Just weeks before they were killed in a horror car accident, Kate Leadbetter and her boyfriend Matthew Field stood next to a Christmas tree holding an ultrasound of an unborn baby.
In just a few months the beaming couple would become parents for the first time.
But their dreams of starting of starting a family together came to a tragic end about 5.30pm on Tuesday, when an allegedly out-of-control teenage driver ploughed into them as Ms Leadbetter, 31, and Mr Field, 37, walked their pet dogs through Brisbane.
One of their dogs, Frankie, fled the intersection of Finucane Road and Vienna Road, at Alexandra Hills, after the crash, sparking a large search. He has now been found.
The 17-year-old driver – who was allegedly on drugs and driving a stolen Toyota 4WD when he hit Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field – has since been charged with two counts of murder.
Because he is underage he cannot be named.
As their families struggle to come to terms with the tragedy, the pregnant woman’s sister shared the heartbreaking photo showing Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field in happier times over Christmas.
Kate Leadbetter (right) was six months pregnant and excited to start a family with her long-term boyfriend Matty Field (left) when they were rundown and killed in Brisbane on Tuesday
Ms Leadbetter, 31, and Mr Field, 37, died instantly, while their dog Frankie who they had been walking, fled from the scene
Arm-in-arm and smiling, Mr Field held up the framed photo of the ultrasound, while in the background was a display that read: Santa baby.
Ms Leadbetter’s sister Kimberley shared the photo to Facebook on Wednesday in a bid to help the dozens of locals who spent the morning searching for missing pooch Frankie, the couple’s beloved pet.
The dog fled the scene in the aftermath of the crash leading some locals to search well into the night, before continuing on with their hunt on Wednesday morning.
The large search party discovered Frankie alive and well in bushland about 11.30am AEST on Wednesday.
He was carried out of the dense bushland by the search party and will be taken to a local vet for a check up.
The teenage driver charged with murdering Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field had allegedly stolen the Toyota Land Cruiser just hours before he hit and killed the couple about 5.30pm on Australia Day.
In addition to two counts of murder, he has also been charged with burglary and a number of driving offences.
The teen is understood to have been on bail over 50 unrelated charges, and high on drugs at the time of the crash.
Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field’s dog Frankie is carried out of bushland on Wednesday morning at the end of a long search by locals, friends and family to find the dog
Frankie (pictured) survived the horrific crash but fled the scene in terror immediately after
A woman pays her respects at the intersection of Finucane Road and Vienna Drive at Alexandra Hills in Brisbane where Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field were killed on Tuesday afternoon
The couple were walking their dog when they were struck by an allegedly stolen Toyota LandCruiser, pictured at the scene on Tuesday night
The Toyota LandCruiser that the teenager was allegedly driving lies damaged at the scene of the horror crash around 5.30pm on Tuesday
The teen from Waterford West will face the Brisbane Children’s Court on Wednesday.
Police alleged the 17-year-old fled the scene before he was arrested nearby and taken to hospital for minor injuries.
Shocking footage has since surfaced of the teenager allegedly speeding through an intersection before smashing into another vehicle just 15 minutes before the fatal crash.
Nearby drivers screamed in horror as the Toyota sped through the intersection, attempting to cut off a silver hatchback before crashing into the vehicle’s side – only to then speed off into the distance.
The driver, who was wearing sunglasses, had been seen making crude gestures towards other motorists while stopped at the traffic lights before slamming into the hatchback.
Police allege the teenage boy was driving erratically through the intersection when his car smashed into a tow truck.
Police allege the Toyota then rolled across the road straight into the couple, who died at the scene.
It is understood Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field never saw the car coming.
Mr Field was killed instantly while desperate attempts from passersby were made to save his girlfriend’s life.
Shocked residents visited the scene of the fatal crash on Wednesday to lay flowers
The local community has been rocked by the crash. (Pictured are distressed locals expressing their grief over the tragedy on Wednesday morning)
This intersection in Alexandra Hills has reopened to traffic after the horrific crash, with police markings still able to be seen on the road
Witnesses shaken by the crash said a brave pair of men spent close to an hour trying to revive the pregnant woman even after ambulances arrived.
