The husband of a woman who shot dead their three daughters before turning the gun on herself has spoken out.
It was reported that the Wyoming mom called 911 on Monday, 10 February afternoon to report that her four daughters had been shot, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Sadly, when officers arrived, the investigation pointed them towards 32-year-old Tranyelle Harshman as being the shooter, before she killed herself.
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She told the dispatcher where the girls were located in the house during the call, leading to officers discovering the bodies with gunshot wounds to their heads.
Sadly, only the 7-year-old daughter survived the ordeal, while her three sisters aged 9, and two 2-year-olds were dead at the scene, as per MTN News.
When Harshman was found, it was determined that she was alive, but she later died from her wounds.
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While the investigation continues to determine exactly what happened on that horrific day, Harshan’s husband, Cliff Harshman, told Cowboy State Daily heartbreaking information.
The dad, who has now lost three of his children stated that his wife had been receiving treatment for severe mental health issues in the lead up to her crime.
This included PTSD and postpartum depression.
“My wife is not a monster,” he said. “Most people don’t understand how that affects the brain. It’s a chemical imbalance … And it can be exacerbated by trying to fix it with medication.”
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The father explained that this was a complete surprise, stating: “This is so out of character. It’s unbelievable what had happened. We’d been getting her help, and along the way something didn’t work.”
Even though she murdered their children, he claims that he still loves her.
“As angry as I may be with her, I still love her — and I still lost her as well,” he said.
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Cliff is the father of the two youngest children who were killed, and Quinn Blackmer is the father of the two oldest.
While the pair do not see eye to eye since Tranyelle’s divorce, the tragedy has pushed the two together to find comfort.
“I was thankful for (Blackmer),” said Cliff.
Blackmer has voiced similar sentiments amongst the tragedy which saw one of his daughters killed and the other in critical care.
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At the time of the murders, Cliff was out of state for work and rushed back to his family when the news broke.
While investigations are under way, he is staying at the hotel and has been shocked by the generosity he has seen from those around him.
He explained that the hotel where he’s staying refused to take his money, and he has received donated clothes since he left his change of clothes in California.
“My support system is almost sickening to me because I hate accepting gifts,” said Cliff. “I’m so thankful for the community that I have.”
Cliff and Blackmer have two GoFundMe campaigns, one which was created by Cliff’s coworker created to support him, and another a woman created to support Olivia’s medical costs.
As for the surviving daughter, Cliff is focused on being able to see her at Salt Lake City, stating: “I can only assume this is going to be a long recovery for Olivia. Whether it’s just in the hospital, or mentally.”
Britt Jones