NYC Children’s Services commissioner ‘proud’ of staff despite snafu in case of Coney Island mom who drowned kids

The head of the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, in an oddly-timed message, praised his staff’s work after the Daily News reported the agency botched its handling of the Coney Island mom accused of murdering her three small kids.

“I want you to know how proud I am to represent you — in difficult moments like this and in great ones that I have the privilege to witness every day — as your commissioner,” wrote ACS leader Jess Dannhauser in the Thursday afternoon note titled “Reflecting on the Tragedy in Coney Island.”

“I know how hard you work to keep children safe and families supported and that you will continue giving NYC’s children, youth and families your very best — because that is who you are! I am deeply grateful!”

But a source familiar with the case of triple homicide suspect Erin Merdy, 30, said earlier that this week that the mentally-ill mother “fell through the cracks” at ACS before drowning her 7-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son in the middle of the night this past Monday.

The source told The News that Merdy was discharged from ACS services on July 15, two months before the horrific killings where police said the mom held her daughter down in the waters off Coney Island.

“Someone in the [ACS] family services unit discharged her when they shouldn’t have,” the source said. “At the very least, a psych exam should have been done, and that wasn’t done.”

A Brooklyn Council member, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of angering Dannhauser, said the commissioner didn’t do himself any favors by going out of his way to praise ACS staff in the wake of the Coney Island tragedy.

“ACS should read the room and sit this one out,” the member said.

An NYPD source and Merdy’s mother both indicated that the murder suspect was struggling with post-partum depression after the birth of her youngest child Oliver in May.

The source of the ACS story said Merdy had voluntarily checked herself into a hospital over her mental health issues after the baby’s birth, and the agency dropped the ball when she left their care without a follow-up mental health examination.

The News story was posted on its website Wednesday and ran in the Thursday paper. Merdy, charged with three counts of murder Thursday, remained hospitalized.

Amaris Cockfield, a spokeswoman for Mayor Adams, said City Hall “obviously share(s) the commissioner’s sentiments that this is a terrible tragedy and our hearts break for the children and their loved ones.”

“Child protective specialists work for countless hours, in very complex circumstances, to keep children safe and families supported,” she added. “Even as we mourn this tragic loss and conduct a thorough investigation [into the deaths] alongside the NYPD, we support individuals who take on these tough positions daily.”