Mechanicville, upstate New York poisoning leaves grandmother Amy Steadman & daughter Sarah Myers and 4 kids dead amid prior allegations of domestic violence and child custody case.
Authorities in upstate New York are investigating the deaths of family members who were found inside an apartment on Tuesday evening following a welfare check.
Officers responded to an apartment on Harris Avenue in the city of Mechanicville, located in Saratoga County, at approximately 6:20 p.m. There, they discovered the bodies of 64-year-old Amy Steadman, her 44-year-old daughter Sarah Myers, and Myers’ four children: 13-year-old Harper Harmon, 11-year-old Hudson Harmon, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon.
Police say the victims’ bodies were found in the home of Amy Steadman, who was Myers’ mother and the children’s grandmother, CNY Central reported.
Prior domestic violence allegations
Investigators say Myers and her children lived in the same apartment complex, but not with Steadman.
It is not clear how long the family was dead inside the apartment, but one neighbor told local news that she had not seen or heard from the mother in around two weeks. Family members also allegedly reported not hearing from her for a while.
Steadman had shared a GoFundMe on her Facebook in March 2022 titled, ‘Help get a domestic violence lawyer save my kids.’ She captioned it, ‘Please help my daughter and grandchildren.’ Myers had created the campaign, but it has since been deleted. Police are investigating if there is any connection between whatever was transpiring in 2022 and the deaths.
Intentionally poisoning
While the cause and manner of death has yet to be determined, along with the waiting of toxicology reslts, authorities suspect poisoning in the deaths.
A handwritten note discovered at the scene suggested the grandmother of the children, Amy Steadman, intentionally poisoning the victims along with herself.
Mechanicville Police Chief Bill Rabbit cited the existence of prescription and over-the-counter medications found in the home.
Of note, social media intimated that the deaths being potentially linked to the children’s mother about to lose custody of her children.
Investigators have described the case as a criminal investigation but say there is currently no evidence indicating any additional individuals were involved in the deaths, and there is no known threat to the public.
Authorities continue to investigate.
