Murder-suicide of 6 stemmed from plot to save children from claimed abuse: Officials
The mother and grandmother who were found dead along with four children inside an upstate New York apartment allegedly plotted the family's murder-suicide to escape reported abuse, investigators said Tuesday.
Mechanicville, New York, Police Department Chief William Rabbitt told reporters that after more than a month of collecting evidence, investigators had an apparent motive for Amy Steadman, 64, and her daughter Sarah Myers, 44.
The mother and daughter and Myers' four children, Harper Harmon, 13, Hudson Harmon, 11, Gavin Harmon, 10, and Gracelynn Harmon, 10, were found dead on June 23 after they weren't seen for over a week.
Rabbitt said that planning for the deaths took place as far back as June 5, as Steadman and Myers, who lived in the same apartment building, had been allegedly conspiring through texts about their plot.
Investigators also found handwritten notes from Steadman and Myers where they allegedly indicated they did the killings because they wanted to keep the children safe from alleged abuse from their father, who lives in Utah.
Rabbit told reporters investigators have been unable to verify any abuse claims made by Myers or Steadman. He said the father has denied the allegations.
Brady Harmon, the father of the children, could not be reached for comment.
Harmon told ABC affiliate WTEN in June that he had separated from Myers in November 2019 and was planning on picking the kids up for "first parenting time in six and a half years" before they were killed.
Steadman and Myers allegedly made several purchases at pharmacies for sleeping aids and other prescription medication in the days leading up to the deaths, according to Rabbitt.
The chief said the texts indicated the alleged murder suicide took place on June 10 and those messages allegedly showed Steadman and Myers discussing steps of how to give their children the medications.
One of the texts allegedly read that the medication wasn't working and that one of the children was aware of what was happening, Rabbitt told reporters.
"Those communications are important because they document far more than planning. They show that Steadman and Myers were communicating and coordinating while the murders were taking place," the chief told reporters.
Gavin Harmon was allegedly stabbed multiple times with a knife as he tried to defend himself, according to Rabbitt. Steadman allegedly made internet searches including, "Where is the most fatal place to be stabbed," and "find the carotid artery in the neck," according to the chief.
Rabbitt said that two welfare checks were made on June 13 and June 17, but got no response. Investigators got no response at Myers' apartment on June 13, but they did not know that she and the children were at Steadman's apartment in the same building, according to the chief.
Police were called to the grandmother's apartment on June 23 after neighbors made a call about suspicious odors. The identities of the family members were confirmed two days later after autopsies.
Rabbitt reflected on how the killings have rocked the town, which is located roughly 18 miles north of Albany.
"Amy Steadman and Sarah Myers consistently portrayed these murders as a way to protect the children," he said. "Whatever they believed to justify their actions, the murder of four children cannot be described as protection."
The investigation is ongoing, according to Rabbitt.
