Husband Insists Mom Who Shot Daughters Was Not a Monster, Like Clancy

A mom, Tranyelle Harshman, killed three kids. She hurt another badly, then shot herself. Her husband, Cliff, defends her now. He says she was “not a monster.” He asks people to understand her actions.

Cliff is sad about losing Tranyelle. He also lost three of their daughters. Tranyelle called 911 herself, saying she shot her four daughters. The home was in Byron, Wyoming. She then hung up and shot herself, telling dispatch it was “too late.”

Deputies found Brailey, age nine, dead. Two younger girls, ages two and three, died too. A seven-year-old girl had brain injuries and was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital. Tranyelle died at a Billings, Montana hospital.

Deputy Keri Angell was at the scene and cried describing the horror. She has worked crime scenes for years and never expected something like this.

Cliff was Tranyelle’s second husband, and they had two kids together. He spoke about her mental health issues, saying she had PTSD and postpartum depression. The family tried to get her help, but he said it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain, and medication can make it worse.

Tranyelle and the girls had the flu and stayed home from school. Cliff was working in California then and flew back to say goodbye. Cliff is in a hotel currently, praying for his daughter’s recovery and planning the funerals. He feels angry but still loves her.

The Sheriff’s Office still investigates the case. Tranyelle’s case follows a similar one where Lindsay Clancy, a mom, killed her three kids, which highlighted postpartum depression issues.

Clancy used exercise bands on her kids. Cora was five, Dawson was three, and Callan was seven months’ old. She jumped from a window, surviving but is paralyzed. Her lawyer cited mental illness as a cause. Patrick, her husband, has forgiven her, saying she got sick, not monstrous.