A woman who died after falling off a waterfall in North Carolina last week was confirmed to be Georgia news anchor Taylor Terrell, according to the Transylvania County sheriff.
Terrell was an anchor for 41NBC News at Daybreak and 41Today, according to her biography on NBC41’s website. She was a graduate of Georgia Southern University, and started working for the station immediately after finishing school.
Terrell and a friend had been visiting Rainbow Falls in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest on Thursday to celebrate Terrell’s 25th birthday.
The U.S. Forest Service reported that Terrell was wading in a stream that flows over the waterfall when she lost her footing and was swept away by the current. Her body was recovered at the base of the falls, a 185-foot fall from the top, reported WLOS-TV.
“It’s a real dangerous spot,” Transylvania County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Eddie Gunter told the Macon Telegraph. “We usually have about two to three waterfall deaths up there every year. ... That was the seventh (waterfall-related death) we’ve had in our county this year. Transylvania County has a lot of waterfalls.”
NBC41 released the following statement on Terrell’s death to the Telegraph:
“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”
NBC41 says that funeral arrangements have yet to be determined.
An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the U.S. Forest Service.
