The cause of death for three sisters 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. Postmortem examinations gave a provisional cause of death as 'yet to be ascertained'.
Senior coroner Penelope Schofield opened the inquest in Brighton on Friday, offering condolences to the sisters' father, Joseph Jacobson, who attended online. Sussex Police have stated there is no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement, and specialist detectives are gathering the full circumstances.
Emergency services were called at around 5:45am on 13 May after concerns for a person's welfare. The bodies were recovered from the water near Madeira Drive. Adetoro was brought ashore by an RNLI crew, Christina Walters by an RNLI lifeboat, and Rebecca Walters washed onto the beach. All were declared dead by paramedics at the scene.
The coroner adjourned the inquest until 8 October, expressing hope that details from the hearing would curb social media speculation. Medical investigations are ongoing to finalise the cause of death for all three women. Police have reviewed CCTV footage and made inquiries to track the sisters' last movements.
In a statement, Jacobson described his daughters as 'my joy, my strength and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love.' A GoFundMe fundraiser for the women's funerals has raised nearly £44,000 from over 2,000 donations.
