(CNN) — the mother of the three children who were found unconscious on the shore of Coney Island in Brooklyn was arrested and charged in the deaths of the minors, a law enforcement officer told CNN.
Erin Merdy, 30, was charged with three counts of manslaughter, three counts of depraved disregard for human life and three counts of murder with victims under the age of 11, the official said.
The children drowned early Monday morning and their deaths are considered homicides, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said.
Relatives called the police following Merdy allegedly told them “the babies are gone” and “the kids are gone.” When questioned by detectives, Ella Merdy told them that she had been “dreaming regarding walking with the children in the water,” according to the law enforcement officer.
Merdy was processed Wednesday and remains in a hospital for further psychological evaluation, the official said.
The three children were pronounced dead at a hospital following first responders performed life-saving measures, including CPR, department chief Kenneth Corey told reporters Monday.
His mother was questioned by police and later hospitalized following she was found Monday morning on Brighton Beach, adjacent to Coney Island, a law enforcement official said.
The children were discovered following police received a 911 call at 1:40 a.m. Monday from someone who was concerned that “her three young children may have been harmed by a family member,” Corey said. The person he called asked police to search the woman’s Coney Island apartment.
At the department, a man who identified himself as the father of one of the children said he was also concerned, Corey added. The man told police that he believed the woman and three children were on a Coney Island boardwalk.
The agents toured beaches, streets and a local hospital. Another 911 call was then received directing officers to a specific location: Brighton 6th Street and Riegelmann Boardwalk in nearby Brighton Beach. The caller reported that a woman was dejected, according to a police spokesman.
Police found the woman and other family members with her. The children were not there.
The search continued through ground, air and port units. Around 4:42 am, officers found the boys unresponsive on the shoreline on West 35th Street in Coney Island, Corey said.
CNN’s Melanie Schuman, Dakin Andone, Liam Reilly, Aya Elamroussi, Caroll Alvarado and Nicki Brown contributed to this story.
