In Part 3 of Tressa’s story, she takes us inside what happened as her case moved into the legal system. She shares the emotional toll of navigating the court process while trying to rebuild her life—and the terrifying reality that the man who sexually assaulted and nearly killed her continued to stalk her.

Tressa reflects on what it was like to seek justice while still living in fear, the moments that made her question whether the system could truly keep her safe, and the lasting impact of being forced to face the person who had already taken so much from her.

This episode is a powerful look at a part of survival we don’t talk about enough: what happens when the crime is over, but the fear isn’t.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of drug-facilitated sexual assault, abduction, strangulation, attempted murder, physical violence, and trauma.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

In Part 4 of STILL HERE, Tressa takes us beyond the courtroom and into the troubling realities of sex offender registration and monitoring. What began as a simple question about her attacker's compliance uncovered what she describes as years of inadequate oversight, unanswered questions, and a system that relied heavily on the very individuals it was supposed to monitor.

Tressa shares the devastating emotional toll of these discoveries, including the resurgence of her PTSD, a mental health crisis, and the difficult decision to step away from her career to seek treatment. She also explains how her search for answers evolved into a fight for accountability, taking her from conversations with law enforcement to the news media.

This episode raises difficult questions about public safety, institutional responsibility, and what happens when the protections survivors have been promised aren't what they believed them to be.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, attempted murder, stalking, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and a suicide attempt.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

In part 1 of her series, Tressa Cooper shares the story of the night that changed her life.

In 1999, Tressa was drugged, abducted, and brutally sexually assaulted for hours in Austin, Texas. Her attacker strangled her twice and left her with severe injuries—but Tressa survived.

In her own words, Tressa takes us through what she remembers from that night, the violence she endured, and the moments that ultimately led to her survival. She describes herself not as a survivor, but as an “endurer”—because while the crime ended, the enduring didn’t.

This is Tressa’s story, told by the woman who lived it.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of drug-facilitated sexual assault, abduction, strangulation, attempted murder, physical violence, and trauma.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

In the 5th and final part of Tressa's story, she takes us through her legislative advocacy, the obstacles she encountered while demanding answers, and what ultimately came of her efforts. This powerful conclusion exposes the challenges survivors face long after their cases are closed and asks a critical question: When the system fails to protect us, who holds the system accountable?

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of drug-facilitated sexual assault, abduction, strangulation, attempted murder, physical violence, and trauma.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

In Part 2 of Tressa's episode, she takes us into the immediate aftermath of surviving a violent sexual assault and attempted murder. She shares what it was like to undergo a forensic examination while processing unimaginable trauma—and the exhaustion of having to tell her story again and again to different people within the system.

Through her experience, we explore the forensic exam from the survivor’s perspective, the emotional weight of repeatedly recounting trauma, and why trauma-informed, survivor-centered care matters at every step. Tressa’s story is a powerful reminder that what happens after an assault can leave an impact of its own—and that survivors deserve to be heard, believed, and treated with dignity throughout the process.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of drug-facilitated sexual assault, abduction, strangulation, attempted murder, physical violence, and trauma.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

Today, we learn a little bit more about Kelsey (from our Colorado in Crisis episodes). Tune in as she shares her story of childhood sexual abuse by a family member, the systemic failures in justice, and her journey towards advocacy and healing. This episode sheds light on the complexities of trauma, grooming, and the importance of survivor-centered approaches.

Kelsey's IG for updates on advocacy:

@kelseyjeanspeaks

Donate to help CO survivors get kits get retested!

⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/407c519ba⁠⁠⁠

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

Today, Angelique speaks candidly about addiction, motherhood, and now 12 years of sobriety before taking us back to July 5, 2011—the day she accepted a ride from a stranger in Gainesville, Florida. She was abducted, brutally beaten, and sexually assaulted before escaping and running more than six miles through the woods for help. Angelique became the first survivor to report the man who attacked her, helping launch an investigation that ultimately connected him to multiple survivors and identified a serial offender.

She also shares the people who changed the course of her healing, including the woman who stopped to help her, the detective who believed her, and the SANE nurse whose compassion she still remembers nearly 15 years later. This is a story of survival, sobriety, faith, healing, and finding purpose through advocacy.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of addiction, sexual assault, abduction, physical violence, and trauma.

Angelique's Website:

https://survivorsbeyondstatutes.com/

Donate to help CO survivors get kits get retested!

⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/407c519ba⁠⁠⁠

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!

In this episode, Kelsey & Angelique are back after disgraced CBI forensic scientist Missy Woods was sentenced on September 8 after accepting a plea deal. Listen now as we discuss the systemic failures in victim notification and the broader implications for justice and accountability in Colorado. In this episode, Kelsey Harbert and guests discuss the alarming issues surrounding DNA evidence mishandling, wrongful convictions, and systemic failures within forensic laboratories, emphasizing the urgent need for reform and accountability.

Donate to help CO survivors get kits get retested!

⁠⁠https://gofund.me/407c519ba⁠⁠

Information on kit backlogs by state:

⁠https://www.endthebacklog.org/⁠

Kelsey's IG for updates/information on the crisis:

@kelseyjeanspeaks

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Call or text 988 from any phone in the United States

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention:

https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

https://afsp.org/

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN):

https://www.rainn.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime:

https://victimsofcrime.org

Victim Connect Resource Center:

https://victimconnect.org

National Crime Victim Bar Association:

https://victimbar.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA):

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

https://www.nami.org/help

HOW TO REACH US:

Email: forensicnursefilespod@gmail.com

IG/Facebook: @forensicnursefiles

Tiktok: @forensicnursefilespod

Are you a nurse or healthcare provider in the forensics field? Are you a victim of assault? Reach out to us! We would love to feature you or your story anonymously on an episode!