NY - 3 children found dead on shoreline, 30-y/o mother suspected to be murderer, Coney Island, September 12, 2022

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Three young children died after they were found alone on Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beach in the middle of the night early Monday — and their disturbed mother is suspected of drowning them, police sources said.

The kids — 7-year-old Zachary, 4-year-old Liliana and Oliver, just 3 months old — were discovered unconscious on the beach near the shoreline at W. 35th St. at 4:42 a.m.

Their 30-year-old mom Erin Merdy called a cousin saying she drowned them, according to a police source.

“Last I spoke to Erin she was struggling. However I did not realize it was this bad,” Merdy’s aunt Dine Stephens told the Daily News. “Many family members have struggled with mental illness.”

The tragic discovery was made after police responded to a 1:40 a.m. 911 call from Merdy’s sister.
….

Cops are looking for witnesses as the investigate how her kids died. The city Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy on all three children.

“We don’t know exactly what happened here yet,” Corey said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
 
Three young children died after they were found alone on Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beach in the middle of the night early Monday — and their disturbed mother is suspected of drowning them, police sources said.

The kids — 7-year-old Zachary, 4-year-old Liliana and Oliver, just 3 months old — were discovered unconscious on the beach near the shoreline at W. 35th St. at 4:42 a.m.

Their 30-year-old mom Erin Merdy called a cousin saying she drowned them, according to a police source.

“Last I spoke to Erin she was struggling. However I did not realize it was this bad,” Merdy’s aunt Dine Stephens told the Daily News. “Many family members have struggled with mental illness.”

The tragic discovery was made after police responded to a 1:40 a.m. 911 call from Merdy’s sister.
….

Cops are looking for witnesses as the investigate how her kids died. The city Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy on all three children.

“We don’t know exactly what happened here yet,” Corey said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

“Last I spoke to Erin she was struggling. However I did not realize it was this bad,” Merdy’s aunt Dine Stephens told the Daily News. “Many family members have struggled with mental illness.”
 
<modsnip - quoted post removed>

Aunt is quoted as saying the family didn't know it was this bad. I'm sure if the family/LE knew about the extent of her mental health issues the children would have been monitored or removed.
 
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“Last I spoke to Erin she was struggling. However I did not realize it was this bad,” Merdy’s aunt Dine Stephen told the Daily News. “Many family members have struggled with mental illness.”
[snip]
”I’m very saddened to see this turn of events,” said Dine Stephen, Merdiy’s aunt. “We lost Erin’s father, my brother, a few years back and now his precious grandchildren are gone.”

“We’re kind of high achieving,” she said of her family. “We have Masters’ degrees, we own businesses, we have good jobs. To see her like that, that’s not us. We’re usually... we have our lives in order.”
Disturbed mom of Coney Island kids found dying told family she drowned them: ‘She was struggling’


The BBM direct quotes from the aunt of this mother do not make me feel warm and fuzzy. They didn't know how bad she was struggling and yet many other family members have struggled with mental illness. And yet they are also all highly educated and achievers and all have their lives in order. except this mother. What a tragic case. I wish I could explain how off putting the above quotes are to me but I cannot figure out how to do so within TOS

I don't think this is a case I should follow.
 
“Last I spoke to Erin she was struggling. However I did not realize it was this bad,” Merdy’s aunt Dine Stephen told the Daily News. “Many family members have struggled with mental illness.”
[snip]
”I’m very saddened to see this turn of events,” said Dine Stephen, Merdiy’s aunt. “We lost Erin’s father, my brother, a few years back and now his precious grandchildren are gone.”

“We’re kind of high achieving,” she said of her family. “We have Masters’ degrees, we own businesses, we have good jobs. To see her like that, that’s not us. We’re usually... we have our lives in order.”
Disturbed mom of Coney Island kids found dying told family she drowned them: ‘She was struggling’


The BBM direct quotes from the aunt of this mother do not make me feel warm and fuzzy. They didn't know how bad she was struggling and yet many other family members have struggled with mental illness. And yet they are also all highly educated and achievers and all have their lives in order. except this mother. What a tragic case. I wish I could explain how off putting the above quotes are to me but I cannot figure out how to do so within TOS

I don't think this is a case I should follow.
I do not understand the aunt’s words either. I may be wrong but it seems like she is a bit defensive underneath her pretty words of self promoting accolades. Kinda like, it was her, it was them, but not me…
 

“Three young children died after they were found alone on Coney Island Beach early Monday — and their disturbed mother is suspected of drowning them, police sources said.

