Inquest Rules Three Sisters Who Drowned Off Brighton Died by Suicide

A coroner has formally ruled that three sisters who drowned in the sea off Brighton took their own lives. Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, all residents of Greenford in London, died on 13 May.

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield stated that the women entered the water despite adverse sea conditions and were unable to swim. The hearing revealed that on 11 May, the sisters visited an area of Birmingham near the location where their mother had drowned in 2010, before traveling to Brighton.

Investigations into Christina Walters’ laptop uncovered 227 references to water and 179 mentions of suicide. It was also noted that Christina had been suffering from anxiety and depression following her mother’s death. In contrast, medical records for Rebecca showed “nothing of note,” while Jane was not registered with a general practitioner.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore confirmed that postmortem toxicology tests for all three sisters were negative for drugs and alcohol, and there was no evidence of violence. A previous inquest into their mother’s death had previously determined her cause of death was drowning.

The coroner observed that the sisters led “very secluded” and private lives, noting that the court cannot speculate on their exact motivations and that these reasons may never be fully known.

Family members, including their father Joseph Jacobsen, watched the proceedings via video link. In an emotional statement read on his behalf, Mr. Jacobsen expressed the heartbreaking pain of losing all three of his daughters and hoped they were reunited with their wife and mother “in God’s eternal care.”

The sisters arrived in Brighton by taxi at 22:21 BST on 12 May and were last seen alive at 02:42 on 13 May. Their bodies were recovered from the sea in the early hours of that day.