Two days before three sisters were found in the sea off Brighton, they visited the area of Birmingham where their mother died in 2010.
Two days before they were found in the sea off Brighton, three sisters visited the part of Birmingham where their mother died in 2010.
The detail came out at an inquest into the deaths of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31. Senior coroner Penelope Schofield concluded that the sisters meant to end their lives.
The last days of the sisters
On May 11, the sisters took a taxi to the area near where their mother, Janice Adetoro, had drowned. They then returned to the London flat they shared. From there they booked a cab to Brighton, and it dropped them at the waterfront at 10:21 p.m.
Emergency services were called to the beach at around 5:45 a.m. on May 13, and the sisters were pulled from the water. A post-mortem showed they had drowned, no signs of violence, and toxicology found no drugs or alcohol.
Schofield told Woodvale Coroner’s Court that the sisters went into the sea in the dark. None of them could swim, and the conditions were rough. Christina had searched for the word “suicide” on her computer before they died and the device held 227 references to water and 179 to suicide.
A tragic family history, and no explanation
Janice drowned in 2010. Court records seen by The Times show she was detained under the Mental Health Act on October 29, 2009, after “bizarre behavior” and a mental health assessment. She was discharged from the home treatment team’s care on December 22. In the early hours of January 5, 2010, she went missing in freezing weather, and her body was found on February 3.
ITV reported that Christina had struggled with depression and anxiety since her mother’s death.
The coroner said nobody knows what led the sisters to act. She described their lives as “very secluded” and that they were “incredibly private.” She also said it isn’t clear why they chose to end their lives in Brighton.
The father’s words
Joseph, the sisters’ father, followed the hearing by video link and shared a written statement. He called losing all three daughters “a heartbreak beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”
When the sisters were first named, he said no words could describe the pain of losing them “in the prime of their lives.” He remembered Jane, Christina and Rebecca, whom the family called Becky, as his “joy,” his “strength” and “the beautiful light” that filled the family with happiness.
“You were deeply loved, and you will always be deeply missed,” he said. He added that he holds on to the memories they shared and that their spirits “live on in our hearts every day.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a crisis line or a mental health professional in your area.
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