Niagara Falls suicide: Mom jumps to her death with 5 year old son, who survives. Woman was seen climbing over a railing and deliberately plunging to her death.
An Illinois woman died after jumping with her 5 year old son off a 90 foot cliff onto the frozen banks of the Niagara Falls gorge. Miraculously the boy survived, while remaining in critical condition.
The 34-year-old mother, who has not been named, was said to have jumped deliberately after climbing over a railing on Goat Island in Niagara State Park at around 12.30pm on February 12, state police said.
Her body was found near the Cave of the Winds complex, which sits on the US side of the falls that straddle the border with Canada.
The boy, 5, was rescued and transported to a children’s hospital in Buffalo with a head injury. The boy underwent surgery and remained in a critical condition according to Buffalo News
Video from the unfolding scene appeared to show the young boy conscious while being loaded into an ambulance moments after the tragedy.
No known motive; investigation ongoing
The woman was visiting from Illinois with her husband and son at the time of the ‘incident’. It was not immediately clear what transpired before the woman climbing over a railing with her son and jumping over the cliff.
Police were in the process of interviewing the husband along with other witnesses.
‘The investigation is ongoing, but we don’t believe it is an accident,’ said Capt. Chris Rola of New York State Parks Police. A state police spokesperson said the incident was being treated as a suicide attempt.
Authorities did not indicate what led to the family visiting from Illinois or what spurred the mother to leap to her death while clutching her five year old son.
