Four children found dead in a suspected murder-suicide in upstate New York had been given substances capable of causing drowsiness, according to a toxicology report that adds new weight to investigators’ grim theory of the case.
Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon were discovered dead inside a Mechanicville apartment with their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and their grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64.
Investigators now believe Myers and Steadman poisoned the children as part of a June 10 murder-suicide plot, and that Gavin was also stabbed repeatedly with a knife. Police say the killings occurred before the children were expected to be reunited with their father, after which the two women took their own lives.
The bodies were not discovered until June 23, when a neighbor reported an unusual number of flies and a foul odor coming from the family’s Mechanicville home, prompting police to respond.
A toxicology report obtained by WNYT confirmed that kratom and diphenhydramine — the active ingredient in Benadryl — were present in the children’s systems at the time of their deaths.
‘Preliminarily, there is nothing in the toxicology findings that has surprised investigators or is inconsistent with the direction of our investigation,’ Police Chief Bill Rabbitt told WRGB.
Authorities are expected to issue a formal statement on the toxicology findings in the coming days.
Police have previously said they found messages between Myers and Steadman discussing a plan to medicate the children. Those messages were allegedly sent the same day Myers texted her ex-husband, Brady Harmon, claiming the children were sick with a stomach bug.
Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon were found dead in an upstate New York home on June 23
Authorities say their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and their grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64, conspired to kill the children in a murder-suicide plot ahead of their scheduled reunion with their father
Investigators have discovered that Steadman visited multiple pharmacies in the days leading up to the mass-poisoning event
‘Sarah Myers instructed Amy Steadman that the medications should be administered between 10.30am and noon so they could be finished before a scheduled telephone call at 6pm with the children’s father,’ Chief Rabbitt announced last month.
Around the same time, Rabbitt said one of the women, without specifying which, sent the other a sinister message: ‘It’s not working. We need another option.’
Investigators have also discovered that Steadman visited multiple pharmacies in the days leading up to the mass-poisoning event, and internet history recovered by authorities showed ‘searches about medication reactions, the effects of insulin on non-diabetics and the Utah court system,’ according to the chief.
Later searches allegedly included ‘Where is the most fatal place to be stabbed,’ which returned results detailing a specific artery as well as the neck.
Police further uncovered letters, including a handwritten confession signed by Steadman and unsigned notes believed to have been from Myers alleging that she and her children were abused while living in Utah.
Steadman had previously accused Harmon of being abusive in a since-deleted fundraiser for her daughter.
But Harmon has denied the accusations, calling Myers the ‘culprit’ rather than a ‘victim’ as he claimed that his ex-wife once stabbed him in the face with a medicine dropper during a fight in 2019.
He had been separated from his four children ever since, and accused his ex-wife of keeping the children away from him to maintain a sense of ‘control’ in an interview with the US Sun.
Still, he kept in contact with the children – and had reached an agreement with his ex in which he would have custody from July 1 through September 1.
Harmon had been separated from the children since 2019, but the children were due to spend the summer with him in Utah
Police uncovered unsigned notes believed to have been from Myers alleging that she and her children were abused while living in Utah
On the same day, Myers sent a text to Harmon saying their children had the stomach bug, police also found messages to Steadman about their plan to medicate the kids
Harmon then spoke with the children on June 7, hoping to get them excited for their trip to Utah.
Days later, on June 10, he said he received a text from Myers that they were sick.
‘The kids have gotten a little stomach bug throwing up is it okay to switch your online visit to tomorrow night at 4 pm your time please,’ she wrote.
Harmon responded that he would continue painting instead, adding that he hoped the kids would feel better soon.
The next day, he asked if the children were feeling better, and a video call went unanswered.
‘I have thought about sharing these final communications for a long time. I am now sharing the messages from May 31 through June 11 because they show what I was being told while I was planning for my children’s summer with me,’ Harmon shared online last month.
Steadman had accused Harmon of being abusive in a since-deleted fundraiser
‘I sent their flight information. I planned activities based on their interests. I requested their medical records, medications, allergies, doctors’ information, and other documents that were required under the parenting plan. I believed I was preparing to welcome my children home.’
Harmon said he believed the truth about his ex-wife and her mother would have come out if the children had the opportunity to stay with him in Utah for the summer.
‘My children were not pawns to be sacrificed when control was slipping away. They were four beautiful human beings with personalities, dreams, fears, laughter, and an entire family waiting to love them,’ he wrote.
