Mother And 2 Children Plunge Over Niagara Falls

New York authorities say a mother and her two children went over Niagara Falls.

A woman and her two young children are presumed dead after going over the barriers at Niagara Falls.

The New York State Police say Chianti Means, 33, and her two children, nine-year-old Roman Rossman and five-month-old Mecca Means, crossed the safety guardrails on Luna Island and went over into a 200-foot drop.

While the details of the incident remain under investigation, authorities said that the trio intentionally went over the barriers.

A resident of Niagara Falls, Means worked as a domestic violence counselor and attended the University of Buffalo.

Her loved ones paid tribute to her on social media.

"Can't believe this happen to her and her babies she was great person to everyone and sweetest person too," Megan Murphy posted on Facebook. "I graduated with her class of 2009 we lost another classmate."

"I am literally sick to my stomach and I can't even deal with the emotions I am feeling," Mich Molina said. "Just know her and her children are dearly loved by me and my children."

"You really never know what anybody is going through," Niesha Eukeya said.

As of Thursday, search teams from numerous agencies have not been able to recover the bodies.

This is the second tragedy to occur this year at Niagara Falls involving a mother and her child.

In February, a mother took a similar leap, down a 90-foot drop, with her five-year-old son into the Niagara Gorge. While she succumbed to her injuries, her son survived by miraculously landing in an area covered with icy snow.

Last year, the bridge connecting the United States to Canada at Niagara Falls closed after an explosion.