A mom who jumped to her death over Niagara Falls pushed her children over the railing first, according to a report.
Chianti Means, 33, plunged to her death along with her children Roman Rossman, nine, and five-month-old Mecca Means on Monday night.
State Park Police said they had reviewed security footage of Luna Park, the area near the crest of the falls, to determine the sequence of events, the Niagara Gazette reports.
The video showed that Roman was first to go over the railings, followed by Mecca and finally Means, according to the cops.
State Police Public Information Officer Trooper James O’Callaghan said that it did not appear as though the mom was chasing after her children at the time they plunged to their deaths.
Mom Chianti Means, 33, who jumped from Niagara Falls pushed her two children off first, according to a report
‘We believe this was intentional,’ he told a press conference. ‘Not going to get into what the witnesses saw because it’s still an active case, but it is alarming what they told us.’
Police were called to the natural beauty spot to reports a woman had jumped off the waterfall at around 9pm on the day.
The New York State Police launched unmanned aircraft systems, aviation and underwater recovery unites to aid in the search for Means and her children.
However it is feared that their bodies may never be recovered from the beauty spot, where 3,610 tons of water rage over every second.
On Friday night the grieving community came together at a candlelit vigil to try and come to terms with the shocking loss.
No motive has been released yet for Means’ actions, but police are probing a potential mental health related angle, the Gazette reports.
The State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is carrying out a probe but does not anticipate criminal charges according to the outlet.
Roman (left) was first to go over the railings followed by her daughter, five-month-old daughter Mecca
The New York State Police launched unmanned aircraft systems, aviation and underwater recovery unites to aid in the search for Means and her children
Means, along with her two children, are understood to have crossed over the ‘safety guild rail’ at Luna Island around 9pm on Monday night (stock image of the rail)
The children’s fathers are co-operating with the investigation.
Following the Means’ death, old Facebook posts she had made resurfaced online in which she expressed a desire to get back with the father of her daughter.
On October 14, Means expressed regret that she and her daughter’s father were no longer together.
‘Cause I was a dumb ass pregnant b**** who swore up and down I ain’t want him,’ she wrote about the breakup. I need all the positive energy I can get,’ she said.
Several of Means’ friends have posted tributes on Facebook for the mother of two.
‘You really never know what anybody is going through, RIP,’ said Niesha Eukeya.
‘I can’t even bare to write a post about her and share memories,’ Mich Molina wrote.