The kids — 7-year-old Zachary, 4-year-old Liliana and Oliver, just 3 months — were discovered unconscious on the beach near the shoreline at W. 35th St in Brooklyn.

Their 30-year-old mom, Erin Merdy, called a cousin saying she drowned them, according to a police source.”
 
More from that link above:

”I’m very saddened to see this turn of events,” said Dine Stephen, Merdy’s aunt. “We lost Erin’s father, my brother, a few years back and now his precious grandchildren are gone.”

“We’re kind of high achieving,” she said of her family. “We have masters’ degrees, we own businesses, we have good jobs. To see her like that, that’s not us. We’re usually ... we have our lives in order.”

This attitude is, IMO, part of the problem—a family that looks at mental illness as a weakness or something of which to be ashamed is probably not going be one which actively supports a mentally ill member. In fact, earlier in the article, a relative of the accused woman says that she knew the woman was struggling with her mental health, but just didn’t think it was that bad.

Don’t construe this as victim-blaming, please—not my intention at all.
 

”Around eight officers are currently outside of her apartment, awaiting a warrant, and told DailyMail.com that it was an active crime scene.

Cops have responded to six past domestic incidents involving her, including one on July 2 where she refused to hand over the children to her husband.

Alfred Brown, Zacks football coach, said the last time he saw the little boy was on June 25, when he gave him a tropy for participation.

He told DailyMail.com: 'This year he did not play, he was supposed to stay with his dad over the summer.

'He'd always say coach coach coach, to not hear him say it today is just heartbreaking.

'I called him Zack Attack. His mom looked pretty normal but we can all mask our problems.

'Zack was very bubbly, bright, giggly and full of life. The smile on his face was worth the world to me.'

Joseph, 60, a maintenance worker in the building where Merdy lives, said: ' I saw the young lady this morning, and she was crying for whatever happened.

'I told her to be strong and get past the pain. She was walking around the first floor shortly after dawn.

'I'm speechless to go and drown your children I wonder what was on her mind and what led up to that.

'People love their children, was she overwhelmed by the responsibility? It's just a sad situation.'”
 

I feel for the pain of all who loved these childre, especially the father of the 7-year old. From the article linked above:

“In an interview, Mr. Merdy said he first met Ms. Merdy on Facebook, and they married in 2014, he said. Zachary was born in March 2015, and the couple broke up bitterly soon after, Mr. Merdy said. He said he had been fighting for custody ever since.

I was trying to get my son. Now that’s not going to happen,” he said, before breaking into sobs.

Mr. Merdy said Ms. Merdy was unreliable as he shuttled between Virginia, New York and a posting in Japan, often not appearing at designated places to hand over Zachary. He said the child would often come to him dirty, and without sufficient clothing for a visit. Zachary would tell him there wasn’t enough to eat where he was staying.

Mr. Merdy said Ms. Merdy kept his son in shelters, where he would go to the bathroom in a bowl. In a 2019 text exchange shared by Mr. Merdy, Ms. Merdy says she is thinking of giving up her rights to Zachary.
“I love him enough to let him stay with you or your mom because I want the best for him,” she wrote. “I want him to excel.”
Mr. Merdy said he started to become fully aware of what was happening in his son’s life when Zachary began to spend more time with him, when he was about 6. He recorded his son talking about his life with Ms. Merdy in an effort to further his bid for custody.
“She makes me starve,” Zachary told his father.
“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Merdy replied.
“I don’t know, she makes me starve,” Zachary replied. “I didn’t do nothing bad; she makes me starve.”

Mr. Merdy said his efforts to get help from authorities came to nothing.
“It didn’t matter how much I called child protective services,” he said. “They would tell me, ‘Oh, you don’t have any real evidence.’ But they didn’t do a real investigation.”
 
