3 children dead after being found unresponsive on Coney Island beach

Three children died Monday morning after being found unresponsive on Coney Island shoreline, police said.

Police were questioning a 30-year-old woman, believed to be their mother, after she was found without the children and "soaking wet" early Monday after an overnight search, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said. 

The bodies of the children – a 7-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and a 3-month-old girl – were discovered in the surf after a three-hour search that began when a relative called 911 to report she was concerned that the mother may have harmed her three children.

Police arrived at the woman's apartment at 1:40 a.m. and found the children's father, who told officers that he also was concerned for the children's safety and that he believed she was on the Coney Island boardwalk with them, Corey said. 

Officers canvassed the Coney Island beach, boardwalk and neighborhood streets for 90 minutes before discovering the woman, who was barefoot and wet. She was with family members but not her children. She did not respond to questions from police. 

A search continued until officers discovered the three children shortly after 4:30 a.m., 2 miles down the boardwalk from where they found the mother and three blocks from her apartment building.

Officers tried to revive the children using CPR, but they were pronounced dead at the hospital. 

Police have not released the identity of the mother or the children and have not decided on whether she may face criminal charges. "There is no indication of prior history of abuse or neglect of these children," Corey said.

Contributing: The Associated Press