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The family of a mother who took her own life and that of her two children by jumping from Niagara Falls have addressed a possible reason why.
Chianti Means, 33, jumped into Niagara Falls on October 28, along with her two children – son Roman Rossman, nine, and her five-month-old daughter, Mecca Means.
Police confirmed that they believe Means took her own life “intentionally” after climbing over the barricades of the popular tourist destination at around 8PM.
An investigation is still ongoing and police have not yet recovered any of their bodies.
Means’ cousin, Beirra Hamilton, has now spoken out to share some insight into her tragic act.
Following concerning posts shared by Means – who went by Diamond Scott on Facebook – Hamilton confirmed that the reason for her actions was not in relation to a former partner.
She believes Means had been struggling with her mental health and postpartum depression after the birth of her youngest child.
Hamilton told the New York Post that Means did not end her life “over a man”.
She added: “Understand this – postpartum [depression] is very real and needs a cure. Her death wasn’t over a man. My cousin was silently fighting depression alone.”
New York State Police said in a statement last week: “We do believe it was intentional but the circumstances of that investigation and the circumstances of what actually happened are still under investigation.
“But we know that they went over due to the information from park police and some of the information we were able to obtain through multiple different sources in and around Niagara Falls and pieces of evidence we were able to come across in search warrants.
“They went there and they never came out. So that’s where we’re at. […] Like I said there’s a lot of safety railings, a lot of security measures at the state park so it’s not something where they just stumbled in.”
Means is believed to have climbed over a guardrail with her two children before jumping into the Falls.
Authorities arrived at Luna Island, which is a small island between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, at 9PM after they were contacted by witnesses who reported seeing the family.
The 33-year-old mom lived in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area and worked as a domestic violence counselor, according to the New York Post.
She graduated from Buffalo State University in 2019 and has a Bachelor’s degree in social work. She also earned her Master of Social Work at the University of Buffalo.
