Funeral of A48 crash victim Darcy Ross from Newport

Ms Ross, 21, was one of three people who died in a crash on the A48 in St Mellons on Monday, March 6.

Her funeral will take place at St Stephen's Church at 12.30pm, then at St Woolos cemetery at 2pm.

The Argus will not be attending the funeral following a request from the family for media not to do so.

Ms Ross had been part of a group of three women from Newport, and two Cardiff men, who had been reported as missing earlier that weekend.

Friends and relatives, along with the emergency services, launched a major search for them, and their car was found shortly after midnight on Monday, nearly 48 hours after the group had last been seen.

South Wales Police have confirmed that Darcy Ross, Eve Smith, and Rafel Jeanne (L-R) died in the crash. (Image: via Facebook)

Ms Ross, along with Eve Smith, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were all sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Both Gwent Police and South Wales Police have referred the case to the police watchdog the IOPC, which is investigating how the forces dealt with the missing persons reports.

Why we sometimes report funerals

Press reporting funerals is not new. Only 30-40 years ago it was a rite of passage for young reporters to attend funerals, collecting the names of mourners for publication.

Today, it is likely only high-profile funerals or memorial services are covered. A death is a deeply personal tragedy but also a public event and something that affects both the community as well as the family.

If someone is well-known or their death was a public tragedy that impacted the wider community, we might choose to report on the funeral. Funerals are, by and large, public events. Sometimes we may choose not to attend the service, but to report on the funeral procession or arrival of mourners.

People view funerals differently. Some see them as opportunities to bring the community together and celebrate a life or mourn a death. A local media and part of the community, it is quite normal that such a public event may be reported. Others regard them as very private.

The South Wales Argus is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation and adheres to the editors’ code, which includes guidance on intrusion into grief that we follow. But more than that, we are part of the community and have been for more than 130 years.

We take decisions about such matters seriously, and always try to balance our duties to report events that affect our communities with sensitivities to the people at the centre of them.