A Brooklyn, New York, woman was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years to life in prison for the deaths of her three young children, who were found dead in the Atlantic Ocean near the famous Coney Island boardwalk.

The defendant, Erin Merdy, 34, pleaded guilty this year to first-degree murder charges in the deaths of her sons: Zachary, 7; Liliana, 4; and Oliver, just 3 months old, AP reported.

The Prosecutor's Office described the case as “heartbreaking and unthinkable”

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement that no sentence can measure the magnitude of the loss suffered by the family.

“Their lives were taken in the most heartbreaking and unthinkable way,” the official said.

Erin Merdy's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the sentencing.

The search for the minors began during the early hours of September 12, 2022, after relatives alerted the New York City police out of fear that the woman could harm the children.

According to prosecutors, officers first found the mother barefoot and completely wet about two kilometers from the Coney Island Boardwalk area where she resided.

The authorities indicated that the woman constantly repeated that the children were “no longer there” and that she was sorry.

Hours later, the bodies of the three minors were recovered on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, near the boardwalk and several blocks from the stadium where the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league team plays.

Videos and evidence were key in the investigation

The city medical examiner's office determined the deaths were homicides by drowning.

The investigation included surveillance videos that showed Erin Merdy walking into the ocean with the minors shortly before 1:00 a.m.

At that time, relatives indicated that the woman was possibly experiencing postpartum depression.