UK - Blessing Olusegun, 21, body found on Bexhill Beach, unexplained death, 18 Sept 2020

[dotr]

Oct 2020

Blessing Olusegun, 21 (Image: Christiana Sofolabo)
Fight to 'find answers' after carer, 21, found dead on Bexhill beach
''Blessing Olusegun was found dead on the beach near Galley Hill, just before 6am on September 18.

She was on a one-week placement working as a live-in carer for the elderly at the time.''

“Her quote was ‘I’m living my best life’ - she was so carefree and vibrant.

“She was always there for anybody, no matter what.

Blessing studied business management part-time at university and had hopes of running her own beauty business''.

''Christiana said that it is thought that the cause of her death was by drowning - the case is not being treated as suspicious.

However Christiana and Blessing’s family are hoping for further answers.''
Christiana said there were three CCTV images that showed Blessing walking in the early hours of the day she died.

The first showed Blessing in the town centre, the second showed her walking under a tunnel towards the beach, and the last CCTV sighting was by a cafe.''

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
Mother's turmoil as daughter, 21, found dead on Sussex beach
''Police are investigating the death of a London business student whose body was found lying on a beach in East Sussex.

Blessing Olusegun, 21, of Eltham, was discovered 60 miles away in Bexhill near Galley Hill at 6.20am.''

''Ms Olusegun’s death is “unexplained” though not currently suspicious, Sussex Police said.

Her mother Esther Abe, 39, is demanding to know why her “beautiful, gorgeous and talented” daughter died on September 18.''
''CCTV shows her walking towards the beach around 1am but not what happened next.''

“I’m a mother and I need to know what happened to my daughter. Did she come to harm?

“Blessing did not have any friends in Bexhill – all of them are in London. She was only supposed to be there for a week.

Ms Olusegun was speaking on the phone to her boyfriend and a close friend and told them to stay on the line.

Police found her iPhone and slippers a few metres from her body.''

 

[Lucy6226]

How strange! I hope the family get some answers, something must have happened!

 

[elliefant]

This is close to where I used to live. The tunnel is an arch that runs under the coastal railway line. It is the path to the beach and only a short tunnel. The cafe is on the other side of it (actually on the beach) and is well known locally particularly for dog walkers.

I’ll try to post a map with it pinned

Google Maps

 

[imstilla.grandma]

What happened to Blessing Olusegun? Student’s death has chilling similarities to Sarah Everard case

Blessing Olusegun was 21-years-old when her body was discovered on a beach in East Sussexin September last year.

She was alone, with nothing but her iPhone and slippers a few metres from her body.

Her death has been deemed as “unexplained” by Sussex Police and a postmortem has determined she died by drowning.

But with a large gap of time between when she was last spotted alive to the discovery of her body, much mystery remains around her death.

Interest in what happened to Ms Olusegun has resurfaced after the death of Sarah Everard who vanished on March 3 after walking home from a friend’s house

What happened to Blessing Olusegun?

The mysterious death of a Black woman, Blessing Olusegun, resurfaces following Sarah Everard's murder

 

[Officer Dibble]

Interesting. Poor Blessing!! Her mother must be so confused.

 

[Filly]

Beautiful, vibrant young lady.

Being an American to me slippers are well slippers. Then we have slang "house shoes". I wondered if they didn't mean flip flops.

This past summer the girls were sporting actual slippers outside. Not Uggs, but chichipoohpooh boa feather bedroom slippers. Also, Amy Winehouse ran around in those ballets slippers.

Wait on elliphant to set us straight. Or any British citizen. May be extreme with footwear, but very important. Seeing newbies coming to college in certain parts of Philly traipsing around in flip flops. Ummm, no! Ya can't run in flip flops. You'll step on a needle. Walk in Lord knows what.

Blessing is a gorgeous name.

 

[dotr]

What happened to Blessing Olusegun?
''The disappearance and subsequent discovery of Ms Everard’s body has gained widespread attention, inspired protests and sparked a national conversation around women’s safety.

While many, have noted that this is their first time hearing about Ms Olusegun’s death.

“Never heard of Blessing Olusegun until today,” one woman tweeted after post about Ms Olusegun went viral.

“Her family need answers too.”

Calls are now growing for police to further investigate Blessing Olusegun’s death and a petition is gaining traction online.

