The Niagara Falls community has been left in utter shock after officials say a mom of two jumped to her death from a popular tourist overlook. It’s believed Chianti Means and her two young children fell from about 200 feet to their untimely deaths on Oct. 28. Police say it was an “intentional act.”
Monday night, the 33-year-old mother reportedly stepped over a guardrail at Luna Island with her two children, 9-year-old Roman Rossman and 5-month-old Mecca Means, according to a statement by officials. Passersby called police after seeing people falling, said New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan, but when investigators arrived to the scene at 9 p.m., it was too late.
Officials say there are a “lot of security measures” at Luna Falls, which means “it’s not something where they just stumbled in,” O’Callaghan said. “This is a small area where it’s right at the crest of the falls and that’s where we believe at that point is where they went in.”
The investigation into what exactly led to the tragedy is still underway, but since her death, several of Means’ final posts on Facebook could possibly hint at her state of mind, according to The New York Post.
On Oct. 1, Means wrote “You have to hold on to the ones you love. Never know when you might lose them.” Following this status, the mother posted several times about being “sick of irritation, anger, sadness and rage.” Most notably, Means wrote, “I wish someone would love me because the man that’s suppose to does not.” She made several posts before and afterwards about missing her ex, who is the father to one of her children.
The mother worked as a domestic violence counselor, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was a New York native, and her family lived in the Niagara Falls area.
Rescuers continue to search for the bodies of Means and her children. They have not been found as of Nov. 1.