The couple decided to end their lives after the husband received a devastating health diagnosis and his wife didn’t want to live without him
A couple who were found dead at the bottom of a cliff decided to end their lives after one of them was diagnosed with bone cancer.
David, 80, and Susan Jeffcock, 74, walked 199 steps up to the historical landmark, Whitby Abbey, in Yorkshire, UK and slipped through a fence behind.
The besotted couple stood at the top of East Cliff before they held hands and leapt 180 feet to their deaths, reports The Mirror.
David had been struggling with the effects of his cancer and had left a note to a solicitor explaining their reason why. It said: “Susan wants to come with me.” The couple, who were married for 52 years, were found dead on July 30.
North Yorkshire Police received a report from a member of the public who said they had spotted a man and woman on the rocks. Senior North Yorkshire Coroner Jon Heath said the provisional cause of their deaths was recorded as “multi-trauma”.
A man, who is believed to be a nephew of David’s, shared the extent of his suffering. He told Mail Online: “It is extremely sad to think of them in that position, where they both wanted to take their own lives and to go together. But a friend of mine reminded me that they had made up their own minds and they did what they wanted to do, which brings some comfort, it was their own decision.”
He added that he had noticed a personality shift in his uncle when he saw him last.
“The last time I saw them, my Uncle David really wasn’t himself,” he explained. “He was withdrawn and clearly struggling with the pain brought about by the bone cancer.”
Both inquests have been adjourned to a date to be fixed. No family members were in court.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
#Couple #jump #hand #hand #foot #scenic #cliff #receiving #tragic #diagnosis #leaving #chilling #note
