Mother, 2 children die after going over Niagara Falls safety rail: Police

A mother and her children died after crossing over a safety guard rail at Niagara Falls, police in New York said.

The act was "intentional in nature," police said.

The incident occurred Monday night at approximately 9 p.m., according to New York State Police. Passersby reported people going into the Falls, according to New York State Trooper James O'Callaghan.

The woman, identified by police as 33-year-old Chianti Means, along with her son and daughter crossed over a safety guard rail and went over the Falls on Luna Island, police said.

"The investigation has determined that this incident was intentional in nature, though the circumstances remain under investigation," New York State Police said in a press release on Wednesday.

Police said search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful.

The children were identified by police as 9-year-old Roman Rossman and 5-month-old Mecca Means. The family was from the Niagara Falls area, police said.

O'Callaghan told reporters it took several days for investigators to piece together what might have happened.

He said there are a "lot of security measures" at Luna Falls, which is located along the north side of Goat Island, between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

"It's not something where they just stumbled in," he said.

The family has been involved in the investigation, O'Callaghan said, adding that they hope to give them "closure."

"Based on the information we have, we do know it was an intentional act, but the reason why is tougher to answer," O'Callaghan said.

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