John Jefferson
Inset left to right: The Harshman family and Tranyelle Harshman (Facebook). Background: The house where Harshman shot and killed three of her daughters in Byron, Wyo. (Google Maps).
The firm grip of horror took hold of multiple Wyoming families after a mother shot her four daughters before turning the gun on herself.
Midafternoon on Monday, Tranyelle Harshman, 32, called 911 to report the gunshots she fired at her own home on East Shoshone Avenue in Byron — a tiny town located roughly 415 miles northwest of Cheyenne — and some 90 miles due south of Billings, Montana.
The woman went on to report that her daughters had been shot, according to a press release issued by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.
“When dispatchers asked the status of the gunshot victims the female stated that she believed them to be deceased,” the sheriff’s office said.
Harshman also gave dispatchers a macabre guide to the violence they would encounter inside the unassuming home.
“Two children would be located upstairs in their cribs and two children would be located downstairs in their shared bedroom,” the press release reads. “The caller further stated she could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself.”
Attempts were made to slow things down. Those efforts failed.
“The dispatcher pleaded with the female caller over the phone for the female caller to remain on the line until responding units arrived,” the press release goes on. “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.”
When deputies and local law enforcement arrived, two girls were already dead: a 2-year-old and her 9-year-old half-sister died from gunshot wounds to the head. Another 2-year-old and her 7-year-old half-sister had also been shot in the head but managed to cling to life.
The toddler who first survived, however, “succumbed a very short time later due to the extent of her injuries,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The shooter was also “found to have signs of life” while suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. The mother and the 7-year-old were both swiftly transported to North Big Horn Hospital. The girl was later airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City where she is currently “fighting hard for her life,” according to family members.
Harshman herself died on Tuesday afternoon.
The family had lived in the house for about a year before tragedy struck, a next-door neighbor told Cowboy State Daily. The neighbor recalled seeing the girls playing outside — where they would sometimes pet his dogs. The murderess, the neighbor said, appeared to be a homemaker and did not evidence any signs of mental turmoil.
“I wish I had known something was going on. I could have done something about it,” the man told the newspaper through tears. “Terrible. F–––ing terrible.”
Now, two fathers and the killer’s surviving family are grieving and trying to make sense of the tragic turn of events.
One GoFundMe was started to help the biological father and stepmother of the two older girls — particularly with medical expenses as the 7-year-old recovers from surgery.
“Olivia has suffered severe traumatic brain injury,” the first fundraiser reads. “All prayers and whatever higher faith or power you believe in are appreciated for the family at this time. If she does pull through this, she and the family have a very long road ahead of them, a lot of unknown right now. This loss and hurt is unimaginable. Please rally around Quinn and Katelynn as they prepare to bury one daughter and beg and pray that the other survives this horrible tragic event.”
Other funds will go toward the 9-year-old girl’s funeral expenses and travel for her parents to attend.
A second GoFundMe was started to help the widower — the father of the two younger girls — with various costs.
“This devastating event has left Cliff and his loved ones reeling in grief, struggling to come to terms with the immense void left in their lives,” the second fundraiser reads. “The financial burden of funeral expenses, ongoing family support, and other related costs only adds to their pain.”
In response to a request from Law&Crime, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said incident reports about the triple murder-suicide “aren’t finalized yet.”
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