HER STORY
Truth
The
When Chynna Ratner was 21, she was in a relationship with a Hillsborough County Sheriff Deputy. She endured severe officer-involved domestic violence that included emotional, mental, physical, and sexual abuse — and she couldn't say anything.
"He was a cop. He was the good guy. He had power." She had nowhere to go. In 2016, a 911 call was made and an incident report was filed. HCSO knew about the detective's behavior toward Chynna and cleared it as unfounded. It was buried.
On January 29, 2022, that same detective murdered one of his next girlfriends — Hillsborough Deputy Abigail Bieber — then killed himself. After learning about the news, Chynna could finally share her story, and posted a 13-minute video to Instagram sharing what happened to her. Survivors flooded her comments and messages with their own stories of abuse, and then the ABC Action News I-Team reached out to find out what really happened. The story broke open.
"It's taken me five years to talk about it. And it sucks that it took something like this."
BOOK CHYNNA
Chynna
Speaks
Officer-Involved DV
The unique terror of being abused by law enforcement — and why systemic accountability matters as much as individual healing.
Breaking the Silence
Why survivors don't report. The barriers of power, shame, and disbelief — and what it takes to speak anyway.
speak
Life After Survival
Moving from surviving to thriving. Joy, identity, and building a life that is more than what happened to you.
IN THE NEWS
in The Media
As Seen
ABC Tampa Bay 28 - Kylie McGivern
Tampa Free Press - Liz Schultz
Tampa Bay Times - Justin Garcia
Voyage Tampa
Tampa Bay Times - Justin Garcia
ABC Tampa Bay 28 - Kylie McGivern
news
ABC Tampa Bay 28 - Kylie McGivern
WMNF 88.5FM - Daria Mironova
WNMT - Scott Radovanovich