UPDATE, 7:04pm: No Outward Signs Byron Mom Was Struggling, Neighbors Say
The Byron, Wyoming, mother who called 911 to say her kids had been shot then turned the gun on herself died Tuesday afternoon, the Big Horn County Sheriff told Cowboy State Daily.
A 7-year-old girl was still in critical condition Tuesday after having pulled through a surgery, and her family was “cautiously optimistic,” the sheriff said.
The woman’s 2, 3, and 9 year old children died of gunshot wounds on scene, Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn’s office said in an earlier statement.
Blackburn confirmed in his interview that the scene evidence indicated that the mother was the shooter.
The investigation was still ongoing after the woman’s death, the sheriff added.
Neighbors identified the woman as Tranyelle Harshman.
“All indications appear this was a murder-suicide,” he said in an earlier interview, given to Cowboy State Daily in Cowley, Wyoming.
Because the mother is now deceased, the investigation into the shooting won’t have a criminal charging component to it.
Blackburn said that’s not the only focus of investigations anyway.
“There’s a lot of questions we’re seeking answers to,” he said. “To help the family find answers and peace on what went wrong here.”
This story is ongoing and will be updated as news occurs.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
