# Mother Drowns 3 Kids in Coney Island; Guilty or Mental Health? | Erin Merdy Case

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbreak-to-homicide-1319674/mother-drowns-3-kids-in-coney-island-guilty-or-mental-health-erin-merdy-case
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbreak-to-homicide-1319674/mother-drowns-3-kids-in-coney-island-guilty-or-mental-health-erin-merdy-case.md
Podcast: [Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide](https://stenobird.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbreak-to-homicide-1319674)
Published: 2026-09-15T10:00:02+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/mother-drowns-3-kids-in-coney-island-guilty-or-mental-health-erin-merdy-case--75090896
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdcn.co/e/pdrl.fm/384938/op3.dev/e/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75090896/erin_merdy.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1788

## Resource

Three children disappeared into the ocean in the middle of the night. Hours later, they were found along the shoreline of Coney Island, and their mother was wandering barefoot, soaking wet, repeatedly telling family that the children were "gone." As investigators pieced together the final hours before Zachary, Liliana, and Oliver Merdy died, they uncovered years of mental health struggles, custody battles, reports of neglect, and repeated concerns that some believe should have triggered stronger intervention long before that September morning. This episode examines one of New York City's most heartbreaking family tragedies, the guilty plea entered by Erin Merdy, and the ongoing debate over whether the system failed these children. Past Cases Mentioned in this Episode: She Killed Her Children — But Was it Mental Health Illness or Murder? | The Lindsay Clancy Case https://murderandlove.com/she-killed-her-children-but-was-it-mental-health-illness-or-murder-the-lindsay-clancy-case/ Ate His Eye; He Believed His Brother Had to Be Sacrificed to Save the World | Matthew Hertgen https://murderandlove.com/ate-his-eye-he-believed-his-brother-had-to-be-sacrificed-to-save-the-world-matthew-hertgen/ ************************************** Do you have thoughts about this case, or is there a specific true crime case you’d like to hear about? Let me know with an email or a voice message: https://murderandlove.com/contact Find the sources used in this episode and learn more about how to support Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide and gain access to even more cases, including bonus episodes, ad-free and intro-free cases, case files and more at: https://murderandlove.com Music: ℗ lesfreemusic Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/love-and-murder-heartbrea…

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