Grim new details have emerged in the deaths of two women and four children found at an apartment in Mechanicville, New York, where investigators say evidence points to a suspected poisoning and a possible additional weapon used in the killings.
Police confirmed that a handwritten note was discovered at the scene, alongside preliminary autopsy findings suggesting a cocktail of medications was involved, as well as an unidentified weapon that caused “sharp force injuries.”
Authorities said they responded on Tuesday evening to the apartment where they found the bodies of a grandmother, her daughter, and four grandchildren. The deceased were identified as 64-year-old Amy Steadman, her 44-year-old daughter Sarah Myers, and Myers’ four children: Harper, 13, Hudson, 11, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn.
Mechanicville Police Chief Bill Rabbit said the handwritten note recovered at the scene points to Steadman as a suspect in the deaths. He added that the bodies were not formally identified until after autopsies were conducted on Wednesday, following concerns from neighbours who had not seen the family for weeks.
One local resident who contacted police reported noticing “the smell of death” coming from the apartment, along with flies gathering around the windows and air conditioning unit. Investigators believe the victims may have been dead for up to 13 days, although the exact time of death has not yet been confirmed.
Preliminary toxicology and autopsy results indicate that multiple prescription and over-the-counter medications were used in what authorities described as intentional poisoning. Chief Rabbit said at a press briefing that one of the children also suffered “fatal sharp force injuries.”
“Evidence recovered during the investigation, including a handwritten note and other circumstantial evidence, strongly suggests that Amy Steadman was involved in the deaths,” Rabbit said. “However, final determinations regarding accountability will be made only after all investigative findings, toxicology results and medical examiner reviews have been completed.”
The children’s father, who had been engaged in a custody dispute with Sarah Myers, said he was due to collect them and take them back to Utah on June 30, just days after their bodies were discovered. “No parent wants to outlive their children. It breaks my heart,” he told The U.S. Sun.
