Topics: News, US News, Mental Health, Social Media
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
The cousin of Chianti Means has dismissed the speculation surrounding her suicide as the mother-of-two jumped off Niagara Falls with her children.
Police have confirmed that they believe Means took her own life 'intentionally' when she jumped to her death alongside her two children.
On October 28, at around 8pm, Means climbed over the barricade at the popular tourist destination and jumped with her nine-year-old son, Roman Rossman, and her five-month-old daughter, Mecca Means.
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An investigation is still ongoing, and police have said they have not yet recovered any bodies related to the incident.
Chianti’s cousin, Beirra Hamilton, has taken to social media to dismiss the rampant speculation regarding the reason she killed herself.
She reiterated that her cousin, who sometimes went by the name of Diamond Scott on social media, did not kill herself in relation to a former partner but rather due to issues with her mental health.
She wrote on Facebook: "Diamond Scott did not end her life over no man. Let's just be clear. It's no evidence of that. YALL BE LOUD AND WRONG."
Per a report by the Mirror, Ms Hamilton also said: "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."
Search and rescue have been ongoing, and last week, a spokesperson from the New York State Police explained how things were progressing.
"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."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
