A toxicology report concluded that the four children and two adults who died in June in Mechanicville had fatal levels of over-the-counter allergy medicine in their systems, Mechanicville police announced Friday.
Mechanicville Police Chief Bill Rabbitt said the report also found mitragynine, the primary active compound found in kratom, was present in four of the six individuals.
Rabbitt says the toxicology report is consistent with his department's earlier findings that the four children, ages 10 to 13, were killed by their mother, Sarah Myers, and their grandmother, Amy Steadman. One of the children also had multiple stab wounds.
Police believe that Myers and Steadman died by suicide. Investigators made that determination based on texts between Myers and Steadman.
Myers was involved in a custody dispute with the children's father, Brady Harmon, who lives in Utah. Myers and Steadman wrote that the murders were a way of protecting the children from Harmon, who has reportedly denied any allegations of mistreatment.
"Our responsibility has always been to determine as accurately as possible what happened inside that residence and, most importantly, what happened to those four children," Rabbitt said in his statement. "The receipt of these reports answers some of the remaining questions, but our work is not yet finished."
Mechanicville police said they wouldn't release any more information regarding the toxicology report until they complete their investigation.
WNYT reported on Monday that allergy medicine and kratom were found in the six individuals' systems, citing law enforcement sources. That report came up in Rensselaer County as legislators voted on a proposed ban on the sale of all kratom products in the county. The ban passed 15-2.
