The neighbor who ultimately called police to check on a family she hadn’t heard from in nearly two weeks says she knew something was terribly wrong the moment she approached the apartment.

Stephanie Sweeney had become increasingly worried after repeated attempts to reach her close friends went unanswered. At first, she believed the family may have simply gone away or become busy. But as the days passed, her concern turned into dread.

When she visited the apartment building in Mechanicville, New York, she noticed something she says she will never forget.

“I noticed the smell of death,” Sweeney told local television station.

Moments later, she saw flies gathering around the apartment’s windows and air-conditioning unit. Realizing something was seriously wrong, she immediately contacted police and requested a welfare check at approximately 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

“I knew immediately, so I just called, I had to,” she said.

“I thought I just did something wrong, and they weren’t talking to me.”

Officers responding to the welfare check entered the apartment and discovered six family members dead inside.

Authorities identified the victims as 64-year-old Amy Steadman, her 44-year-old daughter Sarah Myers, and Myers’ four children: 13-year-old Harper Harmon, 11-year-old Hudson Harmon, and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon.

The shocking discovery has devastated the small upstate New York community, where neighbors say the children were well known and frequently seen playing around the apartment complex.

For Sweeney, however, the loss is deeply personal.

She described Steadman as one of her closest friends and said she shared a special bond with the children.

“Amy was one of my best friends,” Sweeney said through tears.

“Her grandchildren called me ‘Nana,’ so that’s hitting even harder.”

Remembering each child individually, Sweeney painted a picture of a close-knit family that appeared full of life.

She described Harper as exceptionally intelligent, calling the teenager “smart as a whip.”

Hudson, she recalled, constantly tried to make everyone laugh.

The twins each had their own unique personalities. Gavin would happily follow her wherever she went, while Gracelynn always greeted her with an enthusiastic hug.

The memories have made processing the tragedy even more difficult.

Sweeney also urged people to avoid rushing to judgment while investigators continue piecing together exactly what happened inside the apartment.

“Enough with the slander,” she said. “If you don’t know, then please just keep your mouth shut.”

“They were great people, they don’t deserve that.”

Another resident, Nicholas Gilbault, said the silence now hanging over the apartment building has been difficult to accept.

He told local reporters that the children’s voices had once been a familiar part of daily life.

“The walls around here are very thin,” Gilbault said.

“You would always be hearing them playing around doing stuff like that, making noise being kids.”

“That’s what kind of makes it so sad. Them being involved.”

As neighbors continue mourning the family, investigators have begun revealing disturbing new details about what they believe occurred inside the apartment.

During a Thursday press conference, Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said investigators recovered evidence indicating the deaths were intentional.

Among the items collected were prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and a handwritten note.

According to Rabbitt, the note and other evidence “strongly suggest” Steadman was involved in the deaths.

Police emphasized, however, that the investigation remains ongoing and no final conclusions have been reached.

Authorities are awaiting toxicology testing and additional findings from the medical examiner before officially determining the causes and manners of death.

Investigators also disclosed that one of the four children suffered fatal sharp-force injuries.

Officials have not publicly identified which child sustained those injuries out of respect for the family and because of the active investigation.

The remaining deaths appear consistent with poisoning, although police have not announced exactly what substances may have been involved.

Chief Rabbitt stressed that detectives currently believe the incident occurred entirely inside the apartment.

Investigators have found no evidence suggesting anyone outside the residence participated in the deaths.

“There remains no known threat to the public,” officials said.

As forensic testing continues, attention has also focused on an ongoing custody dispute involving Myers and her former husband, Brady Harmon.

Public court records show the couple’s divorce was finalized in April 2026 after several years of legal proceedings.

Under the final parenting agreement, the parents shared joint legal custody while Myers retained primary physical custody of the children.

The agreement also granted Harmon summer parenting time from July 1 through Sept. 1.

Just weeks before the tragedy, Harmon filed a motion asking the court to enforce portions of the parenting plan.

According to court filings, he alleged Myers had failed to provide certain school, medical and dental records and had interfered with scheduled communication between him and the children.

A hearing on those allegations had been scheduled for June 29, only days after police discovered the family dead.

Authorities have not linked the custody dispute to the deaths and have not announced any possible motive.

Harmon has said publicly that he had not seen his children in person since 2019 and had been looking forward to spending the summer with them under the court-approved parenting schedule.

Friends say Myers had also expressed frustration online in recent years regarding the family’s legal disputes.

Social media posts reviewed following the tragedy included references to custody issues and allegations of domestic abuse during the marriage. Public records reviewed by multiple news outlets have not shown criminal charges against Harmon connected to those allegations.

Police have declined to comment on any family court matters while the criminal investigation remains active.

For neighbors like Stephanie Sweeney, however, the legal disputes matter far less than the overwhelming loss left behind.

She remembers a family filled with children who laughed, played and affectionately called her “Nana.”

Now, flowers, stuffed animals and handwritten notes have begun appearing near the apartment building as residents try to process an unimaginable tragedy.

Investigators continue analyzing the handwritten note, medications recovered from the apartment and forensic evidence collected at the scene.

Police say the investigation will take time and have urged the public not to speculate until toxicology reports and the medical examiner’s findings are complete.

Until then, the Mechanicville community is left grieving six lives lost and searching for answers about what led to one of the deadliest family tragedies the city has ever experienced.