The family of three sisters found dead in the sea off Brighton earlier this month have spoken of their grief, revealing the tragedy echoes the loss of their mother 16 years ago.
The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were recovered from the water near Black Rock car park on Madeira Drive at around 5.45am on Wednesday last week.
Their aunt, Ajike Johnson, said she saw news reports of the incident without realising the victims were her nieces. She told The Daily Mail: 'I just remember thinking, what has happened here? God bless them, and their poor families.'
Family members believe the sisters, who lived in Uxbridge, may have been marking the anniversary of their mother Janice Adetoro's death. She died in 2010 after walking into a lake in Birmingham. Ms Johnson said the loss 'traumatised the girls' and they 'never recovered'.
Their father Joseph has been left 'catatonic' by the news. 'He is a softie anyway. My brother is a teddy bear, but when it comes to his girls... He has been catatonic,' Ms Johnson said.
Sussex Police said their investigation is ongoing, but there is no evidence of third-party involvement or criminality. A spokesperson said: 'Specialist detectives are working hard to gather the full facts and circumstances of their deaths.'
