MECHANICVILLE, NY - The bodies of six people, four of whom children, were discovered in a small upstate town in New York after neighbors called local authorities for a welfare check. It was reported that the neighbors had not seen anyone from the family for over a week, an unusual occurrence, and alerted the Mechanicville Police Department.
When law enforcement officials reported to the residence, they found 6 people deceased: Amy Steadman, 64; Sarah Myers, 44; Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; Gavin Harmon, 10; and Gracelynn Harmon, 10.
According to reports, Amy Steadman, who lived in a separate area of an apartment complex, was the grandmother to the children and the mother to Sarah Myers.
The community, which locals refer to as a “close-knit city”, was shaken by the tragedy that included the deaths of 4 children.
“Very upsetting. It’s sorry, it’s just having a, a little guy and knowing that there’s four little babies that are no longer with us, it’s very upsetting,” Amanda Gary, a neighbor, told local media.
Initial reports said that no one outside of the family was involved and assured local residents that there was no threat to public safety.
Since then, additional information has been released, and the investigation is ongoing. Foul play has not been ruled out, and the grandmother, Steadman, is a focal point of the investigation.
“We will say that there is recovered evidence inside the apartment to indicate intentional poisoning to include numerous persons and over-the-counter medications,” Chief Rabbitt told the press.
He added, “Evidence recovered during the investigation, including a handwritten note and other circumstantial evidence, strongly suggest that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths.”
When asked about the length of time the victims have been deceased, Chief Rabbitt could not elaborate but stated that it was an “extended period of time.”
Another concerning factor was that the children, who were all elementary or junior high school-aged, were not enrolled in school.
Brady Harmon, the children’s father, was interviewed by local press and stated he had not seen the children in person since before COVID but was in the process of gaining custody.
He was only days away from meeting up with them.
“I wish there was something else I could have done legally,” he told the local news station. “But I went through everything I could. Everything that my lawyers could do, everything. I just never thought that someone would go and do this. 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.”
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Writer and author Eddie Molina has over 25 years of combined LEO and military service. Learn more about his interview articles at www.eddiemolina.com
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