Father Calls Toxicology Report 'Sickening' in Murder-Suicide of His Four Children

The father of four children killed in a murder-suicide by their mother and grandmother has described the official toxicology findings as "sickening." Brady Harmon lost his children, Harper, 13; Hudson, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon, on June 10 in Mechanicville, New York. Investigators determined that their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and her mother, Amy Steadman, 64, administered fatal levels of diphenhydramine, a common over-the-counter medication, to the children before taking their own lives and repeatedly stabbing one of the children.

The toxicology report indicated that diphenhydramine was present at fatal or lethal levels in all six individuals. The drug Mitragynine, a compound found in kratom and Benadryl, was detected in four of the six victims. Harmon shared the report on Facebook, expressing his profound grief and disbelief. "The pain is still as raw as if it happened yesterday," he wrote. "Reading today’s official toxicology findings makes it even more sickening to understand what was done to them."

Harmon is preparing to file a $400 million lawsuit against multiple New York authorities, including the City of Mechanicville, Ballston Spa Central School District, Mechanicville City School District, Saratoga County, and the Mechanicville Housing Authority. The lawsuit, signaled by a legal notice, alleges that these entities failed to protect his children despite a pattern of alleged abuse and warning signs over several years.

According to the legal notice, Myers and Steadman are accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of abuse where a caregiver fabricates or exaggerates illness in a child. Harmon claims the women were "regularly drugging" the children with substances like melatonin, Benadryl, and kratom to control them and induce illness. The notice details an incident in May 2024 when all four children became ill while attending the Mechanicville City School District. Three were hospitalized with symptoms consistent with an opiate overdose, and Gracelynn required Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. Although the hospital contacted Child Protective Services, Harmon's attorneys argue that this incident should have prompted the children's removal or a thorough investigation.

The filing further alleges that Gavin suffered particularly severe abuse, including being falsely diagnosed with mental illnesses and prescribed psychotropic medication that diminished his ability to resist. Harmon also claims that agencies withheld information about his children's education, medical treatment, and alleged abuse from him, despite his parental rights. He had been engaged in a custody battle and had not seen his children in person since 2019, but had an agreement for them to spend the summer with him in Utah.

Investigators believe the murders occurred on June 10, the same day Myers sent Harmon a message claiming the children had a "stomach bug." The six bodies were discovered on June 23 after a neighbor reported an unusual smell and a large number of flies coming from the apartment. Text messages recovered by authorities suggest that Sarah Myers and Amy Steadman had planned the children's deaths on June 10.

Brady Harmon's lawyer, Nicholas Liakas, stated that the lawsuit aims not only to seek compensation for Harmon but also to compel institutional changes to prevent similar tragedies. "Child Protective Services failed these children," Liakas told the New York Post. "When the warning signs are there, people need to step up. We can't wait until a tragedy occurs to say what should have been done before these children are abused."