A mom has died and her five-year-old son is in critical condition after the pair fell 90 feet into the Niagara Gorge at the Niagara Falls State Park earlier this week, officials confirmed.
Authorities now believe the mom, who is not from the Niagara Falls State Park area, intentionally made the jump, per NBC News.
On Monday, the woman and the young boy fell to the bottom of the gorge near the Cave of the Winds complex, New York State Parks Police Captian Chris Rola said at a press conference on the case.
"Unfortunately, the female did not make it," Rola said at the press conference. "She was recovered by the New York State Police aviation unit and is being taken by the Niagara County Coroner."
It was revealed at the press conference that the mother and son underwent "life-saving measures". The five-year-old, who remains unnamed, was "stable" and able to be taken in an ambulance to a local hospital. He sustained an injury to his head and underwent surgery. The fall all the way to the bottom of the gorge did, however, prove fatal for his mother.
Rola went on to say that the woman and her son were with her husband at the park before they plunged into the gorge. He said that officials were not much aware of what took place before they fell, but police were speaking with the husband, as well as with onlookers who were in the park at the time of the fatal incident.
Police believe the fall was not accidental, with Rola telling reporters: "The investigation is still ongoing at this time, but we don’t believe it was an accident."
Rola added: "Although today it's nice out, it's very icy down there. It's a real tough terrain that our guy and our girls were able to get through and get to them and provide that life-saving care and do everything they could."
"We were going to make every effort for that child that was still alive at the time," he continued.
"Niagara Falls is a tough place to perform rescues," Rola continued. "The State Park Police, we have a swift water rescue team, we have high angle rope rescue guys that train all the time. Niagara Falls fire is great, and as you can see, the state police are a great partner with us, and their aviation crews [are] top-notch."