Three children found dead on New York City beach believed to have been drowned by their mum

Three young children who were found dead on the beach at Brooklyn’s famed Coney Island boardwalk early Monday morning may have been drowned by their mother, according to New York City police.

The bodies of a 7-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and a 3-month-old girl were found on beach after a relative called police because she thought their mother was going to drown them.

A three-hour search for the children began around 1.40am. Their mother, a 30-year-old woman who has not been identified, was found by deputies 2 miles (3 kilometers) down the boardwalk about 90 minutes later, barefoot and drenched.

Authorities finally located the children at the water’s edge shortly after 4.30am after sending in helicopter and marine units as the search efforts progressed. Once found, the children were rushed to a nearby hospital, where efforts to resuscitate them were unsuccessful.

The mother has not responded to police questioning, New York City Police Department Chief Kenneth Corey said during a press conference.

‘The mother was soaking wet,’ Corey said. ‘Whether she had been out in the rain or whether she had been in the water, again, is all speculative at this point. She was wet, she was barefoot, and she was not communicative to the officers.’

According to the New York Post, after being questioned at the police precinct, the mother was carted off to a nearby hospital on a stretcher.

Her children were found mere blocks from her apartment building, which is where police first went to question the mother. While there they were met by the father of one of her children, who expressed concern about the welfare of the family.

Corey said he believed the mother had made phone calls to several family members, including the one of the children’s father, and expressed she intended to harm her kids.

It’s unclear what kind of charges the mother may face.

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