On Monday, a 34-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son from Illinois had a fatal fall off a 90-foot cliff at Niagara Falls State Park.
According to State Parks Police Capt. Chris Rola, the investigation is ongoing, but they do not believe it was an accident. He said, “The investigation is still ongoing at this time, but we don’t believe it was an accident.”
The woman and her son were reported to have gone over the park railing at around 12:30 in the afternoon and fell to the bottom where they hit the frozen banks of the Niagara Falls gorge.
Emergency responders attempted to rescue both but could not save the woman’s life.
The boy was then airlifted to John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York, for surgery and is still in critical condition.
The State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s ongoing inquiry has revealed that the mother willingly plunged into the gorge with her 5-year-old son. Fortunately, the child was rescued and transported via Mercy Flight to Oishei Children’s Hospital.
The New York State Park Police expressed gratitude to the Niagara Falls Fire Department and Park Police officers for their heroic efforts in crossing the hazardous icy terrain, which was over 300 feet long, to render aid and attempt to save the lives of the two individuals.
The NYSPP also expressed their sympathy to the family in this trying period.
The identity of the woman has not been released yet.