Four children allegedly murdered by their Grandma
Mechanicville police investigate the apartment where the bodies of a mother, grandmother, and four children were discovered. Sarah Myers/Facebook

Investigators say evidence indicates intentional poisoning in the deaths of a grandmother, her daughter and four children inside a Mechanicville apartment on 23 June, devastating a father who had spent more than six years fighting for visitation. Mechanicville Chief of Police William Rabbitt confirmed the discovery following a Tuesday evening welfare check, and said there was no evidence at this time that any outside individual was responsible for the deaths.

The tragedy came days before the children were scheduled to travel to Utah. Brady Harmon said he and the children's mother, 44-year-old Sarah Myers, separated in November 2019, and that he had been attempting to secure custody or visitation for more than six years. He was scheduled to have the children at his home for a summer visit from 1 July to 1 September.

Utah Father Fought Six Years For Custody

Harmon told local media he had gone through everything his lawyers could do to see 13-year-old Harper, 11-year-old Hudson, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn. The children were meant to spend two months with him to 'just come and be with Dad and connect with family they have not seen,' as well as 'connect with additional family members they have never met.'

Harmon found out about the deaths on 23 June. 'I wish there was something else I could have done legally,' Harmon said. 'But I went through everything I could, everything that my lawyers could do. I just never thought that someone would go and do this.'

Regarding the sudden loss, he added: 'You talk about the feeling of how do you prepare for this? You get down to almost the finish line, just absolutely cut your legs out from underneath you, and the only thing left to do is crawl across the finish line to bring the remains home.'

Mechanicville Police Discuss Evidence of Poisoning

Officers responded to the Harris Ave home for a welfare check just before 6.:0 pm on Tuesday, 23 June, after neighbours grew concerned when they had not seen the family for several days. Inside, police found the bodies of the four children alongside Myers and their 64-year-old grandmother, Amy Steadman.

At a press conference on 25 June, Rabbitt said that preliminary autopsy findings showed one of the children had suffered fatal sharp-force injuries, while the causes and manners of death for all six individuals remained pending further investigation and toxicology testing. 'I will say that there is recovered evidence inside the apartment that indicate intentional poisoning, to include numerous prescriptions and over-the-counter medications,' Rabbitt noted.

Notes Suggest Grandmother Was Involved In Deaths

Rabbitt said there was no evidence at this time to suggest 'any outside individual' was responsible. 'Evidence recovered during the investigation, including a handwritten note and other circumstantial evidence, strongly suggest that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths,' he said.

Harmon described the emotional impact of the news as overwhelming. 'There is no prepping for that whatsoever,' he told News 10. 'Let alone that you're supposed to be there the following week to pick up your kids for your first parenting time in six and a half years.'

Mechanicville police have said the criminal investigation remains ongoing, with toxicology and final medical examiner determinations still pending.

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