Authorities have determined that the deaths of four children found in an upstate New York apartment were homicides, while their mother and grandmother died by suicide. The incident occurred in Mechanicville, New York, and involved six family members discovered deceased on June 23.
Police Chief William Rabbitt of the Mechanicville Police Department stated that the children, identified as Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon, were murdered. Their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64, died by suicide, according to Rabbitt.
One of the children was fatally stabbed, while the others appear to have died from poisoning, Rabbitt said. The investigation found prescriptions and over-the-counter medications at the scene, indicating intentional poisoning. A handwritten note found at the apartment suggested Steadman was involved in the children's deaths. However, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Sarah Myers was also complicit in her children's deaths.
The manner of suicide for Steadman and Myers has not been disclosed, nor have the specific circumstances leading to the children's murders. Police are awaiting toxicology results.
The six family members were discovered after a neighbor requested a welfare check. Responding officers found the bodies in a state of decomposition, which initially prevented immediate identification.
Sarah Myers had been engaged in a contentious custody dispute with her ex-husband and the children's father, Brady Harmon, who resides in Utah. Harmon had not seen his children in person since November 2019. He reported last speaking with his children on June 7, describing them as happy.
A funeral for the four children was held in Utah. Due to the condition of the bodies, they could not be brought home, and their ashes were spread on a mountain in Utah, according to Harmon.