EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains the description of a domestic violence incident from a survivor and may be difficult for some to read.
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the ABC Action News I-Team checked in with a survivor who shared her story for the first time last year.
He was a cop… he had power’: Ex-girlfriend of deputy in murder/suicide says he abused her
Chynna Ratner is now in the process of starting a nonprofit called "More Than," bringing together a community of survivors, reminding them they are more than the abuse they endured.
Ratner first shared her story of survival after the news broke last year of a murder/suicide that happened Jan. 29, 2022. She called it a "huge, huge shock."
Sheriff: 2 Hillsborough County deputies dead after apparent murder-suicide
A preliminary investigation at that time revealed Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Detective Daniel Leyden shot and filled fellow HCSO employee, Deputy Abigail Bieber, and then killed himself.
Soon after, Ratner posted an emotional 13-minute video to her Instagram page.
"It’s taken me five years to talk about it. And it sucks that it took something like this for me to be able to speak about it," she said in the video.
Ratner said she dated Leyden when she was 21 years old for less than a year. One night in particular hit her. He had followed her home after a night out. Ratner said she tried to walk the dogs to get away from him and get help.
“Before I could even get the leashes on the dogs, he grabbed the back of my head, pulled out his gun, put it to the side of my head, looked me right in the eyes, and told me that if I were to scream, run or talk to anybody, that he would shoot my dogs in front of me, shoot me, and then kill himself," Ratner said.
She told the I-Team it was hours of verbal, physical, mental, and sexual abuse.
Resources: Taking Action Against Domestic Violence
Ratner did not report that abuse.
"He was a cop, he was the good guy, he had power, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do," Ratner said.
She now wants others to know what resources are available before it's too late.
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“The feedback and support was immense," Ratner told the I-Team after sharing her story. "It was people sharing their stories, people coming forward, people asking for advice, people thanking me for speaking out."
Ratner said she knew she wanted to get involved in a domestic violence nonprofit or organization, but she didn't know what that would look like. She said she never imagined starting her own nonprofit. The paperwork is currently being finalized.
“You’re more than your situations, you’re more than the abuse, you’re more than what people said to you, you know, you can overcome these things," Ratner said. "You can still live a full, loving life with passion and joy."
The first event will be held on Thursday, October 26,at Common Dialect Beerworks in Tampa from 6-9 p.m. and will feature a silent auction, supply drive, vendors, and a donation-based workout class. The event is free. All donations will go directly to Sunrise of Pasco County, a nonprofit domestic and sexual violence center.
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“The ideal goal is to just have that community where — regardless of your sexual orientation, your gender identity, your background, that if you are a survivor, you have a support system," Ratner said. "I don’t want anyone to ever feel alone the way that I felt alone and not being able to tell my story or not being able to relate to somebody else.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119.
