Blessing Olusegun: Fight continues for answers over death

The mother of a woman who was found dead on a beach has said she is still searching for answers a year on.

A memorial has been held for Blessing Olusegun, 21, from London, who was found dead in Bexhill in East Sussex.

This year, campaigners criticised Sussex Police after the death was deemed non-suspicious and claimed there had not been a full investigation.

Sussex police defended the inquiry and said there was no evidence of a crime.

A post-mortem concluded Ms Olusegun drowned but her mother Esther Abe said the circumstances were still very unclear.

On Saturday, campaigners retraced Ms Olsegun's steps through the town on the night she died, to where her body was found at 06:20 BST on 18 September 2020.

Ms Olusegun had been on a placement in Bexhill as a carer.

Those present remembered a woman with contagious laughter who had planned a bright future and believed she was living her best life.

Ms Abe said the pain of losing her daughter had been excruciating.

She said she wanted to remember the loving and caring woman her daughter was, celebrate her dreams and recall the love she gave to those who knew her best.

However, she said: "We maintain that the circumstances of her death were suspicious and should have been treated as such by the police.

"We need to determine what happened to Blessing and ensure that she gets the justice that she deserves."

She added: "We are working relentlessly with our legal team to ensure we do everything in our power to find the answers we are looking for."

A pre-inquest review was held in Hastings on Wednesday, but a date for the full inquest has not yet been set.

In March, Det Insp Pippa Nicklin, said police had been "carefully and fully examining all the circumstances leading up to Blessing's death", from her arrival in Bexhill, to leaving the house where she was working and walking to the beach.