TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about suicide, which may be triggering to some.
Heartbreak drove an experienced skydiver to purposefully fall to her death on April 27, 2025, in England. On August 21, an inquest was held in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, where Coroner Leslie Hamilton officially declared the woman’s death a suicide, according to multiple reports.
Jade Damarell, 32, loved skydiving and had completed over 500 jumps, according to Sky News. When she plunged 15,500 feet, she fell onto farmland from an airfield over Shotton Colliery. On the lock screen of her phone, Damarell left a note on how to access the device, along with notes detailing her finances.
According to The Guardian, DI Andrew Stephenson of Durham police said there were also notes left for her family, thanking them “for their support” and apologizing. The coroner summarized a note from her former partner that indicated the pair had broken up the night before. She had met him through their mutual love of the extreme sport.
The veteran skydiver typically wore a camera during her jumps but did not on the day of her death. Investigators surmised that she deliberately did not deploy her parachute at 5,000 feet, as is customary, and turned off the device designed to automatically deploy a parachute at a certain speed or altitude should a skydiver be incapacitated or otherwise unable to deploy it themselves.
Her parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel, spoke after the coroner’s inquest, accepted the findings, and took a moment to thank the skydiving community for its support. They stated that they were “incredibly comforted by how admired, respected, and deeply loved she was,” per The Guradian. They went on to honor their daughter’s memory.
“Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave, and truly extraordinary person,” they said, according to the BBC. “A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion, and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness.”
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
