Three sisters drowned off Brighton

[zooterkin]

Not really sure where this belongs, partly because there's clearly more information to come out, though there's a couple of odd features about what's happened.

The bodies of three women were found drowned off Brighton beach. It turned out they were sisters from London, and apparently died in the early hours of 13th May. The police say no criminality is suspected. Their father has issued an eloquent and emotional statement about the effect of their loss on him and the family.

It is most likely a tragic accident, with one of the sisters getting into trouble in the water, paddling out where there is coastal shelf, and the other two trying to save her, and all drowning as a result.

The odd things about it, which may simply be a result of incomplete information being available: what were they doing in the sea late at night? There's no mention of their mother in the statement from the father. The original photo which accompanied the reports and which showed the three women turns out to have been AI generated by the family based on a photo when they were all younger. The one now being used shows them as children with their father. Finally, the statement by the father seems remarkably composed; I don't think I'd be in a state to put together such a eulogy so soon (though it's not clear how soon he was notified; the public identification of the women came a week after they died).

Three women found dead in sea off Brighton beach identified as sisters

Father describes Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters and Rebecca Walters as ‘the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Safe-Keeper]

The original photo which accompanied the reports and which showed the three women turns out to have been AI generated by the family based on a photo when they were all younger.

Wow.

 

[zooterkin]

A minor update:

The family described the sisters as 'happy girls' and 'best friends' who did not drink or club, and are still trying to understand why they travelled to Brighton, noting their mother also drowned in 2010.

Family of sisters found dead in Brighton speak out over online conspiracy theories

www.independent.co.uk

 

[The Atheist]

A minor update.

The mother drowned as well?

I'm suspecting triple suicide. Terrible business whatever happened.

 

[angrysoba]

There must be more to this story.

This use of the passive voice is too weird:

Emergency services were called after concerns were raised for a person’s welfare at about 5.45am on 13 May, before three bodies were pulled from the water near Madeira Drive.

I can understand that the media often wants to be sensitive around certain subjects and not cast aspersions etc... but at a certain point I have to wonder why report the news if they are just going to leave the reader guessing about information that they have.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

When the sisters' bodies were first found the far right were all shouting on twitter and their other echo chambers that it was the MOOSLIM RAPESTS were doing it. Anybody know if they're still peddling the lie?

 

[Helen]

When the sisters' bodies were first found the far right were all shouting on twitter and their other echo chambers that it was the MOOSLIM RAPESTS were doing it. Anybody know if they're still peddling the lie?

They probably stopped caring, once they saw the girls...

 

[Stout]

When the sisters' bodies were first found the far right were all shouting on twitter and their other echo chambers that it was the MOOSLIM RAPESTS were doing it. Anybody know if they're still peddling the lie?

Probably mixing them up with these mooslim rapists

Three men guilty of repeatedly raping woman on Brighton beach in ‘predatory, callous’ attack

Woman raped by two men while a third filmed ordeal after she became separated from friends on night out

www.theguardian.com

Far right...lol

 

[jeremyp]

They went to Brighton to have a good time. Maybe they drank a little too much. One of them decided to go for a swim late at night and got into trouble. The other two got into trouble trying to rescue her. This is my initial reaction.

It’s tragic but unfortunately, it happens.

 

[zooterkin]

They went to Brighton to have a good time. Maybe they drank a little too much. One of them decided to go for a swim late at night and got into trouble. The other two got into trouble trying to rescue her. This is my initial reaction.

It’s tragic but unfortunately, it happens.

The family says the girls didn't drink.

 

[EHocking]

The family says the girls didn't drink.

And all my teenage life my mother claimed that my brother and I were smokers.
I never found out if it was ignorance of the fact or denial…

 

[EHocking]

double post

 

[EHocking]

triple post

 

[jeremyp]

The family says the girls didn't drink.

Good point. Nobody has ever concealed a vice from their family /sarcasm

It’s totally believable that the family didn’t know the sisters weren’t against having a drink every now and then.

 

[angrysoba]

And all my teenage life my mother claimed that my brother and I were smokers.
I never found out if it was ignorance of the fact or denial…

weren't, maybe?

