{UAH} I POSTED THIS POOR MOTHEER FEW DAYS AGO NOW WE HAVE THE PICTURES

New York mom and two young kids — including 5-month old baby — dead after jumping off Niagara Falls

By Alex Oliveira

Published Oct. 30, 2024

 Updated Oct. 30, 2024, 8:23 p.m. ET

A New York mother jumped off Niagara Falls with her two young kids, including a 5-month-old baby — and all three are dead, cops said.

Chianti Means, 33, stepped over the guardrail Monday night at Luna Island — a popular overlook above the falls’ with a nearly 200-foot drop, according to New York State Police.

Police responded around 9 p.m., with investigators determining that the plunge was “intentional.”

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Police said the mother of two jumped over a popular overlook above the falls’ with a nearly 200-foot drop.Spiroview Inc. – stock.adobe.com

“The circumstances remain under investigation,” state troopers said.

Means and her kids — 9-year-old Roman Rossman and baby Mecca Means — were residents of Niagara Falls.AD

Rescuers have still been unable to locate any of the bodies as of Wednesday.

The mother worked as a domestic violence counselor, according to her LinkedIn profile, and graduated from school in nearby Buffalo.

Chianti Means was 33 years old when she plunged to her death at Niagara Falls on Tuesday.Facebook

Friends quickly began paying tribute to Means on social media.

“I have been speechless and crying and couldn’t sleep at all,” wrote friend Kayshawna Morgane on Facebook. “My heart is broken. Mental health is no joke.”

“I can’t even bear to write a post about her and share memories,” said friend Mich Molina.

“I am literally sick to my stomach and I can’t even deal with the emotions I am feeling. Just know her and her children are dearly loved by me and my children,” she added.

“You really never know what anybody is going through,” said another, Niesha Eukeya.

Luna Island is one of several popular overlooks perched above the New York side of Niagara Falls.

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It is one of the more secluded overlooks in the expansive Niagara Falls State Park – being separated from the rest of the grounds by a causeway over a river channel – and there is little more than a chest-high railing separating the platform from the deadly drop below.

The area is run by the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation, and is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

More than 8 million people pass through the park each year, according to the state agency.

The deaths were just the latest tragedies at the landmark in recent years.

In 2023, another mother jumped with her son into the Niagara Gorge, just down river from the falls.

That mother died in the fall, but rescuers were able to save the five-year-old boy.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.