Police have named the elderly couple who died after plunging from the cliffs near Whitby Abbey in July.
David Jeffcock, 80, and his wife Susan Jeffcock, 74, both from england/yorkshire-and-the-Humberhumber/north-yorkshire/”>North Yorkshire, were confirmed dead after falling from the cliff Edgeedge on the evening of Wednesday, July 30.
Witnesses reported that the pair were seen holding hands before jumping together from the cliff path. Emergency services, including police, ambulances, Mountainmountain rescue teams and a coastguard helicopter, were called to the scene at around 8pm.
One camper, who was nearby at the time, described the moment as “absolutely horrific”:
“The path was busy with walkers and dog walkers. Another couple were coming the other way, and the next thing we know is they jumped. They fell straight onto the rocks below. The poor souls did not stand a chance.”
A series of cliff tragedies
The Jeffcocks were the first of four people to die in a spate of falls from the Whitby coastline within just five days.
- On July 31, the body of a woman in her 60s was found at the base of the cliffs near the Pavilion.
- On August 2, another woman, believed to be in her 50s, was discovered dead at Sandsend by the main car park. Police said her injuries were consistent with a fall from the cliff edge.
The identities of the two women have not yet been released.
Inquest scheduled
An inquest into the deaths of David and Susan Jeffcock is scheduled to open on Monday, September 22, at Northallerton Coroner’s Court.
North Yorkshire Police said the incidents are not being treated as suspicious but have urged people visiting the cliffs to exercise caution due to the dangers of the rugged coastline.
