The Rising Beyond Podcast

Ep 121: Abigail’s Story: Exposing the Hidden Truth of Officer Involved Domestic Violence

Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC, ACS Season 1 Episode 121

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What is Officer Involved Domestic Violence? 

This is an area of advocacy where we have known to be a problem for years and it is unspoken; a “dirty little secret.”  Bruce Bieber agreed to share his story as a way to move this issue into the forefront so that change might actually happen.

Take care of yourself as you listen to this story.

Abigail Rose Bieber, “Abby” to her friends and family, was the first of their three children to move to the Tampa Bay area.  In short order, Abby became a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy where she served for four years.  Both of her brothers are also in law enforcement.

The Biebers have always been an incredibly close family and the pull to join their children in Florida was too great to resist so Bruce and Sarah retired and followed their three kids and grandkids to Florida. 

Seven months after moving to a home 1.5 miles from Abby’s house, Bruce and Sarah were planning Abby’s funeral.  On January 29, 2022, Abby was shot three times in the head by Detective Daniel M. Leyden, also with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office while they, along with two other HCSO Deputy couples, were vacationing in St. Augustine.  Leyden killed himself.   

Since that fateful night, Bruce has been on a journey of grief, learning, discovery and advocacy – seeking to understand what went wrong and how to apply the lessons learned to the prevention of another death at the hands of a law enforcement officer.   


The Secret to Speaking Up: Practical Strategies of Negotiation During Post Separation Abuse Workshop | November 14th, 2024 12 to 1:30 p.m., MST 

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