Sage denies charges in Byron wrongful death suit

CODY (WNE) — A Cody business and one of its employees, who were named in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by a relative of the five individuals who died in Byron earlier this year, have denied any wrongdoing.

In the lawsuit that was filed in the District of Wyoming federal court by Rhonda Coplen – the mother of Tranyelle Harshman, who killed her four children before taking her own life – alleged that Sage Psychiatric Services and its nurse practitioner Krista Blough were negligent in treating her daughter. 

The suit alleged that Harshman took ketamine, “a powerful anesthetic and painkiller with known risks of hallucinations, psychosis, and detachment from reality,” shortly before shooting her four children and herself last February.

More specifically, the suit alleged that Blough allowed Harshman to ingest ketamine in an outpatient setting, despite her having a history of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-partum depression, and further alleged the treatment failed to meet relevant standards of care. 

In doing so, Blough “acted outside of accepted psychiatric practice and clinical safety protocols,” and “failed to warn Ms. Harshman and her family of the extreme risks of home use (of ketamine),” the lawsuit alleged.

In a document filed November 7, Sage and Blough responded to Coplen's claim. In that filing, Blough denied “that she breached any duty allegedly owed to Ms. Harshman.”

Further, the document denied that any Sage Psychiatry employees engaged in any negligence or were responsible for the deaths of Harshman and her children.

In addition, the defendants requested a trial by jury. 

Sage and Blough are being represented by the law firm Harris, Karstaedt, Jamison & Powers based in Colorado.

This story was published on Nov. 18, 2025.