News anchor slips from NC waterfall, dies day before birthday
TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A woman who died after falling over a North Carolina waterfall has been identified as Georgia news anchor Taylor Terrell.
WLOS reported that Terrell died Thursday after falling 185 feet off of Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County. She died on the evening before her 25th birthday.
Lake Toxaway Fire Department Chief Carmon West tells local media outlets that Terrell and a friend were in the water at the top of Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County on Thursday when her companion turned around to find she had disappeared.
Firefighters responded to the scene about 4 p.m. and Terrell's body was recovered more than four hours later. Emergency workers could only reach the remote area in the Pisgah National Forest by foot.
Terrell anchored 41NBC News at Daybreak and 41Today. Her station released a statement about the incident, which said the following:
"Taylor was a hard worker with a bright smile. She rose through the ranks from intern to reporter, to weekend anchor, to morning anchor and was eager to prepare for her next chapter. This is a devastating loss for us here at 41NBC and most definitely for her family.
Taylor was scheduled to be off today to celebrate her 25th birthday. Instead, we're remembering her spirit, her optimism, and her work. She touched so many people through her stories, through interviews here at the station on Daybreak and 41Today, and through the people she met while working with different volunteer groups as she tried to make a difference in people's lives."
The waterfall is about 55 miles southwest of Asheville.
