CASPER, Wyo. — Seven-year-old Olivia Blackmer, the girl who clung to life for almost a week after a tragic murder–suicide in the small Wyoming town of Byron, has died.
Olivia passed on Saturday afternoon, according to an update by her stepmom, Katelynn Blackmer, on a verified GoFundMe, where updates had been posted throughout the week as Olivia received care in Salt Lake City for the traumatic brain injury caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
“She kept fighting through it all though until her heart stopped,” Blackmer wrote. “We are grateful she hung on as long as she did so we could get some valuable time with our sweet baby girl the last five days.”
Olivia’s 9-year-old sister Brailey and two half-sisters, both aged 2, were all found dead by Big Horn County authorities in an apparent murder–suicide carried out by their mother on Monday, Feb. 10 in the small town of Byron, which has a population of about 600 people. The mother was reported to have died from her self-inflicted injury on Tuesday.
“Olivia is with her sisters now,” Blackmer wrote.
The shooting and suicide by the girls’ mother on Monday has gained national attention and prompted Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon to call for renewed attention to mental health issues.
