Cops: Grandmother Poisoned Daughter, 4 Grandchildren

Neighbors' concerns over a quiet apartment in upstate New York led police to a grim discovery last week: six relatives dead and a grandmother suspected of killing five of them and herself, reports People. Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt identified 64-year-old Amy Steadman as the suspected source of what he called an "intentional poisoning" that killed her adult daughter, 44-year-old Sarah Myers, and Myers' four children: Harper, 13; Hudson, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn.

Officers conducting a welfare check last week found the victims in their apartment, where Rabbitt said recovered evidence—including a handwritten note and a large quantity of over-the-counter medications—points to Steadman's involvement. He did not disclose a possible motive, adding that no outside person appears to have been involved. The children were not enrolled in public school, said the police chief. Their father, Brady Harmon of Salt Lake City, tells WNYT he'd been seeking custody or visitation for six years and was days away from picking them up to spend the summer in Utah. The investigation remains active.