A New York grandmother allegedly poisoned her daughter and four young grandchildren to death using prescription and over-the-counter medications before being found dead alongside them inside a home in Mechanicville, authorities said Thursday.
Background
Amy Steadman, 64, is suspected of killing her daughter Sarah Myers and Myers' four children—Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and twins Gavin Harmon, 10, and Gracelynn Harmon, 10—according to Police Chief Bill Rabbitt. Court documents obtained by WRGB show Myers and the children's father, Brady Harmon, divorced in 2020 and were initially granted joint custody. The arrangement allowed Myers to have the children during the school year while Brady Harmon received uninterrupted summer parenting time from July through September.
Sources told WNYT that resentment toward the children's father had been building on Steadman's part ever since he was recently granted custody of them. According to the Times Union, Brady Harmon said his ex-wife had been keeping the children from him, only allowing occasional FaceTime calls. The family was reportedly days away from the children spending their summer months with their father in Utah, where he currently lives.
The Investigation
Mechanicville police discovered the bodies after a concerned neighbor reported not seeing the family for several days. Officers performed a welfare check and found all five victims deceased inside Steadman's home. Rabbitt said during a press conference Thursday that one child had been stabbed while the others appeared to have died from poisoning.
There is recovered evidence from inside the apartment indicating intentional poisoning, Rabbitt said. A handwritten note and other circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths. The bodies were too badly decomposed for responding officers to immediately identify them, he added.
The family had been dead for an extended period of time before authorities found them this week, according to Rabbitt. Steadman's body was also discovered inside the home. Investigators are working with the New York State Police and the medical examiner's office to determine exact causes of death and finalize identification of the victims.
Key Takeaways
- Amy Steadman, 64, is suspected of killing her daughter Sarah Myers and four grandchildren aged 10-13 in Mechanicville, New York
- One child was stabbed; others appear to have been poisoned with prescription and over-the-counter medications, police say
- A handwritten note and circumstantial evidence strongly suggest the grandmother's involvement, according to Police Chief Bill Rabbitt
- Resentment toward the children's father—who had recently gained custody—may have motivated the killings, sources told WNYT
- The family was days away from the children traveling to Utah to spend summer with their father
What's Next
The investigation remains active as authorities await toxicology results and autopsy findings from the medical examiner's office. Police are continuing to process evidence recovered from the home. Brady Harmon told the Times Union he wants to bury the children in Utah, as far away as possible from their mother. No charges have been filed in connection with the deaths due to Steadman's own death, which investigators are treating as a suicide or natural causes pending further examination.