Mother, grandmother drugged and murdered 4 children in NY then themselves amid custody fight with father: police

Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon were found dead by police at their home with the body of their dead mother Sarah Myers, 44, and their grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64.

Police believe that the mother and grandmother poisoned the children as well as repeatedly stabbed Gavin to death on June 10 ahead of a planned reunion with their father, before they killed themselves. Remains of the children and the murderous mother and grandmother were found nearly two weeks later by a neighbor who noticed a number of flies in the apartment and called authorities. The children were about to go see their father in Utah for the summer.

Police said previously that they found messages between Myers and Steadman about their plan to kill the children.

"Sarah Myers instructed Amy Steadman that the medications should be administered between 10:30 am and noon so they could be finished before a scheduled telephone call at 6 pm with the children’s father," Police Chief Bill Rabbitt said. He said that one of the women sent the message: "It's not working. We need another option."

They also searched online for "medication reactions, the effects of insulin on non-diabetics and the Utah court system." Later, they also searched: "Where is the most fatal place to be stabbed," which resulted in details about getting stabbed in the neck. Police found letters with a confession signed by Steadman and an unsigned note believed to be from Myers that claimed she, as well as the children, were abused in Utah.

According to News Channel 13, a toxicology report revealed that the children's bodies had kratom and diphenhydramine in their systems, an ingredient from Benadryl. Authorities believe that a custody battle with Myers' ex-husband, Brady Harmon, had something to do with the motivation behind the killings.

“There is no prepping for that whatsoever,” Harmon said, per News 10. He and Myers were separated in 2019. “Let alone that you’re supposed to be there the following week to pick up your kids for your first parenting time in six and a half years.” Harmon, of Salt Lake City, Utah, spoke to NewNation's Katie Pavlich about how he came to know that his children had been murdered.

He said that after he came home from work, three police officers came to his door on June 13. After asking to come in, they told him that his children, as well as their mom and grandma, were "gone."

"There is no feeling I would wish on anyone of hearing that. Because it is the most agonizing, most adrenaline dump of despair you've ever felt in your life and you can't fix it," he said.

Leading up to the summer with the kids, Harmon had a whole plan laid out to take care of them, but he never got to see it through.

"I spent thousands of dollars trying just to get access to them, trying to get any record for them at all, any parenting plan, just anything. I got nothing other than these four beautiful kids—they're gone," Harmon told reporters. "I feel the two monsters that are responsible are the ones who took them from me."

In one of Harmon's latest posts to social media, he posted photos of his daughter, Harper, who he said would have been turning 14. "You would have been 14 this year, growing into such a beautiful young woman. Your strong will and sharp mind always kept me on my toes, and I loved that about you. The love you had for your siblings was always in your heart, and it showed in the way you cared for them."

"I love you more than words can ever say, Harper. I miss you every single day, and more than anything, I wish you were here so I could watch you grow, celebrate you, and tell you Happy Birthday in person," he added.