Some things just do not make sense. Tragedy struck in Brooklyn, New York. Three young children lost their lives. The investigation is still ongoing, but they appeared to have been drowned on the shoreline of Coney Island.
Compounding this tragedy, the children’s mother, 30-year-old Erin Merdy, was arrested for their murder on September 14, 2022. According to officials, she is being charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of depraved indifference to human life, among other charges. The children were 7-year-old Zachary, 4-year-old Lilana, and 3½-month-old Oliver.
The children died in the early morning hours of Monday September 12, 2022. Their cause of death was drowning. Their death is considered a homicide.
Relatives became alarmed on Monday after Merdy told them that “the babies are gone.” She also stated that “the kids are gone.” Merdy’s relatives called the police for a wellness check.
When police got to Merdy’s apartment, she was not there. A man was present who was the father of one of the children. He was also concerned. He told police that he thought Merdy was on a Coney Island boardwalk with the three children.
Officers began to search for Merdy and the children. They searched tirelessly, canvassing beaches, streets, and even local hospitals. A 911 tip helped them locate Merdy. According to the 911 caller, there was a woman who was despondent on Brighton 6th Street and Riegelmann Boardwalk in Brighton Beach.
When officers got to Merdy, she was with family, but her children were not with her. She was soaking wet. The search continued for Merdy’s children. They were found at around 4:42 a.m. unconscious near the shoreline at West 35th Street in Coney Island. This was about 2 miles from where Merdy was found and a half mile from her apartment.
The children received lifesaving measures such as CPR but were pronounced dead at the hospital. Merdy has a history of mental illness. She was hospitalized on Monday morning when the children were found. When police questioned Merdy, she told them that she was “dreaming of walking the kids in the water.” Merdy remains in the hospital for further psychological evaluation even after her arrest.
Community members and family are mourning the deaths of the three children. Derrick Merdy, father of the late 7-year-old boy, told CNN, “Anybody who met my son they would know that he is special.” He went on to say his son loved Sonic the Hedgehog and was kind, humble, and generous. “He was going to be great.”
The boy’s football coach, Allen McFarland, agreed: “He was excited to tackle, to be tackled, excited to run the ball, excited to hit the person with the ball, he was just excited.” It was heartbreaking for McFarland to break the news to his team that the boy had died. Many tears were shed by the boy’s teammates.
The older two children were also remembered as being sweet by a shelter worker: “It’s just heartbreaking to see. The children were always well-behaved and quiet. Beautiful souls. Mom was mostly quiet.”
Upon hearing this tragic news, many on Twitter are calling for better housing and mental health services. They believe this misfortune could have been prevented.
