Mother charged with drowning three children at US beach

Erin Merdy, 30, was charged with first and second-degree murder in the deaths of her children. Picture: Denis Minihane.

A mother accused of drowning her three children at New York’s Coney Island beach has appeared in court on murder charges, authorities have said.

Erin Merdy, 30, was charged with first and second-degree murder in the deaths of her children Zachary Merdy, seven, Liliana Stephens-Merdy, four, and Oliver Bondarev, three months, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said.