The cause of death of three sisters whose bodies were found in the sea off Brighton beach remains unclear, an inquest has heard. Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, from Uxbridge, west London, were discovered earlier this month.
At a hearing in Brighton on Friday, senior coroner Penelope Schofield stated that postmortem examinations had given a provisional cause of death as 'yet to be ascertained'. Sussex Police have said there is no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement, and specialist detectives are working to establish the full circumstances.
The sisters' father, Joseph Jacobson, who attended the hearing online, described the loss as 'unbearable' but said he held on to memories and 'the bond that death can never take away'. He paid tribute to his daughters, saying they were 'more than daughters to me; they were my joy, my strength and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love'.
Emergency services were called at about 5.45am on 13 May after concerns were raised for a person's welfare. The bodies were recovered near Madeira Drive, with Adetoro brought ashore by an RNLI crew, Christina Walters recovered by an RNLI lifeboat, and Rebecca Walters washed onto the beach. All three were declared dead at the scene.
The coroner adjourned the inquest until 8 October, expressing hope that the hearing would curb social media speculation. A GoFundMe page for the women's funerals has raised nearly £44,000 from over 2,000 donations.
