The cause of the deaths of three sisters found in the sea off Brighton beach remains unclear, an inquest has heard, but police say they do not suspect foul play at this stage.
Bodies Recovered from the Sea
The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, from Uxbridge, west London, were discovered earlier this month. An inquest opened in Brighton on Friday heard that postmortem examinations had offered a provisional cause of death as 'yet to be ascertained'.
Emergency services were called after concerns were raised for a person's welfare at about 5.45am on 13 May. Three bodies were subsequently pulled from the water near Madeira Drive.
Father's Grief
Their father, Joseph Jacobson, said there were days when the grief felt 'unbearable', but he held on to the memories they had shared and 'the bond that death can never take away'. Senior coroner Penelope Schofield told Jacobson, who attended the hearing online, that the loss of his daughters must be unbearable and offered condolences.
Police Investigation
Sussex police have stated there is no evidence to suggest criminality or that anyone else was involved. Specialist detectives are working to gather the full facts and circumstances around their deaths.
Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said the force 'will leave no stone unturned' in the investigation to understand what led to the 'tragic events of that Wednesday morning'.
Inquest Adjourned
The coroner adjourned the inquest to be heard on 8 October. She expressed hope that details from the hearing would stop social media speculation around the case.
Statements read to the inquest detailed that Adetoro was brought to shore by an RNLI crew and declared deceased by a paramedic. Christina Walters was recovered from the sea by an RNLI lifeboat, and Rebecca Walters was washed onto the beach. Both were also declared dead by paramedics.
The inquest heard that medical investigations were ongoing 'to finalise the cause of death' for all three women, but at this stage police were satisfied there was no third-party involvement. The sisters lived at the same address in Greenford, and their occupations were unknown.
Public Support
A GoFundMe online fundraiser for the women's funerals has received more than 2,000 donations, totalling nearly £44,000.
