A grandmother is suspected to have poisoned her daughter and four grandchildren in a horrifying murder-suicide plot, cops said.
Amy Steadman, 64, was found dead inside a Mechanicville, New York apartment on Tuesday alongside her daughter, 44-year-old Sarah Myers, and four grandchildren, Harper, 13, Hudson, 11, and Gavin and Gracelynn, both 10.
Days after the horrific crime scene was discovered, Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said evidence ‘strong suggests’ the grandmother was responsible.
Rabbitt pointed to a handwritten note as well as bottles of prescription and over-the-counter medicines found in the home that indicated a possible poisoning, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
Sources also told NewsChannel 13 that the grandmother was resentful over her grandchildren’s father recently gaining custody of them.
Autopsies by the Albany Medical Center revealed that one of the four children died from ‘fatal sharp-force injuries,’ Chief Rabbitt said.
Toxicology reports are to be completed before final conclusions can be reached.
Myers and her children also lived in the same building, part of the John S Moore Homes development, in a separate apartment.
Amy Steadman, 64, was found dead inside a Mechanicville apartment on Tuesday with her daughter and four grandchildren, as police reveal evidence may suggest she was involved in their deaths
The fundraiser, which has since been deleted, showed Myers with her children in matching outfits as they pleaded for support. ‘Please help my daughter and grandchildren,’ Steadman captioned her post at the time.
Police have assured residents that there is no further threat to the public, but with few details released about how the tragedy unfolded, locals say they have been left stunned by the family’s deaths.
Locals said the deaths came in the last days of the Mechanicville High School year, and on Wednesday morning several students in red caps and gowns were reportedly seen at the scene and kneeling.
Mechanicville Central School District Superintendent G. Michael Apostol said the district was providing counseling for its high school students to deal with the tragedy.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Mechanicville Police Department for comment. A
Steadman’s daughter, 44-year-old Sarah Myers, and four grandchildren, Harper, 13, Hudson, 11, and Gavin and Gracelynn, both 10, were found in the apartment alongside the grandmother
‘The Mechanicville Police Department, in partnership with the New York State Police, remains committed to conducting a thorough and complete investigation while providing as much information as possible without compromising the integrity of that investigation,’ Rabbitt said.
‘Mechanicville is a close-knit city. Many residents knew the family involved, have children and grandchildren of their own, or simply cannot comprehend the loss of six lives under such heartbreaking circumstances.
‘Our thoughts remain with the family members, friends, neighbors, first responders and everyone affected by this tragedy.’
A resident in the apartment complex, Megan Reed, 38, told the Times Union that the grandmother lived in an apartment in the same building, and was ‘with [Myers] every single day to help her.’
She added: ‘Those kids don’t deserve this.’
Another neighbor told the outlet that the grandmother and mother were ‘inseparable’, and were ‘like best friends.’
Steadman’s Facebook profile shows that in 2022, she shared a GoFundMe for her daughter to ‘help get a domestic violence lawyer.’