The petition, which has amassed almost 15,000 signatures, reads: “Blessing Olusegun was a 21-year-old business student from London. She came to Bexhill on a one-week placement as a carer to help old people with dementia and other mental health issues''.


“Her mother Esther Abe is demanding to know why her beautiful daughter died on September 18th. We need justice for Blessing and her family. What actually happened?”

Many people have now written posts on social media to shine a light on what happened to the 21-year-old.

One person tweeted: “Please remember Blessing Olusegun, whose body was found on a beach in Sussex last year. Her death remains unexplained.”

''Others discussed the importance of highlighting the stories of all women who go missing.

British historian Dr Fern Riddell tweeted: “If Sarah’s death is why you want to protest and March and campaign, then she has to be held alongside Blessing Olusegun, Nicole Smallman, and Bibaa Henry, all women who, in their deaths, have been failed by the police.”

“Thinking of Sarah Everard’s mother. I’m thinking about Blessing Olusegun’s and Wenjing Lin’s mother too,” tweeted another user. “I’m thinking of all the mothers or guardians who have raised women/ girls who have had their children stolen from them.”

''While Sussex Police said there was no evidence of violence or of internal or external injury, the investigation remains open.''
Ws threads for women referenced in the above article..
UK- Welsh LE dealing with 'serious incident' in Treorchy involving 'number of casualties, 5/3/21


UK - Nicole Smallman, 27 & Bibaa Henry 46, Archdeacon's daughters, murdered London park, 7 June 2020

 

[elliefant]

Beautiful, vibrant young lady.

Being an American to me slippers are well slippers. Then we have slang "house shoes". I wondered if they didn't mean flip flops.

This past summer the girls were sporting actual slippers outside. Not Uggs, but chichipoohpooh boa feather bedroom slippers. Also, Amy Winehouse ran around in those ballets slippers.

Wait on elliphant to set us straight. Or any British citizen. May be extreme with footwear, but very important. Seeing newbies coming to college in certain parts of Philly traipsing around in flip flops. Ummm, no! Ya can't run in flip flops. You'll step on a needle. Walk in Lord knows what.

Blessing is a gorgeous name.

Here slippers are what you call bedroom slippers, both frou-frou ones and more plain practical ones. I haven’t known flip-flops to be called slippers here to be honest

Ballet shoes are also sometimes called ballet slippers here but not called slippers. Sometimes ballet shoes like Amy’s are called ballet pumps. PS pumps in USA are usually called court shoes in Uk just to confuse you further

 

[Filly]

Here slippers are what you call bedroom slippers, both frou-frou ones and more plain practical ones. I haven’t known flip-flops to be called slippers here to be honest

Ballet shoes are also sometimes called ballet slippers here but not called slippers. Sometimes ballet shoes like Amy’s are called ballet pumps. PS pumps in USA are usually called court shoes in Uk just to confuse you further

Thank you so much. Honestly this is integral Imo. Why go out in your slippers for a stroll? Now that I know what y'all consider "slippers". Beach to me screams flip flops.

Court shoes? We have a dirty name for pumps here in certain situations. Not to be walked in! Otherwise pumps are in a wide range.

Most important is now we know lovely Blessing went out in slippers. Again, thanks for the clarification.

Hoping they see justice for Blessing if this was not "accidental".

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A postmortem found that Ms Olusegun died from drowning, while the force said there was no evidence of violence or of internal or external injury.

“However, there is another death within our community, who like Sarah, was a woman who was walking alone.

“Her name is Blessing Olusegun, a young African woman who came to an untimely death on the September 18, 2020. Blessing’s mother faced a wall of silence, this is almost deafening.

“This was a young woman who was on a work placement away from home. We are demanding that the local police re-open this case and to undertake a thorough investigation into her death.

“People of African heritage face discrimination in public services and the disparity between these cases should be addressed now if Black Lives Matter today. Enough is enough.”
'We need justice for Blessing' Police urged to do more to investigate death

 

[Filly]

Grandma, you said it!

Yesterday, I checked to see if the UK had an equivalent of our "Black And Missing". They do. Also, the violence being perpetuated upon Asians needs more attention.

Nobody. Nobody. Nobody should go missing and not given the same amount of media attention. Men or women. Race. Risky behavior. Socio economics. I believe to us here at WS every person counts!

