Six members of the same family—a grandmother, her daughter, and four young children—were found dead inside a small-city apartment complex, with investigators saying the evidence points to the grandmother as the person responsible.
Officers discovered the bodies on June 23 after a neighbor raised the alarm, telling police they hadn't seen the residents for several days, Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said during a June 25 news conference. When officers arrived at the apartment complex at around 6:20 p.m. and were unable to reach anyone inside, building management provided access.
What they found inside would shake the tight-knit community of roughly 5,000 people located about 20 miles north of Albany.
The dead 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. All six were found in Steadman's apartment. Myers and her children lived separately within the same complex.
Autopsies were conducted June 24 by Dr. Michael Sikirica at Albany Medical Center, according to Rabbitt. Findings revealed one of the children suffered fatal sharp force injuries. The causes and manners of death for all six individuals remain pending, awaiting toxicology results.
But the physical evidence inside the apartment told investigators a dark story. Rabbitt said officers recovered numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications, and that evidence points to intentional poisoning. A handwritten note and additional circumstantial evidence recovered at the scene, according to Rabbitt, "strongly suggests that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths."
"We understand the public's desire to identify someone to hold responsible," Rabbitt said at the news conference. "However, it is important that this investigation be completed thoroughly and professionally before final conclusions are reached."
Rabbitt said investigators have found no evidence that anyone outside the family was involved and no threat to the public remains.
The children's father, who lives in Utah, has been notified. The four children were homeschooled and were not enrolled in public school.
The Mechanicville Police Department, working alongside the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and Forensic Investigation Unit, is treating the case as a criminal investigation pending completion of the autopsies.
The police chief asked for the community's patience as investigators work through what was said to be a complex and painful case.
"Mechanicville is a close-knit city," Rabbitt 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. Our thoughts remain with the family members, friends, neighbors, first responders and everyone affected by this tragedy."
He cautioned that the investigation is still in its early stages and that conclusions could change as new findings emerge.
"I just want to remind everybody that this only happened a day and a half ago," Rabbitt said. "An investigation like this takes a considerable amount of time—a considerable amount of time to get right."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mechanicville Police Department.