NEW YORK (WPIX) — Police have charged a Brooklyn mother with murder days after her three children drowned, NYPD officials said.
Officers took Erin Merdy, 30, into custody on Monday. The deaths of a 7-year-old, 4-year-old, and 3-month-old were deemed homicides on Tuesday.
Merdy has been charged with three counts each of murder, murder – depraved indifference to human life, and second-degree murder of a child less than 11 years old for allegedly drowning her children, police said Wednesday.
The NYPD launched a search for the kids around 1:40 a.m. on Monday after a relative called 911. The relative was worried the children’s mother intended to harm the kids.
About 90 minutes later, police found the mother, barefoot and soaking wet, officials said. She was about two miles down the boardwalk from where she lived.
Officials found the children around 4:30 a.m., police said. They were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced deceased.
A family friend tells Nexstar’s WPIX that the father of the 7-year-old boy had been fighting for full custody of his son.
If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health, click here for more resources or visit Lifeearlylearning.org.
