A mother and grandmother who died in a June 10 murder-suicide along with four children allegedly discussed their plans via text messages, according to Mechanicville Police in New York.

Mechanicville Police Chief Bill Rabbitt stated in a press conference on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026, that Amy Steadman and her daughter Sarah Myers exchanged texts planning the murders of Myers’ four children: Harper, Hudson, Gavin, and Gracelynn. The planning reportedly began on June 5th.

The June 10th text messages included discussions about obtaining medications, where the murders would take place, how the medications would be administered, how to gather the children, what they would be told, and ways to avoid suspicion. In one message, Sarah Myers instructed Steadman to administer the medications between 10:30 a.m. and noon to finish before a 6 p.m. phone call with the children’s father.

Additional texts revealed Gracelynn experienced stomach pain, asking, "Why would you do that? You both won’t let me puke," while Steadman responded, "Gracie is aware."

Police also found letters in the apartment where the bodies of Steadman, Myers, and the four children were discovered on June 23rd. According to a note, Steadman claimed her daughter had done all she could and that the killings had not gone as planned.

The children were scheduled to travel to Utah on June 23rd to visit their father, Brady Harmon, who last saw them in person in November 2019, according to WNYT and the New York Post.

Sources