Mother accused of drowning her children in Coney Island arraigned at hospital

At Coney Island beach, community members came together Thursday night to honor the three young children who were found unresponsive by authorities earlier this week.

News 12 Staff

Sep 16, 2022, 10:10 AM

Updated 832 days ago

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Erin Merdy, the mother accused of drowning her three children in Coney Island earlier this week, was arraigned this morning at the hospital.
Merdy was arraigned by video conference at the NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn where she’s been undergoing psychiatric care since Monday. She is charged with three counts of murder in the first degree over accusations she drowned each of her three children. She also faces three counts of murder in the second degree.
The criminal complaint outlines a timeline of Monday's events. The district attorney’s office says that shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, surveillance video captured Merdy walking on the beach toward the ocean with 7-year-old Zachary, 4-year-old Liliana, and 3-month-old Oliver.
About two hours later, they say she was seen on a beach several miles away, barefoot and wet. About an hour after that, police discovered the three lifeless bodies on the shoreline . Officials say they were sandy and wet.
The criminal complaint also states that the mother told a witness she had hurt the children and that they were gone.
On Tuesday, an autopsy found that the cause of death among all three children was homicide by drowning.
The next court date in this case is Tuesday, Sept. 20 when the prosecutors will announce grand jury action.