According to witnesses, Ford fell on Thursday night around 7:30 p.m. and did not have her safety railing in place when she plunged around 30 feet into the 60-foot ride.
A woman plunged 30 feet to her death while riding a chairlift at the popular theme park in Tennessee, officials said. Jessica Rhea Ford, 40, was found dead beneath a chairlift ride at Anakeesta Theme Park near Gatlinburg, according to WVLT. Ford’s “possible cause of death” was determined to be an “apparent suicide.”
According to witnesses, Ford fell on Thursday night around 7:30 p.m. and did not have her safety railing in place when she plunged around 30 feet into the 60-foot ride. The Gatlinburg Fire & Rescue Department responded to the scene at 7:41 p.m. for an incident on the park’s chairlift. Ford’s body was found shortly thereafter.
However, it is now being said that Ford committed suicide and there was no issue with the chairlift. Officers from the Gatlinburg Fire & Rescue Department pronounced the woman dead at the scene, they said in a statement.
