BRIGHTON, United Kingdom — A British coroner has ruled that three Nigerian sisters found dead off the coast of Brighton in England took their own lives.
Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, died on May 13, 2026, after travelling together from their home in west London.
Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield delivered the findings at Woodvale Coroner’s Court in Brighton on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
The inquest established drowning as the cause of death for all three women. Post-mortem examinations found no evidence of alcohol, drugs, or physical violence.
Police had previously concluded that no third party was involved in their deaths.
Sisters Visited Location Linked to Mother’s Death
The court heard that the sisters lived together in Greenford, west London, and had maintained a particularly private lifestyle.
Two days before their deaths, they travelled to Birmingham and visited an area near the former home of their mother, Janice Adetoro, who drowned in 2010.
They returned to London before travelling to Brighton the following evening.
Their bodies were recovered after emergency services were alerted to an incident near the seafront.
According to the BBC, Schofield concluded that the women had deliberately taken their own lives but said their reasons remained unknown.
“We don’t know why they took this course of action or indeed why they chose to do it in Brighton,” she said.
The coroner added that the court could not speculate about their motives.
The hearing was told that Christina had experienced anxiety and depression following her mother’s death. No comparable medical history was documented for Rebecca, while Jane was not registered with a doctor.
The evidence did not establish why the three sisters died.
Father Mourns Three Daughters
Their father, Joseph Jacobsen, attended the inquest remotely and submitted a statement describing the devastating loss of his daughters.
“There are no words that can adequately express the pain of losing a child,” he said.
Jacobsen remembered watching his daughters grow into intelligent young women and spoke of the close relationship they shared.
He said he would continue to love them throughout his life.
In a fundraising appeal established after their deaths, the sisters’ uncle, Adesoji Adetoro, described the family’s profound grief and the futures the women had lost.
The inquest concluded that all three deaths were suicides, bringing the formal investigation to an end without establishing what led the sisters to take their lives.
If you or someone you know may be struggling or in emotional distress, help is available. In the United States, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org. In the United Kingdom, Samaritans can be reached at 116 123 or at www.samaritans.org. In Nigeria, support and referrals are available through the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) at www.mentallyaware.org. If you are outside these countries, local helplines and support services can be found through international crisis-support organisations, including SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