Police will allege the Land Cruiser 4WD was stolen from a house in Cleveland about an hour before the crash.
Shortly after the crash, the teen allegedly stole a set of keys from a nearby home in Kingston Avenue and attempted to start a car in the garage.
‘He fled on foot when approached by one of the residents of the house who followed him to Chelsea Crescent where he was arrested,’ a police spokesperson said.
A local from the shattered community shared a photo of Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field’s dog Frankie to social media on Tuesday night, prompting residents to scour the streets trying to find the traumatised animal.
One man said he spent three hours out in the bush with a thermal scope looking for Frankie until 2am, while others searched in their cars into the early hours.
Frankie, who was still missing on Wednesday morning, needs urgent medication for a health condition and residents have been urged to contact police if they find her.
Witness and local resident Mark Lovorec (pictured on Wednesday morning) has been left shocked and angry by the tragedy
The driver allegedly crashed into a silver hatchback just minutes before smashing into the truck in Alexandra Hills (pictured, the footage filmed by a horrified onlooker)
Several bouquets of flowers were laid at the crash scene on Wednesday morning, as a number of devastated residents paid their respects.
Local resident Mark Lovorec was on a late afternoon jog when he saw the tragedy unfold.
‘I saw the car speed down and two pedestrians were walking the dog and he just slammed straight into them,’ he told Sunrise on Wednesday morning.
‘A male body has flown over there and the female over the other side. Then the car hit another car and there was a big accident.
‘I looked at the people on the road and they were dead and I was in shock. I looked at them and they were gone.’
Mr Lovorec said the community has been left shocked and angry by the tragedy.
‘They are pretty angry, I’m angry. They are local residents, a pregnant woman and her partner,’ he said.
‘It was horrific and it should not have happened. I am sorry for the loss and everyone is very angry about it.’
A shattered resident pays his respects the morning after the horrible crash in his local area
Shattered residents visited the crash scene on Wednesday morning to pay their respects to the woman, 31 and man, 37, who died in Tuesday’s crash
Federal MP Andrew Laming (pictured) was among the shocked community members who placed flowers at the scene
Local MP Andrew Laming lays flowers at the intersection where a pregnant woman and her partner where killed
Mr Lovorec searched for the missing dog Frankie afterwards but couldn’t find him.
‘I went home to my house and told the people what I saw, I was in shock and I just sat down and sat there for a while, I didn’t know what to do,’ he said
Another resident Tony Christianson who lives two blocks away heard the crash.
‘We heard this terrific noise and we thought somebody had an accident,’ he told the Today Show.
His wife Irene added: ‘It could have been us. We walk here every day. Sometimes several times a day.’
Another witness who watched the horror unfold said he desperately tried to resuscitate the woman.
‘My wife and I were there at the time. They didn’t stand a chance as the car took them out, it’s unlikely they even saw the car that hit them,’ the man said.
Residents visited the scene on Wednesday to pay their respects to the couple killed
A woman lays sunflowers at the growing shrine at the crash scene in Alexandra Hills
The scene of the tragedy was visited by dozens of young families on Wednesday morning
A 17-year-old boy has been charged over a fatal crash in Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon. Pictured are police at the crash scene at a major intersection in Alexandra Hills
‘Sadly I was more than just a witness.’
Another woman said her husband, believed to be an emergency service worker, had also tried to revive the woman and was still in a ‘bad way’ after the harrowing ordeal.
‘My husband worked on the deceased woman for half an hour. Rest in peace,’ she said.
Queensland Ambulance Service said 10 crews arrived at the intersection after the crash.
Two other adults and a child were also assessed but did not need treatment.
Emergency services are seen at the scene at the intersection on Finucane Road and Vienna Drive in Alexandra Hills on Tuesday
Source link