Wyoming Mom’s Fatal Death Rampage Linked to Ketamine, Klonopin Psychiatric Drug Cocktail

March, 24, 2025

Tranyelle Harshman, the Byron, Wyoming, mother who killed her four children then herself, was, as expected, on a cocktail of psychiatric mind-altering drugs. The completed toxicology report revealed that Tranyelle was on an anti-anxiety drug and Ketamine at the time of the murder/suicide.

As explained by Tranyelle’s husband, Cliff Harshman, his wife struggled with mental health issues, including depression, post traumatic stress disorder and postpartum depression. The final fatal psychiatric drug prescribed to Tranyelle was Clonazepam (Klonopin), a benzodiazepine, which is a sedative. The possible adverse events associated with the mind-altering drug include sudden confusion and disorientation, feeling paranoid, suicidal thoughts or actions, trouble breathing, new or increased feelings of anxiety, depression, changes in mood or behavior, hallucinations, and losing touch with reality to name a few.

The second drug found in Tranyelle’s system was Ketamine, an anesthetic that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of any mental health disorder. Recall that Friends star, Matthew Perry, died from overdose of Ketamine. Some of the possible side effects associated with Ketamine include confusion, hallucinations, abnormal dreams, nightmares, agitation, abnormal behavior, anxiety, delirium, dysphoria, and psychotic episodes.

Clearly the two drugs Tranyelle was prescribed could explain the Wyoming mother’s murderous/suicidal behavior. And, while knowing what drugs were in Tranyelle’s system at the time of the incident, it does not paint a complete picture of Tranyelle’s psychiatric drug nightmare.

Cliff Harshman told Cowboy State Daily news that Tranyelle’s chemical mental health treatments were her last hope to cope with her mental health struggles. And, he said “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.”

These are interesting comments by a bereft husband and father who also claimed that his wife suffered from a chemical imbalance. And it only increases the need to know who the treating psychiatrist was and what other psychiatric drugs Tranyelle had been prescribed years and months prior to the incident. Did the psychiatric “treatment” begin with one drug only to be increased to experimental drug cocktails? Having all the information about Tranyelle’s “treatment” would go a long way to understanding what caused the deadly attack.

Further, why has the Wyoming mental health community been silent about Tranyelle’s “treatment?” Why hasn’t the public been made aware of the doctors who prescribed the drug cocktail that contained a very serious drug that was not approved by the FDA for mental health use? Was the State of Wyoming behavioral health part of Tranyelle’s treatment program? 

All of these questions must be answered if there ever will be an understanding of these random murder/suicide incidents. AbleChild testified before the members of the Wyoming State Legislature’s House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee directly after the tragic incident recommending a number of legislative actions, beginning with informed consent policies. 

AbleChild believes every patient, when first diagnosed and prescribed a psychiatric drug, should be provided an “exit plan.” That is that all patients deserve to know everything about the drugs they are being prescribed beginning with the fact that the drugs do not treat any known abnormality in the brain and the pharmaceutical companies do not understand how the drugs work to “treat” any psychiatric disorder. Further, the exit plan should provide the patient with detailed “treatment” expectations and the length of time the drug will be utilized. Finally, the exit plan should provide a detailed explanation about how to withdraw from the drug and information about any withdrawal adverse events that may be associated with stopping the drug.

Too often psychiatric drugs are prescribed without any conversation about withdrawing from them…cradle to grave drugging. Further, AbleChild recommended greater oversight of the behavioral health agencies the state relies on for mental health treatment. In fact, Wyoming legislators may want to review how often Ketamine is prescribed “off label” to patients like Tranyelle. Obviously, there are reasons why the FDA has not approved the drug for use for mental health issues and a conversation with Tranyelle’s prescribing physician might be necessary. 

Releasing the toxicology report in this incident is a good first step for Wyoming legislators to build upon. The more information that is made public can only help the public understand that there are deadly risks associated with prescribed chemical “treatments.”

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