A seven-year-old girl who was shot by her mother during a murder-suicide that killed her sisters at their Wyoming home has died.
Olivia Blackmer fought for her life for five days before she died from the traumatic head injury she suffered in the shooting rampage.
Her father, Quinn Blackmer, shared the heartbreaking update on Facebook Sunday.
“I know this isn’t the update people were hoping for and we are absolutely gutted to make it,” Blackmer wrote, confirming Olivia had died on Saturday.
He added that they are thankful for “every single person that has donated and prayed and fasted for us and our family and our beautiful Olivia.”
Blackmer also lost his nine-year-daughter, Brailey, when their mother Tranyelle Harshman, 32, shot the two girls at their Byron home, and then shot and killed their two-year-old twin half sisters, Brooke and Jordan, before turning the gun on herself.
Olivia, who was the only one who initially survived the shooting on February 10, was airlifted to the Utah Children’s Hospital where she underwent emergency brain surgery. She spent five days “heavily sedated” until she died on Saturday.
“The peace I find is knowing that my babies don’t have to be apart from each other and they can also be with their other sisters,” her father wrote.
“Olivia is with her sisters now. She gained her angel wings yesterday at 3:44 pm,” Olivia’s stepmother Katelynn Beatty wrote in an update on the GoFundMe page that was started for her hospital expenses.
“She fought so so hard up til the last minute! 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,” Beatty added.
“She kept fighting through it all though until her heart stopped. We are grateful she hung on as long as she did so we could get some valuable time with our sweet baby girl the last five days.”
The tragedy has devastated two fathers – Blackmer, as well as the father of the twins, Cliff Harshman, who was also the husband of Tranyelle Harshman.
Harshman said he is struggling to comprehend the actions of his wife, who he said had been undergoing treatment for her mental health issues, and explained that she was dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum depression.
Harshman was at home with all four girls because they had been suffering from the flu, Cliff told the Cowboy State Daily. He was working out of state at the time.
The sisters, who were very close, according to the family, split their lives between Wyoming with their mother and stepfather, and Utah, where they stayed with their father and stepmother. A GoFundMe has also been set up for the family of the twins.
The details of what happened immediately leading up to the killings are unknown, but after Harshman shot her daughters, she then called 911 and told the dispatcher where authorities would find their bodies, according to the Big Horn Sheriff’s Office.
“She told the dispatcher two children would be located upstairs in their cribs and two children would be downstairs in their shared bedroom,” Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn said.
“The caller further stated she could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself,” Blackburn continued.
The dispatcher pleaded with Harshman to remain on the line, but she said it was “too late.”
When first responders arrived at the home, Harshman had already shot herself, but was still alive. She later died in a Billings hospital.
Now, both fathers are grieving the loss of their children and stepchildren.
“This was something beyond what I can comprehend,” Cliff Harshman told KTVQ. “I’m a mess … I don't even know how to explain this to you. I'm so angry with her for the decision that was made.”
Despite his anger, he asked the public to not rush to judgement.
“People don’t understand how mental illness isn’t just a willpower thing. It’s chemical imbalances in your brain. It’s damaged pathways in your brain,” he said.
“She was an incredible mom and she loved those kids. My wife was not a monster. 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. As angry as I may be with her, I still love her – and I lost her as well.”
The heartbroken father went on to say that he’s trying to “focus on the now, because that anger isn’t going to bring my child back.”
If you are based in the US, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
