Funeral services have been announced for the Lynn, Massachusetts, mom who drowned trying to rescue her 10-year-old son as he was pulled by the current at a popular waterfall in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
A visitation for Melissa Bagley will be held Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Solimine Funeral Home in Lynn, the funeral home shared online. Her funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, at St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott.
The 44-year-old was with her family and a friend Tuesday afternoon during a trip to Franconia Falls when her 10-year-old son slipped and fell into a pool and could not escape the fast, circulating current, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Bagley “jumped into the river to help her child and began to immediately have trouble,” Sgt. Heidi Murphy said.
One of Bagley's other children jumped in to help but he became lodged in boulders and had to be rescued by his father, a Massachusetts police officer -- identified by the Everett Police Department as Lt. Sean Bagley.
“While we appreciate all those who have reached out we ask that Lt Bagley and his family be given the time and space to mourn the death of Melissa,” the department said in a statement posted on Facebook.
In the days since her death, Bagley has been described by North Shore residents as a devoted wife and "hero" mother who made the ultimate sacrifice for her child.
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Franconia Falls, located several miles off the scenic Kancamagus Highway, is a popular hiking destination and swimming hole in the White Mountain National Forest. People can slide off rock slabs into pools of water, but a website that describes New England waterfalls cautions that people should “take a moment to observe the turbulence in the pool below the falls to help you gauge potential risks.”
Other people have drowned at the falls, including a 38-year-old man in July 2017, a 17-year-old hiker in August 2015 and a 39-year-old man in October 2003.
