Police are searching for a woman and her two children who are believed to have gone over Niagra Falls.
The 33-year-old mother climbed over a safety rail and intentionally went over the waterfall with her two children, a nine-year-old and five-month-old, according to New York state police.
Police said on Wednesday that search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
Authorities responded to the park around 9pm on Monday and determined the family went over the rail on Luna Island, a small island between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls that, along with the Horseshoe Falls, make up the popular tourist draw.
A map of Luna Island:
State police said in a news release: “On October 28, 2024, at approximately 9PM, New York State Park Police and the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to an incident on or around Goat Island in Niagara Falls, NY.
“Investigation determined that three individuals, Chianti Means, 33-years-old, Roman Rossman, 9-years-old and Mecca Means, 5-months-old all of Niagara Falls, NY crossed over safety guild rail and went over Niagara Falls on Luna Island (attached to Goat Island).
“The investigation has determined that this incident was intentional in nature, though the circumstances remain under investigation. New York State Park Police and State Police search/rescue efforts were conducted with negative results. This incident deems no public threat to safety.”
Means’s friends have posted tributes on Facebook for the mother of three. “You really never know what anybody is going through….RIP”, one said.
A member of the New York State police said in an interview with WKBW TV: “We’ve come to the conclusion that a 33-year-old mother, a nine-year-old son and then a five-month-old were all gone over the falls. We do believe it was intentional but the circumstances of that investigation and the circumstances of what actually happened are still under investigation.
“But we know that they went over due to the information from park police and some of the information we were able to obtain through multiple different sources in and around Niagara Falls and pieces of evidences we were able to come across in search warrants.
“They went there and they never came out. So that’s where we’re at. [...] Like I said there’s a lot of safety railings, a lot of security measures at the state park so it’s not something where they just stumbled in.”
Even in freezing temperatures, Niagara Falls almost never stop flowing completely due to its strong currents and the 3,160 tonnes of water that flows over the falls every second, according to Niagara Falls State Park website.
Authorities are using unmanned aircraft and underwater units in the investigation.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
