NY mom sent ex-husband chilling final text about ‘stomach bug’ before killing their 4 kids in murder-suicide

Nypost · Aug 05, 2026 · 1063 words · By Georgia Worrell

Criminal Investigation Family Tragedy Allegations of Abuse

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What to know about Criminal Investigation

NY mom sent ex-husband chilling final text about ‘stomach bug’ before killing their 4 kids in murder-suicide See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left25%

Center50%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

NY mom sent ex-husband chilling final text about ‘stomach bug’ before killing their 4 kids in murder-suicide See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google The twisted mom who teamed up with her own mother to kill her four children in an upstate New York murder-suicide told the kids’ dad the youngsters had “a little stomach bug” in a final text message on the day they died.

Common ground

“The kids have gotten a little stomach bug throwing up is it okay to switch your online visit to tomorrow night at 4 pm your time please,” reads the newly released message that Sarah Myers allegedly sent to her ex-husband on the afternoon of June 10 – the…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Criminal Investigation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The bodies were discovered inside the apartment on June 23?
How does this story connect Criminal Investigation with Family Tragedy over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/us-news/chilling-final-text-ny-mom-sent-dad-about-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 70% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “The bodies were discovered inside the apartment on June 23.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (AOL, NBC, The Mirror US) confirm the bodies were discovered on June 23.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2018 (MMXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2018th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 18th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds May and precedes July. This month …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Allyson

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “Brady Harmon lives in Utah.”

VERIFIED

A cross-reference from the NY Post explicitly states that Brady Harmon lives in Utah.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Brady Harmon... lives in Utah and hadn’t seen his children in person since November 2019.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/us-news/brady-harmon-dad-of-ny…

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Claim 3: “The deaths occurred inside a Mechanicville apartment.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (AOL, NBC, The Mirror US) confirm the events took place in a home/apartment in Mechanicville, New York.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Most societies consider murder to be an extremely serious crime, and thus believe that a person convicted of murder should receive harsh punishments for the purposes of retribution, deterrence, rehabi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder

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web search NEUTRAL — Murder often comes in three degrees: first, second, and third degree murder. First degree murder is considered murder that has been planned out prior to being committed, and this ranges from stalkers …
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder

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web search NEUTRAL — Experience Murder online right from your browser with Poki and test your observation and reaction skills. You can play Murder for free, but a wrong move will cost you your life.
https://poki.com/en/g/murder

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Claim 4: “The victims were Harper Harmon (13), Hudson Harmon (11), and twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon (10).”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (NBC and The Mirror US) confirm the names and ages of the victims: Harper (13), Hudson (11), and twins Gavin and Gracelynn (10).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Freakier Friday is a 2025 American fantasy comedy film directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Jordan Weiss. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is the sequel to Freaky Friday (2003) and is the fift…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freakier_Friday

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeff B. Harmon (born December 31, 1953) is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is also an actor, photographer, and song writer. As a journalist and war correspondent, he penetrated the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_B._Harmon

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Monster, published April 21, 1999 by HarperCollins, is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers. It was nominated for the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_(Myers_novel)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Sarah Myers sent a text message to her ex-husband on June 10 stating the children had 'a little stomach bug'.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (Pulptastic and another report detailing the final text) explicitly quote the text message sent on June 10 regarding a 'little stomach bug'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Emma Elizabeth Myers (born April 2, 2002) is an American actress. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Enid Sinclair in the Netflix series Wednesday (2022–present). She has since appeared in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Myers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael John Myers (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, filmmaker, musician, and singer. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Myers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sarah Clarke is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Myers on 24, and also for her roles as Renée Dwyer, Bella Swan's mother, in the 2008 film Twilight, Erin McGuire on the short-lived…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Clarke

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Police found letters suspected to be written by Myers claiming her children had been abused.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 7: “By June 5, Steadman visited several pharmacies to pick up over-the-counter sleep aids and prescribed medications.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

info

Claim 8: “Amy Steadman was 64 years old and Sarah Myers was 44 years old.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the claim is mentioned in the provided text, the 'evidence' section for claim 5 contains unrelated Wikipedia entries for Amy Winehouse and Sonic the Hedgehog. However, the evidence for claim 1 and 2 mentions Sarah Myers as 44 and Amy Steadman as 64. Because the specific evidence block for claim 5 is irrelevant, but other blocks mention it, it is supported but not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence set.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_literature

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable individuals who come from the state of Illinois, a state within the larger United States of America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Illinois

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the first state-chartered public …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 9: “Investigators found a note written by Steadman stating she believed killing the children was the only way to keep them safe from alleged abuse in Utah.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim regarding a note about abuse in Utah.

info

Claim 10: “Three of the children were killed in a suspected mass poisoning event, while the fourth was repeatedly knifed to death.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated news stories about food poisoning in other countries and a stabbing in Gateshead. No evidence was provided that links these specific methods of death to the Myers/Steadman case.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A heartbreaking incident where three children died after suspected food poisoning.Two mothers in Medansane are devastated after their young children aged between one and 4 died from consuming top scor…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/three-children-that-died-of-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Servet Bocek, mother Cigdem amd their children, Masal, three, and Kadir, six died after suspected poisoning. Picture: Social Media.Investigators are trying to establish if the family died from food po…
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/entire-family-killed-suspected…

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web search NEUTRAL — Steven Wilson, 25, of Whitemere Gardens, Gateshead, died of multiple stab wounds following an attack in Fellgate Gardens, Wardley, soon after midnight on Saturday. His mother, Freda, described her son…
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/son-not…

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Claim 11: “Sarah Myers and Amy Steadman conspired in carrying out the murders of four children before taking their own lives.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (AOL, Police Chief William Rabbitt via news report, and other news outlets) confirm that Sarah Myers and Amy Steadman conspired to kill the four children before committing suicide.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anita Sarkeesian ( sar-KEE-zee-ən; born 1983) is a Canadian-American feminist media critic. She is the founder of Feminist Frequency, a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Sarkeesian

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hermione Norris is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her brea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermione_Norris

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 12: “Police Chief Bill Rabbitt stated police couldn’t independently verify the claims of abuse against Myers or the children.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.