The girls’ mother, 32-year-old Tranyelle Harshman, called 911. Then committed the unthinkable act of shooting her children before turning the gun on herself. Olivia’s sisters and Harshman died at the scene, but Olivia survived. Doctors rushed her to a local hospital before medical teams airlifted her to a specialized facility. For five days, this little fighter clung to life as medical professionals battled to save her. Meanwhile, her family held a heartbreaking vigil, praying for a miracle. That miracle never came.
Now facing the loss of two daughters, Quinn Blackmer poured his anguish into a raw Facebook statement. “The amount of devastation we feel and are going through is so much,” he wrote. “Please give all families involved our time and space during this extremely difficult time in our life.”
Despite his grief, Blackmer expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. “From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank every single person that has donated and prayed and fasted for us and our family and our beautiful Olivia,” he continued. “Your kindness and generosity have been so much, and we just ask that you continue to pray and keep us all in your thoughts.”
Tiny Fragments of Peace

How does one find peace amid such loss? Blackmer clings to a fragile comfort: “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.” His words reveal the struggle parents face when grasping for meaning in a senseless tragedy, seeking even the smallest solace to endure unbearable pain in the wake of the murder-suicide that shattered their family.
In a prior interview with KTVQ, Blackmer admitted conflicted feelings toward Harshman. “Furious,” he said, “but I’m trying my hardest to bury that for a while and to focus on the now, because that anger isn’t going to bring my child back.” His statement underscores a father navigating grief, anger, and the crushing demands of funeral planning.