Glenda Moore, 39, and her husband, Damian Moore, react as they approach the Staten Island marsh where their childrens’ bodies were discovered in New York on Thursday.

Brandon Moore, 2, and Connor Moore, 4, were snatched away by the swirling storm surge after they and their mother tried to escape Superstorm Sandy by driving to her sister’s home in Brooklyn. According to news reports, the SUV they were in stalled, and they abandoned the vehicle.

CNN reported late Thursday that Glenda Moore told police that she and the boys clung to a tree for hours before she sought help from a local homeowner, but they were turned away. Finally, the boys were swept away by the force of the waves.