A police investigation into the deaths of three sisters whose bodies were recovered from the sea off Brighton has concluded with no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement, Sussex Police have announced.
The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were found in the water near Black Rock on the morning of 13 May. A post-mortem examination established that all three women died by drowning, the force said.
Sussex Police had been investigating the circumstances since the discovery, aware of the intense public speculation that surrounded the case from the outset. Ch Supt Adam Hays said the priority throughout had been “uncovering the truth for the loved ones of Jane, Rebecca and Christina,” describing the core of the incident as “a grieving family coming to terms with an unthinkable tragedy and loss.”
What investigators established
Police inquiries found that the sisters were dropped off by a taxi in Madeira Drive at approximately 22:20 BST on 12 May, the night before their bodies were discovered. There was no evidence to suggest they visited any nightclubs or local businesses in the area at that time, and up to the point of the discovery of their bodies there was “no evidence the women came to harm by any individuals,” Sussex Police said.
The force concluded its active investigation pending any new information coming to light. The focus now shifts to the coroner’s court, where the inquest opened at Brighton and Hove Coroner’s Court in May is set to continue in early October. The inquest will aim to establish the facts of where, when and how the sisters died.
The sisters had been living together in Greenford, London. Their father formally identified their bodies. In a moving tribute at the time, he told of “the pain of losing three daughters in the prime of their lives,” describing them as “my joy, my strength, and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love.”
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Why it matters
Cases of multiple deaths in such close familial relationships inevitably attract intense public and media attention, and the Brighton case was no exception. The decision to conclude the criminal investigation without charging anyone places the matter squarely in the hands of the coroner, a fact-finding process that does not determine criminal liability but can establish the circumstances surrounding a death.
The police statement was at pains to address the speculation directly, with Ch Supt Hays acknowledging the “public’s unanswered questions and their desire for answers.” The force’s emphasis on the grieving family at the centre of the proceedings reflects both the scale of the loss — three daughters from the same family — and the distress that public speculation can cause to those left behind.
The inquest, when it resumes in October, will examine the evidence in a public forum and may provide further clarity on the sequence of events on that evening in May.
What happens next
The inquest at Brighton and Hove Coroner’s Court is scheduled to continue in early October, where a coroner will examine the evidence and seek to establish how, when and where the three women died. The conclusion of the police investigation means there will be no further criminal charges — but the coroner’s findings may provide the family and the public with a fuller picture of the circumstances. For now, the sisters’ father and their wider family continue to come to terms with a loss that he described, in words that have echoed through the coverage, as beyond the reach of language to convey.
Source: BBC News (BBC Sussex)
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