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Two Wyoming fathers are speaking out after their daughters were shot by their mother, who then died by suicide.
Police in Wyoming believe Tranyelle Harshman shot her four daughters in the head, killing three of them, before calling 911 and then shooting herself around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10.
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Tranyelle’s husband Cliff Harshman told KTVQ that he lost his 2-year-old daughters, Brooke and Jordan, and his 9-year-old step-daughter, Brailey. His 7-year-old stepdaughter Olivia survived the shooting.
“I know this was something beyond what I can comprehend,” he said. “I’m a mess. … I don’t even know how to explain this to you. I’m so angry with her for the decision that was made.”
Harshman said his wife had struggled with mental health problems, including postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“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,” he said, per KTVQ. “She was an incredible mom and she loved those kids.”
“My wife was not a monster,” Harshman told the Cowboy State Daily in a phone interview, stating that his wife was under treatment.
“This is so out of character. It’s unbelievable what had happened,” he said, per the State Daily. “We’d been getting her help, and along the way something didn’t work. … As angry as I may be with her, I still love her — and I still lost her as well.”
Quinn Blackmer, the father of Olivia and Brailey, told KTVQ that he was “furious” with Tranyelle.
“I’m trying my hardest to bury that for a while and to focus on the now, because that anger isn’t going to bring my child back,” he said.
The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said that on Monday, Feb. 10 Tranyelle called 911 to report a shooting in the home and told a dispatcher she believed her children were dead. She added that two of them would be found upstairs in their cribs and the other two would be located in a downstairs bedroom.
Tranyelle also let the dispatcher know that she “could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself,” per the sheriff’s release.
“The dispatcher pleaded with the female caller over the phone for the female caller to remain on the line until responding units arrived,” states the release. “The female called 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.”
Officers arrived at Harshman’s Byron home and found the children and Tranyelle with gunshot wounds to the head. Tranyelle later died in a hospital from her injuries. Olivia was transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to another facility.
According to a GoFundMe page set up to help with medical costs for Olivia, Olivia had a “exploratory procedure on her brain to assess initial damages and to patch up the entrance and exit wounds. Various CT scans show swelling is in a normal and expected range.”
“Some good news that everyone is very optimistic from is that there is ZERO major blood vessel damage in her brain,” the post read. “Today she was prepped for potential deep medical coma administration and after the staff removed her head dressing that relieved pressure enough to not need it.
“She is not out of the woods as the next few days are very crucial for swelling and will be closely monitored,” according to the post.
Blackmer described Olivia and Brailey as “peas in a pod. You describe one, for the most part, you describe the other. They’re the kids you want,” per KTVQ. “They’re very kind and respectful and funny and just wholesome children. Anyone would be lucky to have them.”
A GoFundMe page has also been set up for Harshman to help assist with funeral expenses.