HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Three years ago, Detective Daniel Leyden shot and killed his girlfriend, Deputy Abigail Bieber, before turning the gun and killing himself.
2 Hillsborough County deputies dead after apparent murder suicide
It was the third murder-suicide involving Hillsborough County deputies within five years.
Wife sent text messages to friend before she was allegedly killed by her husband, a HCSO deputy
Sheriff: Hillsborough deputy kills family, alerts fellow deputies over radio, then kills himself
Surveillance video shows deputy in triple murder-suicide was armed outside victim’s condo
Now, Abby's father, Bruce Bieber, is on a mission to raise awareness about officer-involved domestic violence, saying it is a topic many do not want to discuss, and there is an added layer of fear when a victim must call the very agency that employs their abuser to get help.
“It’s everywhere and it needs to be addressed and recognized. And if we keep it in the closet and sweep it under the rug, it's not going to go away."
Bieber told the I-Team.
Bieber is fighting for change within Florida law enforcement agencies, pushing for every one of them to have a policy specific to officer-involved domestic violence.
Sitting in Bieber's living room, he pulled out a printed image from his security camera, showing three law enforcement officers standing at his front door.
“You’re looking at the worst moment of my life," Bieber said.
"Three deputies arrived at my door at 3:52 a.m. and didn't need to say one syllable of one word for me to know my daughter was dead," Bieber said. “You have the life that existed in the seconds before that — and then everything after that.”
Surrounded by memories of his daughter, the photos capturing her smile, her dedication to serving her community, are part of the times "before."
VIDEO: HCSO Remembers Deputy Abigail Bieber
“They provide the impetus to keep going," Bieber said, looking at the snapshots.
Before deputies arrived at Bieber's door, Abby was vacationing with her boyfriend, Dan Leyden, and two other couples, in St. Augustine.
“She was going to end the relationship on this trip. And she did," Bieber said.
The I-Team obtained the 911 call. In it, one of the women vacationing with Abby said
"I need you to listen to me,
there are four cops in the house,
two of us,
five out of six of us are cops,
I need you to get on the way here,
he is in an upstairs bedroom."
The 911 dispatcher asked, "Is he a cop too?"
"His name is Dan. Yes," she said.
Four out of the six were deputies who worked together at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
“I heard them arguing, I heard her through the wall say, ‘Put the gun down’, I knocked on the door at that point because I wanted to say hey, let my friend out and I asked her to come out with me, he said no, she said, ‘I can’t get to the door’. I’m not going to leave until you come out of the door, I want to make sure you’re safe," the caller told the 911 dispatcher. “And I heard three shots fired and I ran."
Leyden shot and killed Abby and then killed himself.
It's a tragic ending Chynna Ratner, who dated Leyden years before Abby, fears could have been her own.
“I realized at that time that he’s 100% using his power and badge to try to scare me, to manipulate me," Ratner told the I-Team.
The I-Team met with her three years ago, after Ratner shared her experience with Leyden on social media following Abby's death.
"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 in a video she shared to Instagram.
An earlier incident was detailed in a report the I-Team obtained from HCSO.
‘He was a cop… he had power’: Ex-girlfriend of deputy in murder/suicide says he abused her
“I told them that he was controlling, that he was trying to stop me from leaving, I told them that he was punching me car, I told them all of these things, that I didn’t feel safe," Ratner said.
Deputies gave Ratner a Victim's Rights pamphlet. The incident, cleared as "unfounded", was not included in Leyden's personnel file.
It was after the funeral procession, bringing Abby's body from St. Augustine home to the Tampa Bay area, that Bieber said a deputy approached him and told him about the call involving Ratner.
"That was the first time I had learned the guy who killed my daughter had had a history of domestic violence," Bieber said. "This should have been stopped. And that set me off on a journey that I'm still on, frankly."
In his journey, Bieber searched for other stories of officer-involved domestic violence.
"It was remarkably, and sadly, easy to do," Bieber said.
Easy to find examples, but harder to find departments addressing the problem within their ranks.
“The IACP, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 25 years ago developed model rules. Very, very few states have incorporated them," Bieber said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) says, in Florida, each law enforcement agency operates its own set of internal policies.
Contacting the 10 major police departments and sheriff's offices in the Tampa Bay area, the I-Team found policies regarding officer-involved domestic violence vary greatly, if they exist at all. Some, like the policy at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, outline what happens if someone has a restraining order against them. Others detail how firearms will be handled. In Hernando County, policy dictates that a supervisor will respond to the scene and internal affairs will be contacted. In Polk County, there is a leave policy for any member or family member who is a victim of domestic violence. In other, like the Pasco Sheriff's Office, there is no specific policy.
| Law Enforcement Agency | Domestic Violence Policy |
| Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy |
| Pinellas County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy 1, OIDV Policy 2 |
| Hernando County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy |
| Polk County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy 1, OIDV Policy 2 |
| Tampa Police Department | OIDV Policy |
| Pasco County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy (No Policy) |
| St. Pete Police Department | OIDV Policy |
| Sarasota County Sheriff's Office | OIDV Policy 1, OIDV Policy 2 |
In April, Bruce went to the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE) Conference in Orlando, to try to change that.
“I cannot imagine a world where every single one of the 18-thousand or so different law enforcement agencies in this country couldn’t benefit from having some form of OIDV policy," Bieber said.
Bieber reached out to Detective Brandon Wootan, of Colorado, who also attended the conference, because he works as a consultant, training law enforcement.
“I’ve been teaching on domestic violence for essentially half of my career," Wootan said.
