61. Case Reopened: The Scene That Changed Everything I Thought I Knew About Safety (MHA series)

What happens when you’re standing at a “routine” crime scene… and don’t realize you’re in the middle of an active shooter encounter?In this powerful Mental Health Awareness series episode, we're taking you back to when CSI Supervisor Letty Ramirez shared the moment her career as well as her understanding of safety, trauma, and survival changed forever.While processing what appeared to be a standard scene, Letty suddenly found herself facing a suspect with a gun pointed directly at her. In the chaos that followed, she didn’t even realize she had survived an active shooting until after the scene was secured.Letty walks us through the immediate aftermath, the emotional denial, the identity struggle of “I’m fine” vs. what was actually happening internally, and the delayed realization that she was experiencing symptoms of PTSD. She also shares how therapy, peer support, and eventually EMDR helped her begin processing the trauma she once pushed down to stay “one of the boys.”🎙️ This episode is part of our Mental Health Awareness Series, where we’re revisiting some of the most impactful conversations we’ve had around stress, burnout, trauma, and wellness in forensic science.