Georgia news anchor Taylor Terrell dies a day before her birthday after being swept over waterfall

A Macon news anchor died just a day before her 25th birthday afterauthorities say she fell from the peak of a 150-foot-tall waterfall in North Carolina. 

Taylor Terrell was celebrating her upcoming birthday with a friend at Rainbow Falls, which is located in the state's Pigsah National Forest, when she fell to her death on Thursday. 

Authorities said the 41NBC News anchor had been wading in the river that flows over the waterfall when she lost her footing and was swept by the current.

A friend called 911 when they couldn't locate Terrell. Her body was recovered around 8.30pm that evening, according to WLOS. 

Terrell, an Atlanta native, was the moing anchor for 41NBC News at Daybreak and 41Today. 

The news station revealed Terrell was scheduled to take the day off on Friday so that she could celebrate her birthday. 

'Instead, we're remembering her spirit, her optimism, and her work,' the station said in a statement. 

'She touched so many people through her stories, through interviews...and through the people she met while working with different volunteer groups as she tried to make a difference in people's lives.'

Terrell was a rising star at the station, which she joined immediately after graduating from Georgia Southe University in 2013.

Georgia news anchor Taylor Terrell died just a day before her 25th birthday when she fell from the peak of the 150-foot-tall Rainbow Falls in North Carolina 

Terrell (pictured right in May) was a rising star at 41NBC, where she was a moing news anchor for Daybreak. The station revealed she was scheduled to take the day off on Friday to celebrate her birthday

Rainbow Falls (pictured) is known for being a 'real dangerous spot', according to Transylvania County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Eddie Gunter, and there are several deaths there every year 

'Taylor was a hard worker with a bright smile,' News Director Brandon Long told The Telegraph. 

'She rose through the ranks from inte to reporter, to weekend anchor, to moing 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.' 

Rainbow Falls is known for being a 'real dangerous spot', according to Transylvania County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Eddie Gunter. 

'We usually have about two to three waterfall deaths up there every year,' he revealed. 

The US Forest Service is investigating Terrell's death. 

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