MECHANICVILLE, NY — Police in upstate New York announced Thursday that a 64-year-old woman is suspected of killing her daughter and four grandchildren before dying herself, after officers discovered all six bodies during a welfare check at a Harris Avenue apartment complex.
The case has shaken the small city of Mechanicville, roughly 18 miles north of Albany, where investigators are working to determine the exact cause of death for each of the six victims. Evidence recovered at the scene — including a handwritten note and numerous medications — points to intentional poisoning, according to police. A neighbor’s concern that she had not seen one of the residents for several days set the investigation in motion. Final determinations on cause and manner of death are pending toxicology testing and a full medical examiner review, leaving key questions unanswered as the community mourns.
Officers responded to the apartment building at 2 Harris Avenue around 6:20 p.m. on June 23 after a neighbor contacted police to request a welfare check, saying she had not seen resident Amy Steadman for several days — with at least one neighbor telling police she had not seen any members of the family since June 9. When officers could not reach anyone inside Steadman’s unit, building management unlocked the apartment door. Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said at a Thursday news conference that officers immediately found six deceased individuals upon entering. “Upon entering the residence, officers located six deceased individuals,” Rabbitt said. Autopsies were performed the following day, on Wednesday, by Dr. Michael Sikarika at Albany Medical Center. Because the bodies had been there for what Rabbitt described as “an extended period of time,” the condition of the remains made on-scene identification impossible, and the victims were not officially identified until after those autopsies were completed.
The six victims were identified as Amy Steadman, 64; her daughter, Sarah Myers, 44; and Myers’ four children — Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and twins Gavin Harmon and Gracelynn Harmon, both 10. Rabbitt confirmed that Steadman’s unit was the apartment where all six were found, though Myers and her four children lived in a separate unit within the same building. Evidence gathered by investigators indicated intentional poisoning, with Rabbitt noting that officers recovered “numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications” at the scene. One of the four children also suffered what Rabbitt described as “fatal sharp-force injuries,” though he did not specify which child or elaborate further. The causes and manners of death for all six individuals remain officially undetermined, pending toxicology results and the completion of the medical examiner’s review.
A handwritten note discovered inside the apartment has become a central piece of evidence. Rabbitt said the note “strongly suggests that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths,” but he declined to reveal its contents or confirm who wrote it. “I cannot get into the authorship of the note at this time nor the contents of what was in it,” Rabbitt said. He added that investigators found no evidence pointing to any outside person being involved. The four children had been homeschooled and were not enrolled in any public school, which Rabbitt acknowledged, though he said it was unclear who was conducting that schooling. Their father, Brady Harmon, lives in Utah and was in contact with police, according to Rabbitt. Harmon had not seen his children in person since 2019, but local newspaper Times Union reported that he had recently reached a custody agreement and had planned to reunite with his children the following week. “I went from, I’m seeing my kids to I’ll never see my kids again,” Harmon told the Times Union.
Steadman’s ex-husband, John Bauman, reached by phone in Florida on Thursday, expressed disbelief at the police findings. Bauman, who said he had been separated from Steadman for nearly two decades but maintained contact with the family over the years, pushed back sharply on the suggestion that she could have harmed them. “To me, I would say she did have nothing even close to having anything to do with their deaths,” Bauman said. “Because they were her world. She did everything for them kids. I mean, everything.” He also spoke warmly of Myers and her children. “Sarah, she would try to help anybody. She was a very kind person… mighty fine kids, you know, and pretty much taking after their mom,” he said. A neighbor who spoke to NBC News affiliate WNYT said she had not seen the family in several days and described the situation as deeply upsetting, particularly given the young ages of the children.
No criminal charges have been filed, as Steadman herself is among the deceased. Rabbitt was careful to note that while the circumstantial evidence — including the handwritten note — points toward Steadman’s involvement, the investigation remains open and incomplete. “Final determination regarding responsibility will be made only after all investigative findings, toxicology results and medical examiner reviews have been completed,” he said. The New York State Police and other local law enforcement agencies are assisting Mechanicville police with the investigation. The next major milestones will be the return of toxicology results and the formal certification of cause and manner of death by the medical examiner, steps that investigators say are necessary before any final conclusions can be drawn about what happened inside the apartment.
As of Thursday, Mechanicville police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. A memorial had formed outside the apartment building on Harris Avenue by Thursday afternoon. Rabbitt acknowledged the toll the case has taken on a tight-knit community where many residents knew the family personally. “Mechanicville is a close-knit city,” he said. “Many residents knew the family involved, have children and grandchildren of their own, or simply cannot comprehend the loss of six lives under such heartbreaking circumstances.” The investigation remains active, with toxicology results and the medical examiner’s final findings expected to determine the official cause of death for each of the six victims and shape any further conclusions about responsibility.
