Over a day after three women’s bodies were pulled from the sea off England’s south coast police have still not been able to identify who they are.
Police have again asked the public not to speculate about how three women, now said to thought by officers to be aged between 20 and 30 years old, came to be drowned in the English Channel in the early hours of Wednesday morning as their investigation continues.
Remarkably, not 30 hours after the bodies were pulled from the water police have still not been able to identify the deceased. Speaking to state broadcaster the BBC, Brighton & Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said this morning: “the fact that these women are yet to be identified and their loved ones are yet to be informed is all the more heart-breaking and distressing.”
Police have also said they don’t know how or why the women entered the water, but officers are said to be exploring “several lines of inquiry”. The Express newspaper states the women were all fully dressed when found.
As reported earlier, police were alerted over “concerns for the welfare of a person in the water” near Brighton Pier around 05:45 on Wednesday water. That person was pulled from the water having drifted a mile eastward near the breakwater of the city marina, along with two others found nearby.
A large police presence dominated Brighton beach during the day on Wednesday, and assets including three volunteer lifeboats, coastguard teams, and a helicopter were deployed to assist with the search for clues or any other person in the water.
Police are appealing for anyone with information about the identity of the women or the circumstances of their death to come forward and speak to officers.