Three sisters who drowned at Brighton Beach had visited the same lake where their mother died just two days before their own deaths.
Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, were found dead in the early hours of May 13—16 years after their mother lost her life in another drowning.
The circumstances surrounding the sisters’ deaths remain unexplained. However, their cousin Natalie Walters-Daniel, 33, believes the decision to return to the lake where their mother died may have held a deeper significance.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, she said the sisters—who were 20, 16 and 15 when Janice Adetoro died—had never truly come to terms with losing their mother.
Janice drowned near the family’s home in Birmingham in 2010.
Ms Walters-Daniel said: “To lose their mum at the ages that they were, it was at such a crucial stage of growing up and becoming young women.
“Those were the years when they should have had their mother’s presence, guidance, reassurance and love, but they did not receive that.
“For them to return to Birmingham, spend that time at the lake and see their mother, I think there is definitely a connection there.”
Janice had been living with one of her daughters and was last seen by her before she disappeared, leading the family to make an urgent public appeal for information.
The sisters pictured with their father, Joseph, who has been described as “catatonic” since learning of his daughters’ deaths
Janice Adetoro, who had separated from her husband and experienced mental health problems, walked into a park lake in 2010
She had stress-related mental health difficulties and was not carrying any medication when she disappeared.
At the time, her brother Lincoln issued an emotional plea: “The girls are so upset and can’t stop thinking about you, and for their sake we need you to make contact.”
Janice vanished in January 2010, and her body was found in early February.
An inquest heard that she had gone to a police station earlier that year displaying what was described as “paranoid delusions”.
The sisters later returned to London. Neighbours described them as extremely private and withdrawn, saying they had their groceries delivered once a week.
Jane was employed as a senior accountant, Christina worked as a junior accountant and Rebecca was an HR administrator.
Sussex Police have now closed their investigation into the sisters’ deaths, saying officers found no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement.
Ms Walters-Daniel said: “We are not going to get the full answers to this.”
She said an inquest due to take place next month may provide further insight into the tragedy.
Their father Joseph previously spoke of his devastation at losing all three of his daughters, saying ‘no words can truly describe the pain’ in a heartbreaking tribute reported by the BBC.
‘You were more than my daughters: you were my joy, my strength and the beautiful light that filled my life with love,’ he wrote in the order of service.
‘There are moments when it feels unbearable, but I hold tightly to the memories we shared, the love we knew and the bond that nothing can ever take away.
Flowers and messages left at the scene in Brighton
‘Jane, I will never forget your strength. Tina, your kindness touched so many lives. Becky, your warmth and joyful spirit brought happiness wherever you went.’
Joseph’s wife Genevieve Barnaby described the sisters as ‘the most beautiful girls [who] didn’t give us no trouble’.
Paying tribute to her stepchildren, she wrote: ‘Our hearts are broken. The pain is indescribable.’
Their cousin told mourners at the funeral that their ‘lives will never be forgotten’ and their ‘memory will live on forever’.
A GoFundMe page launched by their uncle has since raised more than £45,000 towards funeral costs.
The page reads: ‘No parent should ever have to bury their child, let alone all three.
‘While trying to process this unimaginable tragedy, my brother is now also faced with the heartbreaking task of arranging three funerals.
‘As a family, we simply want to give the girls the loving and dignified farewell they deserve.
‘We are humbly asking for any support you may be able to offer towards the funeral expenses.
‘Any contribution, no matter how small, will help ease the burden on the family during this incredibly difficult time.’
