Shortly before noon on Dec. 9, a woman from Williamsville drove her black Toyota into the upper rapids of the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, between the vehicle and pedestrian bridges to Goat Island.
Several witnesses saw the incident, in which the car was transported by the current until becoming stuck in the river a short distance above the American Falls.
A daring rescue attempt was launched, but the victim was already dead when retrieved from the car by a Coast Guard rescuer. The car apparently went over the Falls a few days later.
The incident gained worldwide media attention and now Niagara Parks Police tell the Buffalo News that autopsy reports from the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office indicate the 69-year-old woman died by suicide, caused by drowning.
State parks crews have now installed emergency crisis hotline phones in and around Goat Island, as many people choose Niagara Falls for suicide attempts on both sides of the border.
People contemplating self-harm can also call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
