A small Wyoming town and two fathers are grappling with grief and anger after a woman struggling with her mental health killed three of her four daughters before shooting herself in the head on Monday.
Authorities identified the late mother as 32-year-old Tranyelle Harshman. The deceased daughters are Brooke and Jordan Harshman, ages 3 and 2, and 9-year-old Brailey Blackmer. Brailey’s 7-year-old sister, Olivia, survived her mother’s murder attempt inside their home in Byron.
In a press release published Tuesday, Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said they got a call from a woman they have since identified as Tranyelle Harshman at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday. She reported that gunshots had occurred inside her home and that “her daughters had been shot.”
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“When dispatchers asked the status of the gunshot victims the female stated that she believed them to be deceased,” the release said.
She told the police dispatcher that they would find two of the girls upstairs in the cribs while the other two children would be located in their shared bedroom downstairs. She then told the dispatcher that she planned to kill herself as well and they tried unsuccessfully to keep her from taking her life.
“The dispatcher pleaded with the female caller over the phone for the female caller to remain on the line until responding units arrived. The female caller stated multiple times that she could not do that and that it was too late. Multiple attempts to keep her on the line failed and the call was disconnected,” the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Within minutes of the call, authorities entered Tranyelle Harshman’s home and discovered the carnage she left behind.
“While clearing the residence, officers observed two female children, aged 2 and 9 years old, deceased with gunshot wounds to the head and two female children, aged 2 and 7 years old, still alive with gunshot wounds to the head,” police said.
Tranyelle Harshman was found with “signs of life with a single gunshot wound to the head” in the upstairs bedroom [at] her home. While authorities tried administering first aid to the victims, the 2-year-old passed away. Both Tranyelle Harshman and Olivia were rushed to hospitals for treatment. The troubled mother died on Tuesday evening while Olivia is currently being treated at Salt Lake City Hospital in Utah.
Quinn Blackmer, the ex-husband of Tranyelle Harshman, and father of Brailey and Olivia Blackmer, told Cowboy State Daily that he had been fighting for full custody of his daughters for the last four years and feared something bad could happen to them but never imagined the tragedy on Monday.
“I did worry that something bad would happen in the future,” said Blackmer. “But I had no idea — I could never imagine this.”
He told Cowboy State Daily that doctors are hopeful about Olivia’s chances of survival but if her brain continues to swell, they might have to put her in an induced coma.
“I need the world praying for my baby,” Blackmer told the publication Wednesday. “I need her to pull through. I don’t have my (older) daughter anymore and this is all I have left.”
Blackmer, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says he has been singing to Olivia in the hospital and he saw her move her fingers and hands as he sang the Mormon praise song “I Am a Child of God.”
He also explained how challenging it is grieving the loss of Brailey while fighting for Olivia to live. He remembered Brailey as smiley, sweet and smart.
“She’s the kid that every parent hopes they have,” he said. “She was so smart and so loving and so understanding to everyone. And she was just such an angel that didn’t deserve this at all. None of those kids did.”
Tranyelle Harshman’s widower, Cliff Harshman told KTVQ his wife was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, post-partum depression and general depression, and asked the public not to judge her harshly.
“People don’t understand how mental illness isn’t just a willpower thing. It’s chemical imbalances in your brain. It’s damaged pathways in your brain,” Harshman explained. “She was an incredible mom and she loved those kids.”
Despite asking the public to show grace toward his late wife, Cliff Harshman is wrestling with anger over the tragedy.
“I know this was something beyond what I can comprehend. I’m a mess,” he said. “I’m so angry. I don’t even know how to explain this to you. I’m so angry with her for the decision that was made.”
GoFundMe campaigns have been established to help the families of bothfathers.
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