Mother Charged With Murdering 3 Children Who Drowned in Coney Island

The mother of three children drowned this week in Brooklyn has been arrested and charged with murder in their deaths, the New York City Police Department announced on Wednesday.

The mother, Erin Merdy, 30, of Brooklyn was arrested days after the Monday deaths of the children, who were identified by the police and relatives as Zachary Merdy, 7; Liliana Merdy, 4; and Oliver Bodnarev, 3 months old.

The medical examiner’s office in New York City ruled the deaths homicides by drowning Tuesday.

The police received a call just before 2 a.m. on Monday urging them to check on Ms. Merdy. A relative believed that her children were in danger, authorities said.

Officers found Ms. Merdy, who was barefoot and soaking wet, about 90 minutes later on Monday without her children, Kenneth Corey, the chief of department, said at a news conference that morning.

The police located the children two miles away at around 4:30 a.m. They were unconscious on the shoreline at West 35th Street in Coney Island.

The children were taken to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, Chief Corey said.