Sickening Deceit Uncovered: Mother Lied About Children Being “Sick” While Grandmother Researched Lethal Stabbing Spots
New investigative records and police disclosures from the multi-agency investigation into the catastrophic mass murder-suicide inside an upstate New York apartment have revealed a chilling level of calculated deception. Authorities examining digital communications and phone logs discovered that on June 10—the very day the children were murdered—mother Sarah Myers engaged in a phone conversation with the children’s father, Brady Harmon, deceptively claiming that the children were simply “sick” and would return his call the following day.
While Myers was actively stalling the father and concealing the horrors unfolding inside the residence, simultaneous digital forensic extractions revealed an even darker reality. Internet search histories belonging to 64-year-old grandmother Amy Steadman proved she was busy researching lethal drug interactions, non-diabetic insulin reactions, and specific anatomical locations for fatal knife strikes, including queries regarding major arteries and the neck. This calculated delay and systematic deception ensured that law enforcement and family members would not intervene immediately, allowing the tragedy to go undetected for nearly two weeks until officers forced entry during a welfare check on June 23 and found all six family members deceased.
Reflecting on the horrifying breadth of the betrayal, grieving father Brady Harmon condemned the twisted justifications and manipulative lies left behind by the perpetrators. Emphasizing the utter cruelty of masking pre-meditated violence under the guise of parental protection, Harmon shared his anguish over the final moments forced upon his children:
"They stabbed my son; they poisoned my children... All in the delusional state of, 'We’re doing this for your benefit.'"
Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt and investigators firmly rejected the perpetrators’ written claims that the mass murder was executed to keep the children “safe” from alleged abuse in Utah. Authorities confirmed that detectives found zero factual or investigative evidence to support any claims of abuse, noting instead that the accusations were completely fabricated to mask the perpetrators’ refusal to comply with court-ordered custody arrangements that required the children to travel west for summer visitation.
The investigation established that the horrific plot relied initially on systematic poisoning using over-the-counter sleep aids and prescription drugs administered to 13-year-old Harper, 11-year-old Hudson, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn. When initial dosages failed to act quickly enough, the crime escalated to physical violence, with forensic evidence proving that 10-year-old Gavin suffered fatal sharp-force injuries while courageously trying to defend himself. Following the murders, Myers and Steadman took their own lives, leaving behind an indelible tragedy that continues to reverberate across the legal and child advocacy communities.
