Chilling new details emerge in case of mom who murdered her four kids before taking her own life
Topics: US News, Crime, Mental Health
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: KTVQ
Topics: US News, Crime, Mental Health
A Wyoming mom who murdered her four children before turning the gun on herself has had shocking details emerged about the day of the killings.
Tranyelle Harshman, 32, alerted police in Byron, Wyoming, after shooting her four children in their home, killing three almost instantly before turning the gun on herself.
Authorities reported that 911 received a call 1:30 p.m. local time on February 10 and a female caller reported 'gunshots that occurred inside her home and further reported her daughters had been shot'.
The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office press release stated: “When dispatchers asked the status of the gunshot victims the female stated that she believed them to be deceased.
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“She told them two children would be located upstairs in their cribs and two would be located downstairs in their shared bedroom.
“The caller further stated she could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself.”
When the police arrived at the home, they found a 2-year-old and 9-year-old dead and a 7-year-old and another 2-year-old daughter alive, however, the 2-year-old would die at the scene.
All four children were shot in the head, PEOPLE reports.
Harshman, found with a single gunshot wound to her head, but was alive before succumbing to her injuries in hospital.
The 7-year-old girl was taken to a local hospital where she was 'provided advanced life support' before being airlifted another hospital for an 'advanced level of care', as per the release, but sadly passed away five days later.
A toxicology report has now revealed that before the killings, Harshman had ketamine and anti-anxiety drugs in her system, in the form of clonazepam.
The drug is often prescribed to help panic disorders and epilepsy, and can be also known as the brand Klonopin.
Clonazepam, a sedative, has side effects such as paranoia, suicidal ideation, and impairment of judgement, coordination, and memory.
Ketamine can have hallucinogenic effects and it is only FDA approved as an anesthetic, but not to treat mental health disorders, as per Johns Hopkins University.
Their toxicology reports, as reviewed by Cowboy State Daily, shows 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 can be found in drugs like Benadryl.
Propranolol is a beta-blocker that can be prescribed to help treat ailments such as blood pressure, chest pain, migraines, and tremors.
While there is no confirmation as to why the girls were on the medications, Cliff, Harshman’s husband told Cowboy State Daily that his wife’s medical treatments were her last hope to get better, after dealing with PTSD, depression and other challenges.
“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 regarding the questions he has been asked. “I also want people to understand that this isn't a chance to demonize different therapies. This works for a lot of different people.
“This was her last grasp at the rope, if you will, to hang on.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Cliff, and he has since spoken out about the horrific situation, telling Cowboy State Daily that his wife 'is not a monster'.
He said she had been receiving treatment for mental health issues, which included postpartum depression.
He said: "My wife is not a monster. 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.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.