Doomed skydiver's mysterious final days from flurry of jumps to 'deliberate act'

For thrill-seeking , jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft was nothing new.

With 400 dives under her belt, family and friends no doubt thought little of it when the 32-year-old marketing manager took to the skies last Sunday morning, never for one minute imagining that it would be the dive that killed her.

Tragically, Jade plummeted to the earth in horrifying scenes believed to have been witnessed by one other person at Shotton Colliery in County Durham. Emergency services raced to Wreford Farm but she was pronounced dead at the scene. She leaves behind her husband James, who she married in 2019, and her mum Liz Samuel.

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At first, most assumed it was a jump gone wrong - perhaps a parachute that failed to open or strings that got tied. Indeed, an initial report appeared to confirm as much. But in an unexpected turn, the group she was diving with, SkyHigh Skydiving, shared a statement indicating that Jade's death could have been as a result of "a deliberate act."

"It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place on 28 April 2025 involving a valued member of our community," a spokesperson for the group said, according to MailOnline. "All indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act taken to end her own life.

"This heartbreaking news has deeply affected all who knew her, and our thoughts are with her family and friends as they face this unimaginable loss. At this incredibly difficult time, we ask for privacy and compassion for those grieving."

SkyHigh Skydiving continued: "If you are struggling or in emotional distress, please know that you are not alone. Support is available. We urge anyone in crisis to speak to someone or reach out to a mental health professional. Even in the darkest moments, there is help and hope."

On the face of it, Jade had everything to live for. Her mum's Facebook page proudly recorded the highlight's of her daughter's live, including images of Jade and husband James beaming with joy on their wedding day six years ago. Other images showed her enjoying family hikes with the dog, and in one post, mum Liz revealed she'd completed her first skydive with her daughter.

In an August 26, 2024 Facebook post, she said: "This weekend I did something I never thought I could, or would, do… a sky-dive! Such a bucket list moment. Firstly watching my beautiful daughter Jade free-fly solo right before me, like a ninja. Then, amazed at the reassurance and confidence Jade and my fabulous tandem instructor Lewis (aka Biscuit) and cameraman Blake gave me, off we flew.

"Just wow… over a minute in freefall from 15,500 feet, at around 120 MPH, with the air temp -15 and breath-taking wind at this altitude. Considering my fear of heights I still can't quite believe I did it! My favourite part was actually being under canopy, I absolutely loved it but this experience makes me even more proud of Jade's amazing free-fly skills now and it was incredible to watch her nail her landing below us and be there to greet me back on solid ground."

An inquest will now be opened to establish the circumstances surrounding Jade's death and answer questions .. According to one friend, she jumped a staggering 11 times in the 48 hours leading up to her death.

"Everyone is devastated and deeply traumatised by what happened because she was very much part of the skydiving community," the friend told . "She was mad for the sport. In just the two days before she died, she did 11 jumps. She must have done 80 this year."

Photos on her publicly accessible page show her during skydiving jumps that were uploaded in January and last year.

Meanwhile, police have ruled out any suspicious circumstances around her death. "A woman sadly died following a skydiving incident near Peterlee," A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said. "Police officers and colleagues from the ambulance service were called to the incident in Shotton Colliery at around 10:30am on Sunday.

"Sadly, a woman in her 30s was pronounced dead at the scene. Her death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will now be prepared for the coroner."

Wreford Farm said in a statement shared on Facebook: "Tragically, last Sunday 27/4/25 a woman lost her life after a parachute incident/accident, please join us in saying a prayer for her and her family, we ask the Lord to accept her into the kingdom of heaven and strength to her family. We ask for our own and farms privacy for this deeply upsetting matter to be respected. God bless."

A British Skydiving spokesperson told The Mirror: "I can confirm that there was a Skydiving accident on Sunday in Co Durham and we are currently assisting the Police with their investigation.

"It is British Skydiving Policy to form a Board of Inquiry to investigate the accident and once we have completed our report, copies will be sent to the Police, the Coroner, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), our Safety & Training Committee (STC) and any other relevant authorities.

"The report will include the Board’s conclusions and will make any recommendations, if appropriate."

The incident is the third skydiving death in the area since 2016. Two other skydivers died after they hit the ground in 2016 and 2024. The SkyHigh Skydiving Peterlee company was hit with a previous horrific tragedy when a videographer harrowingly plunged to his death on April 28, 2024. , 46, died after his parachute malfunctioned and failed to open during his fall.

Sam, from Hampshire, landed on a roof at South West Industrial Estate near Peterlee and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest, at Crook Civic Centre, found his main canopy had opened but was twisted, rendering it useless, and the reserve shoot failed to deploy properly in time.

He had been filming another skydiver when he died and shocking CCTV footage caught the moment he struck the roof. Jan Bostock, a senior environmental health officer with Durham County Council, who had watched the footage taken on Mr Cornwell’s helmet-mounted camera said: "We have got the imagery of the person he is being paid to take the video of. They appear to shoot off, when it is actually their descent that is slowing."

Another skydiver crashed onto a parked car in a housing estate following a jump from Peterlee Parachute Centre in 2016. , 49, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, died after she was unable to deploy her parachute because she was aggressively spinning in the wind.

Pamela, who had dwarfism, died because she was too short to carry out a move that would have saved her life, an inquest heard. The 49-year-old was spinning so hard she was exposed to greater G-force than a fighter pilot as she plummeted to the ground.

The experienced skydiver was unable to arch her back which could have helped her regain control during the fall. Senior Coroner Andrew Tweddle said: "So what we have is exceptional circumstances affecting a diver who is partially trained and because of her unique stature that made it difficult for her to recover through the arching technique. It is a combination of things all going wrong at the same time that led to the fatal outcome of this situation."

Instructor Michelle Meakins told the inquest Pamela had wind tunnel training, designed to help her cope in a spin but the speed with which she fell had prevented her saving herself as she lost consciousness.

The has contacted SkyHigh Diving and the County Durham Constabulary for comment.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email **, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.