Brady Harmon, the father of four children found dead alongside their mother and grandmother in a suspected poisoning, has described the chilling message he received days before the tragedy. The six bodies were discovered on Tuesday in an apartment in Mechanicville, New York, after police conducted a welfare check.
Victims Identified
The deceased were identified as Amy Steadman, 64; her daughter Sarah Myers, 44; and Myers' four children: Harper, 13; Hudson, 11; and twins Gavin and Gracelynn, both 10. Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said evidence at the scene indicated “intentional poisoning,” and an autopsy revealed that one of the children suffered fatal blunt-force injuries.
Note Suggests Grandmother's Involvement
Chief Rabbitt stated that a note found at the crime scene, along with circumstantial evidence, “strongly suggested” that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths. The investigation is ongoing, but authorities have assured the public there is no further threat.
Father Speaks Out
Brady Harmon, who had been in a custody battle with Myers, spoke to his children for the last time on June 7. On June 10, Myers messaged him: “Hey, the kids are sick, we'll talk to you on the 11th.” The same day, Harmon's lawyer sent Myers paperwork about an upcoming custody hearing on June 29.
“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 a 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 speculated to the US Sun.
Custody Battle and Allegations
Harmon and Myers married in 2015 and separated four years later. He had not seen his children since the separation. He told the New York Post his children were “happy little kids,” adding: “Harper and Grace would show me their drawings, Hudson would show me their cat and Gavin would show me something he built.”
Harmon learned of the deaths two days before Father's Day. “No mother, no sane mother, parent or anything would sit there and allow that to happen,” he told local ABC affiliate News 10. “Who could do that to a child, especially your own child or grandchild? It is so sickening to think that they did that.”
In 2022, Steadman shared a GoFundMe to raise money for Myers to “help get a domestic violence lawyer.” Harmon denied the accusations, telling the US Sun that Myers was the “culprit” rather than a “victim.” He also alleged that Myers stabbed him in the face with a medicine dropper during a fight in 2019, and that she kept the children away from him to maintain “control.”
Community Shaken
Steadman's ex-husband, John Bauman, told Spectrum News that Steadman loved the children and did not believe she was involved. The small community of Mechanicville has been deeply shaken by the tragedy, with few details released about how it unfolded.
