Content warning: assault, sexual assault, rape, serial rape, and nonconsensual pornography.

As shared in part one of her story, Hannah Vanderhorst is a special education teacher and administrator living in Denver, Colorado. Having moved to the city in 2016, just before going through a breakup, Hannah turned to dating apps to expand her social circle and look for potential love. However, an October 2019 date changed her trajectory forever. It was on this date that she became a victim of a serial sexual predator, although she wouldn’t find that out until over three years after her assault. Hannah would then join a taxing legal battle to receive justice, witness legal change elicited by her and others’ experiences, and work to heal from the trauma. The Broken Cycle Media team is grateful that Hannah was willing to so selflessly share her story to bring awareness to our listeners.

Sources:

Allyn, B. (2024, February 15). Maker of Tinder, Hinge sued over “addictive” dating apps that put profits over love. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/14/1231513991/tinder-hinge-match-group-lawsuit

Dugdale, E., & Harjani, H. (2025, March 6). Rape under wraps: how Tinder, Hinge and their corporate owner chose profits over safety. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/13/tinder-hinge-match-investigation

Maass, B. (2024, March 11). Colorado bill seeking to regulate dating apps passes through committee: “Something clearly has to be done.” CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-lawmakers-seek-regulate-dating-apps-following-cardiologist-case/

Maass, B. (2024, October 26). Cardiologist Stephen Matthews sentenced to 158 years for drugging, sexually assaulting Colorado women he met on dating apps. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/stephen-matthews-sentenced-158-years-drugging-sexually-assaulting-women-met-dating-apps-cardiologist/

Online-Facilitated Misconduct & Remote Tracking | Colorado General Assembly. (n.d.). Colorado General Assembly. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-011

Schweitzer, A. (2025, February 25). Online dating giant Match Group is slow to remove dangerous daters, investigation finds. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5301046/match-group-dating-app-tinder-hinge-assault-cases-investigation

https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/stephen-matthews-verdict/73-b3d763d5-5469-4852-a86a-e4c64d740ef7

For a list of related resources and non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources