What to Know
A neighbor in Mechanicville, New York, contacted police, concerned about a family they hadn’t seen in quite some time. When police entered Amy Steadman’s apartment on June 23, 2026, they found the 64-year-old grandmother deceased alongside her daughter, 44-year-old Sarah Myers, and Myers’ four children: Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; Gavin Harmon, 10; and Gracelynn Harmon, 10.
Investigators believe the family died by intentional poisoning in a murder-suicide plan. A handwritten note at the scene reportedly implicates Steadman as the killer. Following Steadman’s death, the family submitted just two lines for her obituary.
The murder-suicide reportedly occurred amid a contentious custody battle.
Brady Harmon, the children’s father, told CBS 6 he’d allegedly received ten letters from Saratoga County Child Protective Services from 2021 to 2024. He and Myers were divorced, and he wanted to regain custody of his children. Harmon, who lives in Utah, told the news outlet that authorities deemed nine of the reports unfounded. One investigation apparently identified concerns, but Harmon claimed Child Protective Services found no threat to the children.
“If there are 9 reports from other people, not the father, there is smoke of a problem. 10th one we have a fire and they needed to pull them,” the father shared with CBS 6 in a text message.
Steadman allegedly had an issue with Harmon having custody of her grandchildren.
Sources allegedly told News 13 a court recently awarded Harmon custody of their children, which bothered Steadman. Police would not comment on the case, stating the investigation remains in the early stages.
In a statement obtained by CBS 6, Mechanicville Police Chief Bill Rabbitt stated law enforcement would not discuss child custody or the CPS report. “Those details remain part of the active investigation, and additional information will be released when it has been confirmed and it is appropriate to do so.”
Harmon wonders what really happened to his kids.
Harmon told the US Sun he spoke to his children via FaceTime on June 7 and they seemed excited to see their father and spend time together for the first time in six years. When he contacted Myers on June 10, she allegedly told him the children were sick and could not talk.
“June 10, she messaged me, ‘Hey, the kids are sick, we’ll talk to you on the 11th,” Harmon recalled. “My lawyer sent her the paperwork and everything regarding the court hearing on the 29th. These are your violations and everything due to the parenting plan. You can show up to the court in Utah, or you can do it via Zoom.”
Harmon said he wonders if that conversation was the last straw.
“So, I don’t know if that pushed them over the edge because like, ‘Oh my gosh, he actually has a lawyer that’s going to do his job. And we don’t know way out of this, so let’s do the next best thing.’ ‘He’ll never have access to these kids… and then do what they did,” Harmon said.
Harmon claims his ex-wife and former mother-in-law plotted against him.
He told the US Sun the women allegedly made him out to be a monster and Myers was his victim.
“Well, I would never be the aggressor,” Harmon said. “I did not want any stain on my family’s name or reputation of me hitting her. That’s not how I was raised.”
“She wasn’t a victim at all; she was the culprit,” he added.
Following the women and children’s deaths, obituaries appeared online. Steadman’s was two lines without a photo. It very simply reads, “Amy J. Steadman, 64, passed away on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Per the request of the family, services were held privately.”
The investigation into the family’s deaths continues.
