Three sisters found dead on Brighton seafront last week suffered a previous family tragedy when their mother died by drowning, it has emerged. Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were reported swept away from the shore at 5.45am on Wednesday, May 20. Their mother Janice died by drowning in Birmingham at the age of 43, reportedly in 2010 or 2012, after suffering from stress-related mental health problems.
Relatives of the women, from Uxbridge, North West London, said they had not known the sisters were travelling to Brighton that morning, but have reflected on whether they may have been marking their mother's memory. Janice disappeared from her home in Erdington in the early hours of the morning and was last seen by one of her daughters on January 5 during a cold snap.
An inquest into the sisters' deaths will open at Brighton Coroner's Court on Friday, May 29. Fresh information has emerged about their lives: Jane worked as an accountant, Christina had recently graduated from Brunel University, and Rebecca was remembered as “the baby who was very mischievous” and “the lively one who was always cracking jokes”.
Sussex Police said there is no evidence of third-party involvement or criminality. One line of inquiry is that the trio, found fully clothed, may have been paddling when they slipped off a shingle coastal shelf. The sisters' aunt, Ajike Adetoro, said the family had been distressed by speculation, including that the women were victims of a racist attack or had been clubbing shortly before their deaths. She said: “These girls would not drink alcohol or smoke. They never went clubbing. They didn’t even have social media.”
Their father Joseph released a statement via Sussex Police, saying: “No words can truly describe the pain of losing three daughters in the prime of their lives. They were more than daughters – they were my joy, my strength, and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love.”
