A tragic incident unfolded when a Wyoming mother took the lives of three of her daughters before turning the gun on herself, leaving one daughter fighting for survival. The 32-year-old mother contacted authorities around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, expressing that she had shot her daughters and feared they were no longer alive, as revealed by a statement from the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office. Providing details on where her children’s bodies could be found, she disclosed that two were upstairs in their cribs, while the other two were downstairs in a shared bedroom.
Refusing to stay on the line until the police arrived at the scene, the distraught mother informed dispatchers of her intention to take her own life, stating that it was already too late. Despite pleas from dispatchers, she disconnected the call. Soon after, law enforcement reached the residence in Byron, Wyoming, a small town with a population of under 600.
Upon entering the house, authorities discovered four children aged between 2 and 9 with gunshot wounds to their heads, along with the mother who had inflicted a fatal gunshot wound upon herself. Tragically, two 2-year-olds and a 9-year-old girl succumbed to their injuries, while a 7-year-old girl was airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City after initial treatment in Billings. Her current condition remains uncertain.
Identified as Tranyelle Harshman by local media, the mother passed away in the hospital the following day. Details are pending from the police regarding the incident.
In response to this heartbreaking event, the biological father and stepmother of the deceased children have launched a GoFundMe campaign. Both 2-year-olds were half-sisters to the 9-year-old and 7-year-old victims. The fundraisers describe the devastating impact of the tragedy on the family, with loved ones struggling to cope with the immense loss in their lives.
One GoFundMe page states, “Olivia has suffered severe traumatic brain injury and is fighting hard for her life! She is in critical condition; the next few days will be crucial for her outcome.”
Fernando Cervantes Jr., a trending news reporter for USA TODAY, can be contacted at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com or followed on Twitter @fern_cerv_. The original article was published on USA TODAY under the headline: “Police: Wyoming mom shoots her 4 daughters before shooting herself.”
