Police Reveal New Findings in Deaths of Three Sisters Found Off Brighton Beach

Joseph Jacobson and his daughters (L-R): Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters and Rebecca Walters(Image: Family Handout/PA Wire)

Police have released a major update in the investigation into the deaths of three sisters whose bodies were recovered from the sea off Brighton earlier this year, confirming all three died by drowning and saying they found no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement.

Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were discovered near Madeira Drive on May 13. The sisters, who were from the Uxbridge area of London, had arrived in Brighton together the previous evening.

The investigation into their deaths has now concluded, while an inquest is expected to resume in early October to examine the circumstances surrounding what happened.

Police Reconstruct the Sisters’ Final Movements

Flowers left at the scene where the bodies of three sisters were recovered from the sea off Brighton beach(Image: Anahita Hossein-Pour/PA Wire)

As part of the extensive investigation, officers reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV, gathered witness statements from across the country and carried out further enquiries to trace the sisters’ movements.

Police established that Jane, Christina and Rebecca were dropped off by taxi on Madeira Drive at approximately 10.20pm on May 12.

Investigators found no evidence that the sisters entered any nightclubs or other businesses in the area that night.

Instead, police said the three women later entered the sea close to the location where their bodies would be discovered the following morning. They were wearing everyday clothing at the time.

Post-Mortem Examinations Provide New Answer

Floral tributes for the sisters(Image: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror)

When the inquest first opened in May, the provisional cause of death had yet to be established.

Police have now confirmed that subsequent post-mortem examinations determined all three sisters died by drowning.

Jane was brought ashore by an RNLI crew and pronounced dead at the scene. Christina was recovered by an RNLI lifeboat, while Rebecca was washed ashore on Brighton beach. Both were also pronounced dead by paramedics.

Crucially, police said their investigation uncovered no evidence of criminal activity or another person being involved in the sisters’ deaths.

Family Left With an ‘Unbearable’ Loss

The deaths prompted widespread grief and considerable public speculation about how three sisters came to be found in the water on the same morning.

Their father, Joseph Jacobson, previously described days when the grief felt “unbearable,” while saying he continued to hold on to memories of his daughters and a family bond that death could not take away.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays acknowledged the unanswered questions that had surrounded the case and said investigators had been focused on establishing the truth for the sisters’ loved ones.

Police also said their enquiries had specifically considered concerns raised by Black communities regarding deaths of Black people in or near bodies of water.

With the criminal investigation now closed pending any new information, attention will turn to the coronial process.

The resumed inquest is expected to examine where, when and how Jane, Christina and Rebecca died — providing the next formal step in establishing the full circumstances surrounding the sisters’ final night in Brighton.