We Are Not Broken

Justice Denied: A Survivor’s Plea for Protection and Accountability

By Mariah Clanton

Derek Franzen of Bend, Oregon, is a known abuser of women, children, and animals. Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, his violence is not new, and yet it continues unchecked—enabled by systemic failure after failure. I am one of his victims, and I am telling my story not just for myself, but for my children, for others like us, and for every vulnerable person whose safety has been ignored.

A Legacy of Violence: Derek’s Early Life

Derek’s behavior didn’t begin in adulthood. As a child, he was frequently violent toward peers, teachers, and authority figures. Diagnosed early with ADHD and depression, his outbursts and disturbing behavior earned him the nickname “Columbine” among peers—something he enjoyed because it meant people were afraid of him. That fear was not misplaced. His aggression was alarming and persistent.

By his teenage years, Derek was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. His behavior at home became so volatile that his single mother could no longer control him. Fearing for the safety of his 8-year-old sister, she sent him to a Sorenson’s, a mental health focused ranch for troubled youth. Instead of improving, Derek used the therapeutic tools and environment to refine his manipulation skills.

At this facility, he targeted a fellow patient—a teenage girl in placement there there because of a history of sexual abuse. Rather than show empathy or compassion, Derek groomed and manipulated her. He impregnated her during their time there and has continued to romanticize that experience to this day, as if it were a story of young love, rather than what it truly was: the exploitation and further trauma of a survivor.

He was eventually released from the ranch, having made no real progress. His family refused to medicate him, despite clinical recommendations. Derek returned to the world unmedicated, untreated, and more dangerous—having learned how to twist therapeutic language to manipulate others into believing he was the victim. He was no longer just a troubled child. He was a calculated abuser in the making.

The Violence That Followed

When Derek came into my life, he had already hurt his own family. He was removed from his elderly mother’s home after attacking her and his aunt while he was supposed to be caring for her post-surgery. After being removed from that home, I became his next target. His charm was superficial—beneath it was a dangerous man who saw empathy and kindness as weaknesses to exploit.

I was physically threatened, emotionally tormented, and isolated. He harmed and killed pets, used my health issues to terrorize me, and psychologically and physically tormented my children. From slamming our toddler’s head, to screaming slurs at my autistic child, to injuring my 12-year-old—he raged unchecked.

We reported every incident to DHS. Every. Single. One. And they did nothing. No forensic interviews. No exams. No safety plans. They said he would likely get joint custody of the very child he abused.

The Statistics That Prove Our Reality

– 1 in 4 women in the U.S. experiences severe physical intimate partner violence.
– Native American women are murdered at rates 10 times higher than the national average.
– Children with disabilities are 3.4 times more likely to suffer abuse.
– Autistic children are especially vulnerable and often disbelieved.
– In 71% of homes where domestic violence occurs, pets are also abused.
– People with untreated serious mental illnesses are significantly more likely to engage in violent behavior—particularly when there’s a history of childhood trauma, lack of medication, or substance use.

Derek is all of these things: unmedicated, untreated, and violent.

When Systems Refuse to See the Truth

Despite documentation, 911 calls, video footage, and a founded DHS abuse report, I was the one arrested when Derek once again attacked me and my child. I was detained while he ran off into the woods with my son. He stashed firearms in a Jeep with a toddler, lied to law enforcement, submitted fake injuries in court, and stalked me while under a protective order. DHS still refused to act, and enabled him to manipulate their system to an extreme – during the legally required medical exam Derek was not just in the exam room with the child he hurt, he was directing them on where to check for injuries. They failed to follow their own protocol, which is in place to protect vulnerable children.

Even now, he is petitioning for custody. Even now, he lies and manipulates with impunity. Even now, the systems that were supposed to protect my children and me have not lifted a finger.

A Plea for Justice

This is not just my story. This is a reflection of what happens every day to women, children, Indigenous families, and disabled people when our justice system fails. We need:

– Independent review of DHS and law enforcement handling of abuse claims
– Mandatory trauma-informed interviews for children in every abuse case
– Protections for disabled and neurodivergent children
– Stricter enforcement of firearm restrictions in domestic violence cases
– Accountability for known abusers who manipulate the system

Derek Franzen is dangerous. His violence is not speculation—it is documented, ongoing, and escalating. He is the product of a system that treated his violence as a phase, that refused medication when it was needed, that allowed a predator to learn new ways to exploit. And he continues to harm others because no one has had the courage to stop him.

We deserve to be safe. We deserve to be believed. We deserve justice.

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#JusticeForTheVoiceless #NoMoreStolenSisters #ProtectOurChildren #JusticeForAutisticChildren #EndDomesticViolence #MMIWG2S #BreakTheCycle #EnoughIsEnough