Children went over Niagara Falls before mother, police say: 'This ...

New York State Police say they are continuing to search for the bodies of a mother and her two children who went over Niagara Falls on Monday night.

The victims, identified as 33-year-old Chaianti Means, her 9-year-old son Roman Rossman, and her 5-month-old daughter Mecca Means, are presumed dead. The Niagara Gazette reports investigators are starting to shed some light on what they know, calling the incident “intentional in nature.”

“We do believe this is intentional, but the circumstances of what actually happened are under investigation. They definitely went there that night and none of them returned. Due to information, we do know it was an intentional act, but the reason why is a tougher answer,” said Trooper James O’Callaghan, a State Police Public Information Officer. “The circumstances of how that went down, that is the part we may be able to solve or we may never know. Not going to get into what the witnesses saw because it’s still an active case, but it is alarming what they told us.”

O’Callaghan said the incident was captured on video by surveillance cameras in the state park and near the brink of the falls. The 9-year-old boy entered the water first, going over a 3-to-4-foot safety railing around 9 p.m. Monday, followed by the baby girl; then their mother jumped in.

When asked if Means was chasing after her children, O’Callaghan said: “No, we believe this was intentional.”

Investigators are working to determine if mental health issues may have played a role, according to the Gazette. The fathers of both children have been “very cooperative,” O’Callaghan added.

Means, who lived in Niagara Falls with her family, reportedly worked as a domestic violence counselor in Western New York.

The investigation and search for the bodies are both continuing. Searchers, including Park Police marine units and drones, have been focusing on the Niagara River gorge and shoreline.

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