24-Year-Old Georgia News Anchor Dies After Falling 185 Feet From Waterfall During Birthday Hike

A 24-year-old Georgia television news anchor and reporter fell 185 feet to her death after being swept over a waterfall in Asheville, North Carolina.

Taylor Terrell – who had worked for 41NBC in Macon, Georgia, since August 2013 – was hiking with a friend in Pisgah National Forest on Thursday to celebrate her 25th birthday, when she was killed.

According to reports, Taylor was wading in a stream at the top of Rainbow Falls when she lost her footing. The current swept her over the falls.

She would have been 25 on Friday.

"Hi, I'm at Rainbow Falls. My friend got caught by the current, and I don't know where she is and I can't find her," said a caller into 911 on Thursday, WLOS reports.

Taylor's body was recovered by local officials around 8:30 p.m. that evening.

"She always greeted you with a smile and she made you feel comfortable, you weren't a stranger to her, she didn't judge you, she just wanted to make you comfortable whenever she met you," Taylor's mother, Quovardis Terrell, told 11alive.

Taylor's news station, 41NBC, released a statement after her death:

"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," the release said.

"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."

Taylor's death is the second tragedy to occur recently in Pisgah National Forest – on Saturday a man jumped off of Elk River Falls nearby – and several fatalities have occurred in close-by state and private waterfalls, according to the Forest Service.

"Waterfalls are exciting and rivers are a great place to cool off on a hot day, but both pose risks to unprepared visitors," they said in a press release.

"Never jump off waterfalls or dive into plunge pools at the base of waterfalls. Rocks and logs can be hidden beneath the surface of the water," the statement continues. "Often waterfall pools have swirling water or currents that can drag and keep you underwater."

Taylor's parents said their daughter absolutely loved being a news reporter.

"It was just something she lived for," Taylor's father, Louis Terrell, told 11alive.

"She was my news lady in the mornings and everyone that knew me, I showed them, 'This is my daughter,' you know! It didn't matter who it was," Quovardis said.

She added, "I used to call her my baby girl and I told her you'll always be my baby whether you like it or not. You'll always be my baby."