A 32-year-old woman who died while skydiving in England earlier this year deliberately fell to her death, a local coroner has determined.
On Thursday, Aug. 21, an inquest was held regarding the death of Jade Damarell, who died on April 27 in Shotton Colliery, County Durham.
At the hearing, coroner Leslie Hamilton concluded that Damarell’s death was a suicide, the BBC, The Guardian and Sky News reported.
During her final jump, Damarell did not engage her main parachute, according to The Guardian. She had also turned off a device designed to automatically deploy the parachute if she was unable to do so at a specific altitude and speed. Both devices were found to be fully functional after her fall.
Authorities confirmed that Damarell had no drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death, the BBC reported.
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When summarizing a statement from Damarell’s former partner, Hamilton said the couple “ended their relationship the night before” her death, according to the BBC. The pair had met through a shared passion for skydiving.
Damarell, a marketing manager, was an experienced skydiver with more than 500 jumps to her name, including six the day before her death, The Guardian reported.
At the inquest, Detective Inspector Andrew Stephenson of Durham Constabulary, who was at the scene, said Damarell had left instructions on how to unlock her phone and notes about her finances, according to The Guardian. She also included a message for her family.
At the end of the hearing, Jade’s parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel, who attended remotely, paid tribute to their daughter’s spirit.
“Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person,” the family said, according to the BBC. “A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness.”
