A son has opened up about a chilling joke that his mom made before she tragically died in a skydiving accident.
Belinda Taylor, a 48-year-old mom who described herself as an “adrenaline junkie,” died alongside her skydiving instructor after plummeting 15,000 feet to the ground during a tandem jump at Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon.
The tragic dive, which took place on Friday the 13th, had been a present from her partner Scott Armstrong.
And in a chilling twist, her son Elias revealed that Belinda had joked about the date just days before the fatal fall.
“It’s kind of weird thinking about it now, but at the time obviously she was saying how the jump would take place on Friday 13th and all those things... you don’t really expect what happened to happened. She was mentioning it in a jokey way,” he told MailOnline.
Scott, who had been there to watch and support his partner, saw the horror unfold in real time — and later found her body in a nearby field.
Speaking to the Mirror, he described the woman he loved with heartbreaking affection: “Belinda was my absolute world. She was so kind and giving and would do anything for anyone.
"My nine-year-old son recently came to live with us and she welcomed him with open arms and was brilliant. As a thank you present I decided to buy her the tandem skydive. She was absolutely buzzing about it.”
Belinda, who lived in Totnes, was a mother of four and a grandmother of two.
Her 20-year-old son Elias said she had embraced a more adventurous lifestyle since meeting Scott, calling her “selfless” and saying: “She really just put everyone above herself. It’s really difficult for (younger sister) Emily as she was the one living there with mum. I spoke to her a week before it happened.”
The accident has shaken the skydiving community. Robert Gibson, chief executive of British Skydiving, issued a statement on the same day: “Today, Friday 13 June 2025, British Skydiving has been notified of a tragic accident in which two jumpers lost their lives.
"Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community. A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will investigate the accident. Once complete, a report - setting out the Board’s conclusions and any recommendations - will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the CAA, the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC) and any other relevant authorities.
"No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected at this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that investigations are still ongoing and that the families have been informed.
“It was reported that they were skydivers. They were sadly both confirmed deceased at the scene and their families have been informed. Scene guards remain in place and enquiries are ongoing by the relevant agencies,” police said in a statement.