to contact police.
“The tragedy is that there are now three people dead and the ripple effect it has on their families,” Detective Superintendent Fadian said.
“We are also calling on anyone who was driving on Bruce Highway between Federal and Noosa detour this morning between 3 am and 4 am and may have seen that vehicle to contact Crimestoppers.”
Rofle’s mother begged the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (pictured) not to release her son for fear that he was “not right” mentally just three days before the fatal accident.
Queensland Ambulance Service Sunshine Coast Acting Director Nigel Jones said it was a challenging event for all emergency services.
“Obviously, the scene was quite contentious given the mechanism of the forces involved: it was clearly a very high-speed incident involving those vehicles,” Jones said.
“So much so that our paramedics report that the two patients died on impact and a third patient sadly passed away shortly thereafter.”
In a final haunting Facebook post just four days ago, Ms Satterley, also from Yandina, posted a poem ‘Keep Going On’ about pushing forward in the face of cruel adversity.
It includes the lines: ‘No matter how bad things are right now, no matter how many days you’ve spent crying, no matter how hopeless and depressed you feel…
I promise you won’t feel like this forever. Keep going.’