He said something was missed in looking into Dan Leyden.
"I don't know what, but something was missed. And ultimately it cost him his daughter," Wootan said of Bieber. "I have no other responsibility other than to stand alongside Bruce and try to prevent that from ever happening again.”
When asked why he thinks more law enforcement agencies aren't willing to sit down and have a conversation about the issue, Wootan said, "It's really hard to raise your hand when something has gone wrong and say, 'Hey, what can we do to fix it?'”
Wootan told the I-Team that being quiet doesn't solve anything.
"That's really why I'm here talking to you," he said.
Wootan said the area he sees for the biggest growth is having an officer-involved domestic violence policy.
"Having a baseline understanding of, hey, when this happens, this is what we do. Law enforcement is so prescriptive in all the other ways, right? Like there's a policy relative to when patrol officers respond to a domestic violence call, here's all the things you need to do. There's a policy or response type for basically everything. Why isn't there for this?" Wootan said.
He said he would also like to see more research done on the topic.
"Domestic violence within law enforcement relationships is something that we know is pervasive, but we also don't have data, like many other areas of intimate partner violence, to put a number to it. Because there's not a lot of research," Wootan said.
That's another aspect Bieber wants to change.
“I would really like Florida to lead the way. They did in the past. FSU pioneered the development of a training toolkit that they administered for a period of years, when it was funded by a private corporation, and that funding dried up," Bieber said. "It strikes me as preposterous that we wouldn’t resurrect that. It’s been sitting dormant for over a decade now."
It was another push that brought him to the conference in Orlando.
“I’ll be damned if I'm going to my grave without doing everything I can do to make sure people are aware this is happening," Bieber said.
The I-Team requested an interview with Sheriff Chad Chronister to discuss Bieber's concerns, officer-involved domestic violence within the department, and any changes to policy.
HCSO instead sent this statement:
"We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Bieber and his family as they navigate the profound grief of losing Abigail Bieber. Her tragic death is a loss continuously felt deeply across our office and community.
It is imperative to acknowledge that Daniel Leyden is the sole individual responsible for this senseless act. The pain and devastation he inflicted are immeasurable. As he is deceased, the avenues for legal justice are limited.
What is heartbreaking about this case is that no one saw it coming, not their coworkers, friends, or even their family. This underscores the profound violation and heartbreak this tragedy brings. If those closest to Leyden were unaware, it is only reasonable to understand why the Sheriff's Office was also unaware of the darkness within him.
Before this incident, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had no documented reports or allegations of domestic violence involving Leyden and Bieber. HCSO could not have anticipated or intervened in this tragedy without such information.
Domestic violence is a grave concern that we do not tolerate, whether within our ranks or in the broader community. We urge anyone experiencing such abuse to seek help. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is available at 813-247-8200. Our partners at The Spring of Tampa Bay can also be reached at 813-247-7233."
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, resources are available. Please call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119.
List of Domestic Violence Centers in Florida
Hillsborough County
The Spring of Tampa Bay
Phone: 813-247-5433
Hotline: 813-247-7233
TDD: 813-248-1050
Website: https://www.thespring.org/
Pinellas County
Community Action Stops Abuse
Also Known As: CASA
Phone: (727) 895-4912 (Ext. 100)
Hotline: (727) 895-4912 (Ext. 1)
TDD: (727) 828-1269
Website: https://www.casapinellas.org/
Chat: https://www.casapinellas.org/chat/
The Haven of RCS, Also Known As: RCS Pinellas
Phone: (727) 584-3528
Hotline: (727) 442-4128
SMS Text: (727) 465-6549
TDD: (727) 223-4946
Website: https://hopevillagesofamerica.org/
Pasco County
The Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program of West Pasco
Phone: (727) 856-6498
Hotline: (727) 856-5797
TDD: (727) 364-6132
Website: https://salvationarmyflorida.org/pasco-county/
Sunrise Domestic and Sexual Violence Center, Also Known As: Sunrise of Pasco
Phone: (352) 521-3358
Hotline: (352) 521-3120
TDD:
Website: https://www.sunrisepasco.org/
Polk County
Peace River Center Domestic Violence Shelter
Also Known As: Peace River
Phone: (863) 413-2708
Hotline: (863) 413-2700
TDD: (863) 413-2700
Website: https://www.peacerivercenter.org/
Manatee County
HOPE Family Services
Phone: 941-747-8499
Hotline: 941-755-6805
TDD: 941-755-6805
Website: https://www.hopefamilyservice.org/
Chat: http://www.hopefamilyservice.org/
Sarasota County
Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center
Also Known As: SPARCC
Phone: (941) 365-0208
Hotline: (941) 365-1976
TDD: (941) 365-1976
Website: https://www.sparcc.net/
Citrus County
Citrus County Abuse Shelter Association
Phone: 352-344-8112
Hotline: 352-344-8111
TDD: 352-344-8111
Website: https://casafl.org/
Hardee County
Peace River Center Domestic Violence Shelter
Phone: 863-413-2708
Hotline: 863-413-2700
TDD: 863-413-2700
Website: https://www.peacerivercenter.org/
Hernando County
Dawn Center of Hernando County
Phone: 352-684-7191
Hotline: 352-686-8430
TDD: 352-686-8430
Highlands County
Peace River Center Domestic Violence Shelter
Phone: 863-413-2708
Hotline: 863-413-2700
TDD: 863-413-2700
Website: https://www.peacerivercenter.org/
If you have something you'd like the I-Team to investigate, contact Kylie:
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