An experienced skydiver who fell to her death in April had done so intentionally, an inquest has heard.
Jade Damarell, 32, died on April 27 after falling from 15,500ft (4,600 metres) into a field in Shotton Colliery, County Durham.
Questions had quickly surfaced over whether the experienced skydiver's death had been accidental or intentional, given that she had previously completed over 500 jumps.
It was ruled that Damarell died of blunt trauma injuries and coroner Leslie Hamilton concluded at an inquest at Crook civic centre in County Durham on Thursday that Damarell had intended to take her own life.
Hamilton shared a summary of a note from Damarell's former partner, who she'd met through skydiving, confirming that the pair had "ended their relationship the night before”.
Damarell, who was from Caerphilly in Wales, had completed 500 jumps since taking up skydiving, including six on the day before her death.
The inquest heard that on her final jump, Damarell had deliberately not deployed her main parachute, which is usually opened at around 5,000ft.
She had also turned off a device which is designed to automatically deploy a parachute once the skydiver reaches a certain speed or altitude in case they are unable to do so manually.
Both the parachute and the safety device were found to be in full working order following an investigation into the circumstances of her death.
The inquest also heard that while Damarell usually wore a camera to capture her dives, she chose not to do so on the day that she died.
Hamilton concluded that the evidence suggested that Damarell, who was a "very experienced" skydiver, had intended to end her own life.
The inquest also heard that police discovered that Damarell had left instructions on the lock screen of her phone informing how to access the device after her death.
The inquest heard that DI Andrew Stephenson of Durham police, who attended the scene, wrote in his report said that there were notes addressed to her family on the cell phone, in which Damarell was "apologising and thanking them for their support", as well as details of her finances.
Following the inquest, Damarell's family said they accepted the coroner's finding that she had died by suicide, add that that they were “incredibly comforted by how admired, respected and deeply loved she was”, and thanked the wider skydiving community for the support they'd received in the wake of the tragedy.
Speaking after the inquest, they described Damarell as "brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary”, and added that they wanted to speak about her death "openly and without shame" in order to "contribute to a culture where mental ill-health is met with kindness and support, and where people in deep distress, and those around them, feel seen, believed and able to reach for support without fear of judgment".
Our thoughts remain with Damarell's family, friends, and loved ones at this heartbreaking time.
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