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”Around eight officers are currently outside of her apartment, awaiting a warrant, and told DailyMail.com that it was an active crime scene.

Cops have responded to six past domestic incidents involving her, including one on July 2 where she refused to hand over the children to her husband.

Alfred Brown, Zacks football coach, said the last time he saw the little boy was on June 25, when he gave him a tropy for participation.

He told DailyMail.com: 'This year he did not play, he was supposed to stay with his dad over the summer.

'He'd always say coach coach coach, to not hear him say it today is just heartbreaking.

'I called him Zack Attack. His mom looked pretty normal but we can all mask our problems.

'Zack was very bubbly, bright, giggly and full of life. The smile on his face was worth the world to me.'

Joseph, 60, a maintenance worker in the building where Merdy lives, said: ' I saw the young lady this morning, and she was crying for whatever happened.

'I told her to be strong and get past the pain. She was walking around the first floor shortly after dawn.

'I'm speechless to go and drown your children I wonder what was on her mind and what led up to that.

'People love their children, was she overwhelmed by the responsibility? It's just a sad situation.'”

“Police attended the apartment, which was unlocked, and the father of one of the children reportedly told officers he was concerned for their safety, after their mother made several statements saying she would harm them.”

Did the father not take those threats seriously and get the kids away from her?

And there’s a husband too? What the heck was going on in that household?
 
“Police attended the apartment, which was unlocked, and the father of one of the children reportedly told officers he was concerned for their safety, after their mother made several statements saying she would harm them.”

Did the father not take those threats seriously and get the kids away from her?

And there’s a husband too? What the heck was going on in that household?
My understanding is that the three children and their mother lived by themselves, sometimes in an apartment but other times in a shelter. There was no other adult in the household, unless I've misunderstood the reporting...

The father of the eldest child took the threats VERY seriously, per the New York Times article I quoted above. The father of the 7-year old was separated from the mother of the child (and had been since 2015) and made numerous concerted efforts to obtain custody of his son, but his concerns were not taken seriously by authorities--in spite of the fact that the poor child was dirty, disheveled, and complaining of hunger at all of his visits with his father! The father even had recordings of the child describing how his mother "starved" him and child protective services evidently considered this insufficient proof to remove custody from the mother.
 
My understanding is that the three children and their mother lived by themselves, sometimes in an apartment but other times in a shelter. There was no other adult in the household, unless I've misunderstood the reporting...

The father of the eldest child took the threats VERY seriously, per the New York Times article I quoted above. The father of the 7-year old was separated from the mother of the child (and had been since 2015) and made numerous concerted efforts to obtain custody of his son, but his concerns were not taken seriously by authorities--in spite of the fact that the poor child was dirty, disheveled, and complaining of hunger at all of his visits with his father! The father even had recordings of the child describing how his mother "starved" him and child protective services evidently considered this insufficient proof to remove custody from the mother.
How awful. I had internet issues when I posted and it was about the same time you posted the article so I didn’t see your post with the NYTimes. The family now dealing with this tragedy.
 

The mother charged with second degree murder, depraved indifference ...


"Depraved indifference" makes it sound like the kids were left on the shore and as the tide came in they drowned--I hope I'm wrong about that. I wonder if she placed them on the sandy beach and walked away (maybe? hopefully?) not realizing that the sand on which they were placed around 1-2 AM would gradually disappear as the tide rolled in?

The tide would have been going OUT/receding away from the shore until about 3:30 AM, which was the first Low Tide of that date. Then the tide would've gradually come in from 3:30 AM to about 9:30, which was the first High Tide on that date. (This is the best source I have for the Tidal Charts in Coney Island on September 12, 2022: Tide times and charts for Coney Island, New York and weather forecast for fishing in Coney Island in 2022 )

The children were found "at the water's edge" (per article I linked above) at 4:45 AM. Concerns about the children and mother were reported by a 911 caller about three hours before they were found, and police reached their apartment around 1:45 AM-ish. 90 minutes later is when they located the mother, so that's 3:15ish. It took another 90 minutes for the police to locate the children.
 

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