A family tragedy spanning 16 years has ended in devastating circumstances, after three sisters were found dead in the sea off Brighton, United Kingdom, with an inquest ruling that they took their own lives.
The sisters, Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, reportedly struggled to cope with the death of their mother, who drowned in Birmingham in 2010.
Their surname, Adetoro, has a Nigerian ring to it, raising questions about a possible Nigerian family connection.
However, available reports have not confirmed their nationality or ancestry.
According to the BBC, Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield delivered the findings at an inquest on Thursday, describing the sisters as extremely private women who had lived “very secluded lives” following their mother’s death.
The sisters lived together in Greenford, west London, and reportedly never recovered from the loss of their mother.
Their cousin, Natalie Walters-Daniel, told The Times that the tragedy had profoundly affected them and that she believed they never got over their mother’s death.
The inquest heard that the sisters travelled from London to Birmingham on May 11, 2026, before heading to Brighton the following day. They entered the sea in the early hours of May 13 despite adverse conditions and being unable to swim.
In the 48 hours before their deaths, the sisters reportedly visited their mother’s grave and Brookvale Lake in Birmingham, where she drowned 16 years earlier.
Speaking at the inquest, Schofield said the reasons behind the sisters’ actions might never be established.
“These three sisters lived very secluded lives, they were incredibly private. We don’t know why they took this course of action or indeed why they chose to do it in Brighton,” she said.
“It is not for the court to speculate and sadly these reasons may never be known.”
The court heard that the sisters left their London home together and arrived in Brighton by taxi at 10:21pm on May 12. The driver reportedly noticed that they hardly spoke during the journey.
CCTV footage showed the women walking along different parts of the seafront during the night. They were last seen alive at 2:42am on May 13.
Investigators searching Christina’s laptop discovered extensive searches relating to suicide. The inquest also heard that she had experienced anxiety and depression since their mother’s death.
Rebecca’s medical records contained “nothing of note”, while Jane was not registered with a doctor, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore told the court.
Post-mortem toxicology tests found no drugs or alcohol in the sisters’ bodies, while investigators found no evidence that they had been subjected to violence.
Jane was brought ashore by a Royal National Lifeboat Institution crew and pronounced dead at the scene. Christina, who worked in accountancy, was recovered by an RNLI lifeboat, while Rebecca, who worked in human resources, was washed ashore at Brighton beach. Both were pronounced dead.
Christina and Rebecca had adopted their mother’s maiden name, Walters, while Jane retained their father’s surname, Adetoro, according to a family account published by The Times.
Their father, Joseph Adetoro, described the deaths as “a heartbreak beyond anything I could ever have imagined”.
In an emotional statement read at the inquest, he said he had watched his daughters grow from children into “beautiful, intelligent women”.
“There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child,” he said.
Adetoro said he could not understand why his daughters’ lives had ended so suddenly, expressing hope that they had been reunited with their mother “in God’s eternal care”.
SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE IN DISTRESS
Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or concerned about someone at risk should seek support from a trusted person or qualified health professional. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
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