A United Kingdom coroner’s inquest has concluded that three Nigerian sisters who drowned in the sea off Brighton in May 2026 intended to end their lives, but their precise reasons for doing so remain unknown.
Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, lived together in Greenford, West London. Their deaths have left their father, Joseph Adetoro, devastated, while the circumstances surrounding the tragedy continue to raise questions about the sisters’ lives and the lasting impact of their mother’s death.
Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield said the sisters had lived “very secluded lives” following the death of their mother, Janice Adetoro, who drowned in Birmingham in 2010.
Speaking at the inquest, Schofield said the court could not establish why the sisters chose to end their lives or why they travelled to Brighton.
“It is not for the court to speculate and sadly these reasons may never be known,” she said.
Sisters revisited places linked to their mother’s death
Evidence presented at the inquest indicated that the sisters travelled to Birmingham days before their deaths in May 2026. According to a family account reported by The Times, they visited their mother’s grave and Brookvale Lake, where she had died.
The sisters subsequently travelled to Brighton, arriving by taxi at 10:21 p.m. on May 12. The driver reportedly noticed that they spoke very little during the journey.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the women walking along different parts of the seafront during the night. They were last seen alive at 2:42 a.m. on May 13.
The inquest heard that the sisters entered the sea in the early hours of the morning despite being unable to swim and facing adverse sea conditions.
Jane was brought ashore by a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew and pronounced dead at the scene. Christina was recovered by an RNLI lifeboat, while Rebecca was later washed ashore at Brighton beach. Both were subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics.
Evidence of emotional distress
Investigators who examined Christina’s laptop discovered extensive internet searches relating to suicide and water.
The inquest also heard that she had experienced anxiety and depression since their mother’s death.
However, the available evidence did not establish the full extent of the emotional difficulties experienced by each sister or explain why all three died together.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cullimore told the court that Rebecca’s medical records contained “nothing of note”, while Jane was not registered with a doctor.
Toxicology tests found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the sisters’ systems, and investigators found no evidence that they had been subjected to violence.
Father expresses profound grief
The sisters’ father, Joseph Adetoro, described the loss as a devastating experience beyond anything he could have imagined.
“There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child,” he said in a statement read at the inquest.
He added that he had watched his daughters grow from children into “beautiful, intelligent women”.
Christina worked in accountancy, while Rebecca was employed in human resources. According to the family account reported by The Times, the two sisters had adopted their mother’s maiden name, Walters, while Jane retained their father’s surname, Adetoro.
Their cousin, Natalie Walters-Daniel, told The Times that their mother’s death had deeply affected the family and that she believed the sisters never recovered from the loss.
Coroner says answers may never emerge
The inquest concluded that the sisters intended to end their lives. However, Schofield stressed that the court could not determine their precise motivations or establish why they chose Brighton as the location of their deaths.
The sisters’ final journey, their visits to places associated with their mother and the evidence of Christina’s psychological distress provide some context to the tragedy, but do not offer a definitive explanation.
The case has left their family grieving three daughters whose deaths occurred under circumstances that may never be fully understood.