 

[elliefant]

My friend who still lives in the area belongs to a local Facebook group (I don’t know if private or public as am not a Facebook member) and what you & the article say about why Blessing has so little attention is absolutely what they are saying apparently. They are rightly up in arms about the inaction.

 

[sundaaaay]

I admit it is odd that she was on the phone at the time and asked the person to stay on the line. I wonder did she enter the water to get away from someone and drowned. She also may have decided to swim and drowned herself. Very little information. Just MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Those criticising the police have said that police have not focused as intently on Miss Olusegun's case because she was a black woman, but Sussex Police say they 'strongly refute these claims'.

“At 6.20am on Friday, 18 September the body of a woman was found lying on the beach at Bexhill near Galley Hill. The body was identified that morning as that of Blessing and her next of kin, her mother, was visited and informed by Metropolitan Police officers later the same day.

"Sussex Police detectives attended and, with no immediate evidence of a crime, the Coroner was notified and a police investigation launched. The investigation remains ongoing and, to date, police have carried out detailed enquiries to explore the circumstances leading to Blessing’s death. These include:

• A search of the area where Blessing was found: this located her phone and slippers piled neatly 300m away on the beach
• Enquiries in the local neighbourhood to identify any potential witnesses
• Interviews with people who last saw or spoke with Blessing, including family and friends
• A search of Blessing’s room at her work placement in Bexhill and belongings found on the beach, including forensic tests
• A forensic examination of her devices and a detailed review of her phone records, which is ongoing
• Retrieval and review of CCTV from the local area; this showed Blessing walking to and entering the beach at around 1.30am. She was alone and no evidence of others being in the vicinity has been captured on CCTV
• Toxicology tests and a medical examination was carried out by a pathologist who found Blessing had died from drowning; they found no evidence of violence or any internal or external injuries.

They also describe the extent to which they have investigated the case including forensics tests of Miss Olusegun's room and belongings, interviewing the last people she spoke with, and retrieving CCTV that shows Miss Olusegun walking to the beach alone at 1.30am.

Police insist they investigated Blessing Olusegun's death properly

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The force added that all evidence collated will be submitted to the Coroner, who will set a date for an inquest in due course.
Sussex Police reject racism claims in Blessing Olusegun’s death probe

 

[KensingtonandChelsea]

It seems like she perhaps committed suicide. She may have been feeling emotionally wrought which is why she asked the caller to stay on the line with her. The fact that her phone and shoes were found nearby and she was seen walking towards the beach suggests suicide MOO

 

[sundaaaay]

1.30am is a strange time to go to the beach alone

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Miss Olusegun was in Bexhill for a one-week placement as a carer for the elderly with dementia and other mental health issues.

'She came to Bexhill on a one-week placement as a carer to help old people with dementia and other mental health issues.

'Her mother Esther Abe is demanding to know why her beautiful daughter died on September 18.

'We need justice for blessing and her family. What actually happened?'

She had sent text messages to a close family friend and her boyfriend asking them to 'stay on the phone' with her - but this did not happen.

She then sent a text saying 'never mind'.

Police said they found her body at 6.20am on September 18 - and found her phone and slippers nearby.

They have looked at phone records, searched her room and monitored local CCTV.

Cameras did not capture anyone with Ms Olusegun on the night she died and a pathologist deemed she drowned with 'no evidence of violence or any internal or external injuries'.

Lewisham TUC president Cheryl McLeod told BBC News: 'We mourn Sarah Everard...

'However, there is another death within our community, who like Sarah, was a woman who was walking alone.'
Mystery surrounds 'non-suspicious' death of woman, 21, whose body was found on beach | Daily Mail Online

 

[CuriousObserver1]

Surely the messages to her boyfriend/family friend would have been evaluated and critical to the case - was she scared to be walking alone or was she needing emotional support and upset? Also in the weeks up to this happening, they would have considered her mental state - they consider things like were they showing signs of distress, depressions, suicidal thoughts or like SE making plans, happy and positive about the future. This case is so sad, what a beautiful young girl and going into a caring profession, it seems like they properly investigated IMO, but you never know maybe even if she was feeling down, someone else did cause her death and just time/chance was on the beach when she was vunerable/alone.