By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-21 02:06:38 | Updated at 2025-03-28 05:35:55
1 week ago
Tragic details have emerged in the horrifying murder-suicide that resulted in the deaths of a Wyoming mom and her four children.
Tranyelle Harshman, 32, fatally shot her daughters, Brooke and Jordan, both two, Olivia, seven, and nine-year-old Brailey, inside their family home in Byron, before turning the gun on herself on February 10.
A toxicology report has now revealed that before the horrifying event, Harshman had ketamine and anti-anxiety drugs in her system.
Her husband, Cliff, had previously opened up about his wife's struggle with mental health, admitting that she suffered from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for years and battled postpartum depression after giving birth.
On the day of the shocking deaths, Harshman had clonazepam in her system, which is prescribed to help panic disorders and epilepsy. It can be recognized under the brand name Klonopin.
Clonazepam is a sedative and has side effects including paranoia, suicidal ideation, and impairment of judgement, coordination, and memory.
Ketamine is an anesthetic which can have hallucinogenic effects. The drug is only FDA approved as an anesthetic, but not to treat mental health disorders, according to Johns Hopkins University.
On the day she died, Harshman called emergency services and reported that her daughters had been shot and were dead.
Tranyelle Harshman, 32, killed herself and her four children on February 10 in Wyoming
Cliff Harshman told local news that even though he was angry with his wife for taking their children from them, he still grieved her and loved her
Harshman and her four children Brailey, 9, Brooke, who was almost three, and Jordan, 2 died after sustaining gunshot wounds
Harshman then said that she was planning on doing the same to herself, and hung up the phone despite pleas from the 911 operator to stay on the line until emergency crews arrived.
The mom told the dispatcher that she couldn't stay on the line and said it was 'too late,' according to the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office.
Within minutes, law enforcement responded to the scene and found Brooke and Jordan dead in their cribs while Brailey was found with a gunshot wound in a downstairs bedroom.
Olivia and Harshman were transported to a local hospital with signs of life.
Harshman died two days later in hospital. Olivia, died at a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, five days after the incident.
Traynelle's husband, Cliff, was on a business trip and the girls were home sick with the flu.
Olivia died at a hospital in Salt Lake City after her sister, Brailey, was found dead in their home
Olivia's biological father and stepmom announced her death in an update on an online fundraiser days after the murder-suicide
The shocking events occurred in the small town of Byron, Wyoming
Their toxicology reports, as first reviewed by local news outlet, Cowboy State Daily, revealed that the children who died at the scene had 'unusual large amounts of Propanolol – beta-blocker – and Diphenhydramine – antihistamine which causes drowsiness – in their systems.'
Diphenhydramine is a key ingredient in the brand-name allergy drug, Benadryl. Propranolol is a prescription beta-blocker that can treat high blood pressure, chest pain, migraines, and tremors.
The drug can result in side effects such as slow or uneven heartbeats, lightheadedness, trouble breathing, sudden weakness, depression, heart problems, or low blood sugar.
It's unclear why the girls were on the medications, but Cliff told Cowboy State Daily that his wife's chemical mental health treatments were her last hope to cope with her mental health struggles.
'I'm bitter that this has had to continue to be a thorn in my side, when I need to just… grieve my family's loss,' Cliff said on the questions he's been pestered with since the tragedy rocked his family.
'I also want people to understand that this isn't a chance to demonize different therapies. This works for a lot of different people,' he continued.
'This was her last grasp at the rope, if you will, to hang on.'
Law enforcement responded to the home just minutes after Harshman called 911 and reported her daughters deaths
Olivia and Brailey, the two oldest daughters who died in the murder-suicide, pictured with their biological father Quinn Blackmer
Cliff told the outlet that he went to visit his wife in the hospital after the murder-suicide and prayed for the strength to forgive her.
He added that he was working on accepting that his family was gone and wanted to focus on grieving instead of defending them.
Cliff was the biological father of the two younger girls, Brooke and Jordan, but raised Olivia and Brailey for years.
Olivia and Brailey's biological father, Quinn Blackmer, and his wife Katelynn announced that Olivia had died after fighting in the hospital for days after she was shot.
'Olivia is with her sisters now. She gained her angel wings yesterday at 3.49pm. She fought so hard up til the last minute,' Katelynn Blackmer wrote in an update on an online fundraiser for the family.
'Her body and her brain had been through too much, medication helped, but we reached a point where medical options were exhausted and her body only continued to get worse.'
The community has rallied around the grieving fathers amidst the unimaginable loss, setting up fundraisers and prayer vigils.
The community has since rallied around the grieving fathers who lost their daughters in the shocking murder-suicide
The family announced in a heartbreaking update that Olivia had joined her three sisters and died in a Utah hospital after the incident
Harshman's family and friends have stood up for the mother after the tragedy, with her close friend Nicole Jensen previously telling Dailymail.com that she was a 'fierce mama bear protector.'
'I will defend her and her memory until the end of my days,' Jensen said.
'I know that she felt she couldn't live anymore but also couldn't abandon her children without her to fight for and care for them.'
Cliff echoed a similar sentiment to Cowboy State Daily, telling the outlet that despite his wife's unimaginable actions, he still loved her.
He told the publication that his wife 'was not a monster' and that she struggled to cope with mental illness.
'Most people don't understand how that affects the brain. It's a chemical imbalance,' he said. 'And it can be exacerbated by trying to fix it with medication.'
Cliff added that her violent actions were 'so out of character' and what happened was 'unbelievable.'
'As angry as I may be with her, I still love her - and I still lost her as well,' he said.
