Police in Mechanicville, New York, are investigating the deaths of six members of the same family after evidence recovered inside an apartment led investigators to identify the children’s grandmother as the primary suspect in what authorities believe may have been a murder-suicide.
Officers discovered the victims Tuesday after neighbors reported they had not seen the family for several days.
The dead were identified as 64-year-old Amy Steadman, her 44-year-old daughter Sarah Myers, and Myers’ four children, who ranged in age from 10 to 13.
Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said the victims had likely been dead for an extended period before they were found, and decomposition made immediate identification at the scene difficult.
According to ABC News, the bodies were discovered inside Steadman’s apartment at the John Moore Homes complex in the Saratoga County city, located about 18 miles north of Albany.
Authorities said there is no indication the deaths pose an ongoing threat to the public.
Investigators said evidence collected inside the apartment points to intentional poisoning as a factor in several of the deaths.
Police reported recovering numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications during the investigation.
Rabbitt also said one of the four children suffered fatal sharp-force injuries, according to NY Daily News.
Officials cautioned that autopsy findings and toxicology testing are still pending, and final determinations regarding each victim’s cause and manner of death have not yet been completed.
Authorities also recovered a handwritten note during the investigation, WAMC reported.
Police declined to discuss its contents or identify its author but said the document, along with other evidence gathered at the scene, strongly suggests Steadman was involved in the deaths.
Rabbitt said investigators will not make any final conclusions regarding responsibility until the medical examiner’s findings, forensic testing, and the full criminal investigation have been completed.
Police added that no evidence currently points to the involvement of anyone outside the family.
Officials identified the four children as Harper Harmon, 13, Hudson Harmon, 11, and 10-year-old twins Gavin Harmon and Gracelynn Harmon.
Police said Myers and her children lived in the same apartment complex as Steadman. Authorities have not released a possible motive and said investigators continue to examine evidence collected from the residence as part of the ongoing case.
The children’s father, Brady Harmon, who lives in Utah, told local media he had not seen his children in person since 2019 because of a long-running custody dispute with Myers.
Harmon said the children were expected to travel to Utah in the coming days for an extended visit after recent legal proceedings.
NBC 5 reported that Harmon said he had sought custody of the children because Myers had prevented him from seeing them. He also claimed she was under investigation by New York Child Protective Services.
He also denied allegations circulating on social media that he had abused his children and said those claims were false, according to The Blaze.
Police said the investigation remains active as detectives continue reviewing evidence and await additional forensic results.
Authorities reiterated that responsibility for the deaths has not been formally determined and said conclusions will be based on the completed autopsies, toxicology reports, and the full body of investigative evidence.
Anyone with information related to the case has been asked to contact the Mechanicville Police Department.
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