A Father’s Nightmare: How Lies and a Broken System Stole His Children

Bend, Or. - The weight of this story is nearly unbearable. It is a chilling testament to how easily a father can lose his children, not through wrongdoing, but through a system that too often favors the first to accuse and asks questions later.

Last month, I reported on the horrifying case of Sarah Session and her parents, Paula and Gary Hardenburg. Sarah stands accused of abusing and nearly killing her 9-year-old stepson, Braxton, while her parents allegedly enabled the abuse and helped cover it up. The details of this case are some of the most horrifying I have ever come across, acts of cruelty inflicted upon a helpless child, short of death itself.

But beyond the gruesome abuse lies another devastating truth: Sarah was only able to harm this child because she manipulated the court system, weaponizing lies to gain not only custody of her own two children but also temporary custody of Braxton, her husband's son from a previous relationship. She stole them, not with force, but with words, words the system believed without question.

Many have asked, “Where was the father in all of this?” The answer is heartbreaking: Christopher Session was fighting. He was a man swinging blindly in a rigged boxing match, trying to protect his children while drowning in a legal system that refused to hear him. He fought as hard as any father could, but when the rules are set against you, even the strongest fight can feel impossible.

For months, Christopher was forced to watch his family slip away, not because he was unfit, not because he was dangerous, but because the courts were quick to believe the worst and slow to correct their mistakes. He was trapped in a system that allows a single accusation to shatter a parent’s world, leaving them with nothing but months of legal battles, financial ruin, and the desperate hope that someone, somewhere, will listen before it’s too late.

I know firsthand how crushing it is to fight for your child in this system. I know the weight of being branded the "bad dad" with no evidence to support it, no chance to prove otherwise until the damage is already done.

When I first learned about Christopher’s story, I discovered an old GoFundMe he had created a year ago, the moment he finally gained some ground in his battle to reclaim his children. It had been dormant, left behind as he focused on fighting instead of fundraising. I reached out to him, asking if he wanted me to share it, if he wanted his story to be told. He said yes.

But I knew that this story deserved more than just my words, and a link to a fundraiser. It needed a voice loud enough to reach beyond the walls that had trapped Christopher. I turned to Chelsea Deffenbacher, a journalist with the ability to bring this father’s nightmare to life in a way that people would understand, so they could feel, even just for a moment, the hopelessness, the terror, and the unimaginable pain he and his children endured. Click here for her coverage of this story. 

And that’s why we are here now.

This is not just Christopher’s story. It is the story of every father who has done everything right, only to have his children ripped away by lies and a system too broken to see the truth. It is a warning, of how easily it can happen, of how powerless a loving parent can become when the law is used against them instead of for them.

Christopher and his children have survived a nightmare that should never have happened. Now, they need help rebuilding. Here is the GoFundMe.  If this story moves you, if you believe in justice, please consider giving. No parent should have to fight this hard just to love and protect their children.

I wish I could put into words the punishment Sarah Session and her parents truly deserve, but if I did,

I’d be condemned to Hell and banned from Facebook before I could finish typing. The fury I feel is beyond words.

Many here say, "If this had happened to me and my kids, there would be three funerals." I understand that rage, I feel it too, and this isn’t even my story. But Christopher is showing us what real strength looks like. Instead of vengeance, he is choosing to be there for his children, because they need a father, not a martyr.

If he took justice into his own hands, he’d become just another father behind bars, watching his children grow up while in a cold stark room with guards watching his every move on visitation days. Instead, he has done the unimaginable, set aside his rightful fury for the sake of his kids, because they are the most important part of this story.

Vengeance may feel like justice, but it comes at a cost no loving father should have to pay. Like Christopher, we must let the justice system take its course, and hope it delivers the reckoning they deserve.

Michael Weber, known for his extensive coverage of crime news in Lane County, continues to provide valuable updates to the local community. He runs the largest crime watch group in Lane County, Lane County Mugshots Uncensored, which currently has over 85,900 members. Support for local journalism is essential, and donations can be made via Venmo to @Michael-Weber-379 (last four digits of phone number: 0825).