 

[EHocking]

weren't, maybe?

indeed - software wouldn't allow me to correct 'cos there were 47k users online.
I did manage to post it 3 times while attempting to correct the post, though

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I used to swim off the beach at Brighton a lot as a child and the beach is a very long slow slope with a sudden fall off a long way out which I remember being caught out by the first time I ventured out that far, admittedly that was near high tide so I was already up to my neck and way past 'paddling', but at low tide I could see it being possible and you'd be so far out on the sand that you, or people with you might not be able to attract attention. At high tide the swell can be very strong along that part of the coast too, I remember being swept off my feet and repeatedly beaten into the shingle erosion protection, I was too busy trying not to breathe water to call out and it took me a while, probably seconds but it felt longer to get control of the situation and regain my footing. I was young but a strong swimmer experienced in swimming in the sea.

Statistically children from Afro Caribbean families are less likely to learn to swim or swim regularly and are disproportionately at risk of drowning compared to their White peers.

So, sorry for being so fudgy that diabetics can't read this conclusion but.. Everything about it says triple suicide to me especially if the mother drowned, but, I can see circumstances (plural) in which it could be a tragic accident. If there's any doubt I hope they settle on the latter.

 

[zooterkin]

No answers so far from the inquest. Adjourned until October.

An inquest that opened in Brighton on Friday heard that postmortem examinations had offered a provisional cause of death as “yet to be ascertained”
...
The coroner said she hoped the details from the hearing would stop social media speculation around the case, and she adjourned the inquest to be heard on 8 October.

Not sure what details those are, I'm not seeing any in the report that would stop speculation.

Cause of deaths of three sisters found in sea at Brighton still unclear, inquest hears

Medical investigations ongoing ‘to finalise the cause of death’ but police say they do not suspect foul play

www.theguardian.com

 

[jeremyp]

I used to swim off the beach at Brighton a lot as a child and the beach is a very long slow slope with a sudden fall off a long way out which I remember being caught out by the first time I ventured out that far, admittedly that was near high tide so I was already up to my neck and way past 'paddling', but at low tide I could see it being possible and you'd be so far out on the sand that you, or people with you might not be able to attract attention. At high tide the swell can be very strong along that part of the coast too, I remember being swept off my feet and repeatedly beaten into the shingle erosion protection, I was too busy trying not to breathe water to call out and it took me a while, probably seconds but it felt longer to get control of the situation and regain my footing. I was young but a strong swimmer experienced in swimming in the sea.

Statistically children from Afro Caribbean families are less likely to learn to swim or swim regularly and are disproportionately at risk of drowning compared to their White peers.

So, sorry for being so fudgy that diabetics can't read this conclusion but.. Everything about it says triple suicide to me especially if the mother drowned, but, I can see circumstances (plural) in which it could be a tragic accident. If there's any doubt I hope they settle on the latter.

This post doesn't make sense to me. You spend a long paragraph explaining how Brighton beach can be dangerous even for strong swimmers. Then you spend a paragraph explaining how Afro Caribbean people are statistically less likely to be strong swimmers. But your conclusion is that they most likely deliberately killed themselves.

I don't understand your argument. Surely your conclusion should be that they most likely went for a swim (or even just a paddle), got into difficulties and drowned.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

This post doesn't make sense to me. You spend a long paragraph explaining how Brighton beach can be dangerous even for strong swimmers. Then you spend a paragraph explaining how Afro Caribbean people are statistically less likely to be strong swimmers. But your conclusion is that they most likely deliberately killed themselves.

I don't understand your argument. Surely your conclusion should be that they most likely went for a swim (or even just a paddle), got into difficulties and drowned.

No, I'm saying that both scenarios have factors that make them plausible, the fact that people accidentally drown doesn't invalidate that people commit suicide by drowning Their mother having died that way makes that seem more likely to me than them going for a paddle and all three accidentally drowning but knowing the beach there are factors that make it more possible than on some beaches. I don't know which it was so why wouldn't I consider both options and discuss factors I know about that might be relevant?