New York Family Deaths Probe Points to Grandmother in Suspected Poisoning

Six family members were found dead in an apartment in Mechanicville, New York, and local police suspect the grandmother, 64-year-old Amy Stadman, played a role in poisoning her daughter and four grandchildren. The victims were identified as Sarah Myers, 44, and her children Harper Harmon, 13, Hudson Harmon, 11, and twins Gavin and Gracelyn Harmon, both 10. Myers and the children lived in a separate unit in the same apartment complex as Stadman.

Mechanicville police said there is no evidence so far that an outside person was responsible. At a press conference, the police chief said investigators found signs of intentional poisoning inside the apartment, including over-the-counter medication. He added that evidence collected during the investigation, including a handwritten note and other circumstantial evidence, strongly suggests Stadman was involved in the deaths.

Police were called to the Harris Avenue home for a welfare check on Tuesday evening after neighbors said they had not seen the family for several days. The chief said Mechanicville is a close-knit city, but did not discuss a possible motive. He also said he could not determine exactly how long the family had been dead before officers arrived, only that it had been a prolonged period. He said the children were not enrolled in public schools.

The children’s father, Brady Harmon, told WNYT he had not seen them in person since November 2019. He said he had spent six years trying to win custody or visitation and had been only days away from seeing them. “I wish there was something else I could have done legally,” he said. “I went through everything I could. Everything my lawyers could do, everything. I just never thought somebody would do something like this.”