The woman who plunged to her death with her husband in Sydney’s CBD had endured a childhood marred by heartbreak after losing her own mother in devastating circumstances.
Angela Nesbitt and Steven Dash were asked to leave The Star casino in Pyrmont about 8.55am on Saturday before falling from an overpass near Sydney Harbour Bridge less than an hour later, onto Harbour Street, at about 9.45am.
Now Daily Mail can reveal Ms Nesbitt’s mother, Kathleen, died in September 1996 in eerily similar circumstances.
Kathleen, 41, took her own life when she fell from a moving car while her husband Chris was behind the wheel.
The shocking incident happened close to the family’s home in Eagle Vale, in Sydney’s south-west, and rocked the close-knit community.
‘It was so sad for Angela and her younger brother and sister,’ a family friend told Daily Mail.
‘None of them ever really recovered from it, not just the horrific accident but the years before that were turbulent for them all.’
Around the same time, Ms Nesbitt, then 18, moved to London for a period to live before returning to .
‘She was in the UK working for a couple of years – maybe it was a way to try and move on.
‘The whole story is very sad, and I guess you never really know how people are dealing with things privately.’
Ms Nesbitt’s father Chris, who emigrated to from the UK in 1982, delivered the news of his daughter’s death to friends and family.
On Sunday, he phoned and messaged loved ones to let them know his daughter had tragically died.
‘He didn’t know the circumstances as to what exactly happened at that point, but was letting people know that it looked like Angela had taken her own life,’ the friend said.
Security guards at The Star had earlier asked Ms Nesbitt and Mr Dash to leave the casino, raising concerns about their erratic behaviour.
Police were alerted after a comment was reportedly made to security about self-harming, sparking fears for the couple’s welfare.
Officers began searching the Pyrmont and Darling Harbour area, but less than an hour later, police received reports two people had fallen from the overpass onto Harbour Street.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but both Ms Nesbitt and Mr Dash were pronounced dead.
The couple, who wed in October 2022, had a well-documented history of mental health issues and had previously threatened self-harm.
Daily Mail previously revealed how the pair were facing fertility struggles that weighed heavily on them in the months leading up to their deaths.
Ms Nesbitt, 48, was a member of several online support groups for surrogacy and egg donation, and was desperate for the chance to have a baby of her own.
On Christmas Day 2023, just over a year after her wedding, she signed up to one such community, taking her first tentative steps towards her dream.
Around the same time the couple also posted an online ad on an ‘egg donor angel’ website, alongside a smiling photo of themselves.
While egg donation in is altruistic, with donors only paid their expenses and not paid for their eggs, a single round of IVF can cost up to $15,000.
The average patient usually requires a minimum of three rounds of IVF treatment, with a total cost approaching $50,000.
Police have confirmed the couple’s visit to the casino, and whether they had been gambling, is under investigation.
Ms Nesbitt and Mr Dash’s history of mental health issues will be examined.
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