The father of four children killed by their grandmother and mother in a New York apartment has said the two women 'deserve a special place in hell'. Amy Steadman, 64, her daughter Sarah Myers, 44, and children Harper Harmon, 13, Hudson Harmon, 11, and 10-year-olds Gavin Harmon and Gracelynn Harmon were found dead at Steadman's home in Mechanicville, New York, on June 23, just days before they were due to travel to Utah to stay with their dad, Brady Harmon.
Authorities reveal conspiracy
According to authorities, three of the children were fatally poisoned, while 10-year-old Gavin had been stabbed, with injuries indicating he had tried to protect himself. Mechanicville police chief William Rabbitt told reporters that the two women 'conspired in carrying out the murders of the four children before taking their own lives'. A handwritten confession signed by Steadman was found inside the property.
Speaking after the new development, Harmon told News10: 'I knew my kids were murdered. And then I know those two are the ones that did it. My kids suffered. To poison them and also to stab them — there's a special place in hell for people like that.'
Custody battle and allegations
Myers had been locked in a custody battle with Harmon, who had not seen his children in person since 2019. He had been planning to take them home for the summer, but Myers had been due in court for a custody hearing on June 29 amid claims she had not been sticking to the parenting plan. She claimed on social media she was a victim of domestic violence — a claim Harmon denies — and shared a GoFundMe created by a friend weeks before her death.
Investigators revealed new details of the note found at the scene, saying 'the author accepts responsibility for what occurred and states that they believed killing the children was the only way to keep them safe from alleged abuse in Utah'. They added: 'The author also claimed that Sarah Myers had done everything she could and that no one would help her, and acknowledged that the events did not unfold as they planned.'
Disturbing texts and search history
Investigators also recovered handwritten papers believed to be written by Myers. Rabbitt said: 'Although those writings were unsigned, the author repeatedly referred to "my babies", expressed anger toward the Utah family court system, made allegations that she and the children had been abused while living in Utah, and complained that she had been unable to obtain legal representation.' He added: 'Whatever [Myers and Steadman] believed justified their actions, the deliberate murder of four children cannot be described as protection.'
Further revelations showed Steadman visited several pharmacies in the days before the killings and exchanged text messages with her daughter about the plot. These included 'discussions regarding obtaining medications, where the murders would occur, how those medications would be administered, how the children would be brought together, what they would be told and how suspicion could be avoided'.
In one exchange, Myers instructed Steadman that medications should be administered between 10.30am and noon so they could be finished before a scheduled telephone call at 6pm. Messages also showed exchanges when 'the children failed to respond in the manner that Steadman and Myers had anticipated', with one message saying: 'It's not working, we need another option'.
Gracelynn sent her own message complaining her stomach was hurting and saying 'Why would you do that? You both won't let me puke', prompting Steadman to send a final text that evening: 'Gracie is aware'. Rabbitt said: '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.'
Steadman's internet search history included 'searches about medication reactions, the effects of insulin on non-diabetics and the Utah court system', as well as information on 'the most fatal place to be stabbed'.
Father's grief and discovery
Harmon said the police findings confirmed his 'worst fears', adding: 'My kids were scared and frightened. And they were maliciously attacked.' He raised the alarm after the children missed a scheduled video call on June 13. The bodies were later found after a neighbour, Stephanie Sweeney, called police for a welfare check. Sweeney saw flies gathering around the window and claimed she could 'smell death'.
Police in Utah broke the news to Harmon at his home. He told Spectrum News 1: 'I have been fighting for so long to be able to have access to them, fighting so long to be part of their lives and show them there's something different. Almost to that finish line, have my legs cut out from me and gutted because someone decided to take my kids away from me.'
