Three children died after they were found unconscious early Monday at Brighton Boardwalk in Coney Island, New York, in a possible drowning.
Officers first received a call from the concerned family relative around 1:40 am Monday, and were told that the mother may have drowned the three children, NBC News reported. Authorities later visited a local apartment complex, where they encountered a man who claimed to be the children’s father and expressed similar concerns to the other family member, the outlet continued.
The mother was found on the boardwalk, barefoot and soaking wet, with some family but not her children, NBC News reported. Aviation units were called in to help the large-scale search operation and canvassing throughout the area, and the children were found unconscious on the shoreline around 4:45 am, according to the outlet.
3 children dead after being found unconscious on Coney Island beach https://t.co/ghrb6bufNq pic.twitter.com/GNkILeQdP3
— New York Post (@nypost) September 12, 2022
Despite life-saving efforts, a three-month old baby girl, 4-year-old girl, and 7-year-old boy were pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital at 5:38 am, the New York Post reported. Their mother has been taken in for questioning as she was not initially communicative with law enforcement, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Mother Arrested, Placed Under Mental Health Evaluation After Three Children Found Dead)
In a press conference early Monday morning, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said that there was no evidence or prior neglect of the three children, according to CBS.