The children died by drowning early Monday and their deaths are considered homicides, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Relatives called police after Merdy allegedly told them “the babies are gone” and “the kids are gone.” When questioned by detectives, Merdy told them she had been “dreaming of walking the kids in the water,” according to the law enforcement official. Merdy was processed Wednesday and remains in a hospital for further psychological evaluation, the official said. All three children were pronounced dead at a hospital after first responders conducted life-saving measures, including CPR, Chief of Department Kenneth Corey told reporters Monday. Their mother was questioned by police and then hospitalized after they found her Monday morning in Brighton Beach, adjacent to Coney Island, a law enforcement official said. The children were discovered after police got a 911 call at 1:40 a.m. Monday from someone who was concerned a “family member may have harmed her three small children,” Corey said. The caller asked police to check on the woman’s Coney Island apartment. At the apartment a man who identified himself as the father of one of the children said he was also concerned, Corey added. The man told police he believed the woman and three children were at a boardwalk on Coney Island. Officers canvassed beaches, streets and a local hospital. Then another 911 call came in directing officers to a specific location — Brighton 6th Street and Riegelmann Boardwalk in nearby Brighton Beach. The caller reported a woman who was despondent, according to police spokesperson. Police found the woman and other family members with her. The children were not there. The search continued via ground, air and harbor units. Around 4:42 a.m., officers found the children unconscious on the shoreline at West 35th Street in Coney Island, Corey said. CNN’s Laura Ly, Melanie Schuman, Dakin Andone, Liam Reilly, Aya Elamroussi, Caroll Alvarado and Nicki Brown contributed to this story.
