Coney Island, Brooklyn (WABC) — Three children found passed out on a Coney Island beach Monday morning have died — and their mother is now being questioned by police.
A 30-year-old mother took her three children into the ocean and drowned near the Coney Island Boardwalk, police said.
At 4:42 a.m. officers found a 7-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and a 3-month-old boy passed out on the shoreline near West 35th Street.
They were rushed to Coney Island Hospital where all three were pronounced dead.
Authorities first received a phone call around 1:40 a.m. from a concerned family member saying someone may have harmed three young children.
When officers arrived at the home on Neptune Avenue, a man who identified himself as the father of three children answered the door and told police he believed the mother was with the children on the boardwalk.
The police then began canvassing the boardwalk and surrounding areas to make sure there were no signs of the mother or the children.
That’s when they received a second phone call from family members who were with the mother on the boardwalk, about two miles from where the children were.
According to NYPD officials, the mother was “wet” and barefoot and would not interact with officers.
She was taken to the hospital for evaluation and is currently being questioned by officers at the 60th Precinct.
Investigators are now questioning the mother in what is being investigated as a triple drowning.
Family members initially called 911 because the mother made statements about the children’s safety.
The mother has prior incidents of molestation and aggravated molestation that did not result in charges. She has no prior arrests or emotional history.
She has not yet been charged.
Police are asking anyone who saw the mother and children last night or early this morning to call them.
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