Cops: Mom Threw 3 Kids In S.F. Bay

A woman who said she heard voices in her head tossed her three young children off a pier into the San Francisco Bay, authorities said. Rescuers had found one body, and the other two children were feared dead.

The mother, Lashaun Harris, 23, of Oakland, was booked on three counts of murder, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in Thursday's editions. Her children were identified as Trayshaun Harris, 6, Travante Greely, 3, and Joshua Harris, 1.

A child's body was found about four hours after a witness reported seeing a woman drop the children into the bay near Pier 7 Wednesday, said Jonathan Guerra of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Witnesses on a pedestrian pier reported seeing a woman strip three young children naked before throwing them into the bay, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports for The Early Show.

"Fire Department and Police Department crews were on scene within four minutes to attempt rescue efforts," says San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

But the cold water and powerful tides made survival unlikely for the children.

The San Francisco Examiner reported Thursday that the body of the 3-year-old had been recovered.

While rescuers searched for the children, an empty stroller was visible on the pier. Blackstone reports that on the pier, witnesses saw an abandoned stroller and a pile of children's clothing.

As the search for bodies continued, Asia Powell, who identified herself as a family member, arrived at the pier with photos of three children.

Powell said the children's mother was struggling with mental problems.

"When the doctors seen her, she would straighten up, you know," Powell said. "And then, when she wasn't around the doctors, she would be on a whole different level … off her medication."

A small inflatable Coast Guard boat was hugging the waterfront as rescuers used hand-held flashlights to search under the pier. Larger Coast Guard and San Francisco police boats were searching the water with high-powered flashlights.

Mayor Gavin Newsom came to the scene to get briefed by authorities and would only tell reporters, "I'm sick to my stomach," before leaving.

Lashaun Harris told authorities that voices had told her to throw her children into the water, the Chronicle reported. It was not immediately known whether she had an attorney.

She had been staying with her children at a Salvation Army shelter in Oakland, Mary Ann Ramirez, the social services manager of the shelter, told the Chronicle.

"I just talked to her yesterday," Ramirez said Wednesday. "We had our usual how are you doing, how's the kids. I would never have guessed in a million years that today she would do that."

The incident happened in the Embarcadero area, which draws tourists to the historic Ferry Building within view of Coit Tower and the landmark Transamerica pyramid. The fishing pier offers views of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, ships in the bay, as well as Treasure Islands.