UMVA has learned that a devastating tragedy has befallen a family from the Uxbridge area of London, where three sisters, Jane, Christina, and Rebecca, lost their lives in a heartbreaking incident.
Their aunt, Ajike Johnson, has spoken out about the tragedy, saying it 'traumatised the girls' and that they 'never recovered.' The family and police are now investigating whether the sisters could have walked into the water, as their mother had done, but their stepmother, Genevieve Barnaby-Adetoro, dismisses this possibility.
Ajike, affectionately known as Aunt Jik to her nieces, hopes that the incident was a terrible accident, and that the girls may have been 'being mischievous' and one of them lost their footing, prompting the others to dive in and try to save them.
The family has been retraumatised by abusive comments left by conspiracy theorists on social media, with Genevieve expressing her distress at the heartless remarks. Ajike added that the family is still trying to come to terms with what happened and are asking questions themselves, such as why the girls were in Brighton and what they were doing.
The sisters were known to be fans of David Attenborough and may have decided to 'go for a paddle' after attending an event in Brighton for the natural historian's 100th birthday the night before. Ajike noted that the girls were very close and would have done everything together.
Genevieve said that there is no comfort in the thought that the girls died together, and that they didn't come into this world together, so why would they leave it together?
A GoFundMe appeal has been set up to give the sisters a 'loving and dignified farewell,' and has attracted nearly £40,000 in donations in its first 24 hours. The fundraiser organiser, Adesoji Adetoro, wrote that the family is struggling to come to terms with what has happened and wants to give the girls the farewell they deserve.
Sussex Police have said that there is no evidence to suggest criminality or that anyone else was involved, but specialist detectives are working to gather the full facts and circumstances around their deaths. The police are asking anyone with information to come forward, particularly those who saw the sisters around the Madeira Drive area on the night of May 12.
The investigation is ongoing, with the police chief superintendent stating that they 'will leave no stone unturned' in understanding what led to the tragic events.
