She fought demons all her life. It ended with gunshot in a stranger’s kitchen at Christmas

Four days before Christmas in 2023, a 36-year-old woman broke into an Arlington home in the middle of the night. The father of the family, alerted to the possibility of a stranger in the house by his teenage son, got his gun and went to investigate.

He found the woman in their kitchen and asked her to leave, but she moved toward him instead. The man fired his weapon, and the intruder fell to the ground. She was dead by the time police arrived.

No one knows for sure why the woman, 36-year-old Taylor Frankum, went into that house that night. Investigators determined the father acted in self-defense, and no charges were filed.

But those who knew Frankum — and the demons she fought nearly all her life — say it’s a wonder that she even survived to 36.

“Her story is a sad one,” said Tara Haelle, her former high school teacher who considered Frankum like a daughter. “But it’s also revealing of how society fails those who need it most.”

‘The weight of the world’

Haelle got the call on Christmas morning. It was the medical examiner’s office, because she was listed as Frankum’s next of kin.

The news that Frankum was dead didn’t come as a total shock, despite the bizarre circumstances of the break-in. For years, Haelle had watched Frankum fight a losing battle on multiple fronts. After a traumatic childhood, Frankum had turned to drugs and alcohol at a young age to help her cope. The lack of a support network and barriers to treatment for mental health problems kept her mired in addiction.

Ironically, Frankum was supposed to be in a rehab center for drug and alcohol abuse the week she died, but a misunderstanding about the type of help available for people with mental illness caused her to drop out, Haelle said.

When Frankum was 14, she was a freshman in Haelle’s English class at Arlington’s Sam Houston High School. Over the years their relationship evolved from teacher-student to something closer to mother-daughter.

Frankum’s mother, who died in 2015 of an accidental drug overdose, had been in and out of her four daughters’ lives. The girls primarily lived with their grandparents, but Frankum took on most of the responsibility of caring for her sisters.

“Taylor held up the weight of the world at 13 and she inevitably began to bend and snap under the pressure,” her sister, Rhiana Curry, said in a social media post shortly after Frankum died.

By the time she was in Haelle’s English class, the teen was already drinking. She was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder in high school; childhood traumas are proven to take a toll on mental health.

“In some ways, it’s remarkable she lived as long as she did,” Haelle said.

‘She was my everything’

Frankum loved music and singing. In 2007, as a senior in high school, she tried out for “American Idol” in Irving and was interviewed by a Star-Telegram reporter after auditioning with “I’m the Only One” by Melissa Etheridge.

The verdict wasn’t good. The “Idol” judges said her voice wasn’t strong enough for the show — yet.

“That gives me hope, I guess,” she told the reporter.

Today, Frankum’s family and friends don’t want her life to be a statistic. On one hand, she would lie and steal to support her addictions. On the other hand, she cared deeply about others and wanted to bring them joy.

She also loved painting, and could tell what seasoning a food needed just by using her sense of smell. She was incredibly smart, according to Haelle, and tried to give the best of herself to her sisters.

“She was my everything,” Curry said. “She was my mother, my bully, my best friend. She taught me everything. The coolest and the lamest person I’d ever known. I loved her.”

Kylie Brenton, whom Frankum married in 2018, described her as “an everybody kind of person.” More recently, the couple had become estranged.

“She always had like, this bright, spunky energy,” Brenton said. “And she was always the first one that would make conversation with people. And she would never judge people for how they were, how they lived, what their problems were.”

Brenton said it was heartbreaking to watch Frankum’s battles. She would promise to get better but never followed through; addiction is considered a chronic disease that can be difficult to control.

Repeated use causes changes in the brain that reinforce the need to continue taking. It can impair judgment, along with other brain functions.

Fewer than 25% of people who need treatment end up getting it. The cost can be a major barrier, especially for people without insurance, said Silvia Martins, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

And even when insurance is available, it doesn’t always cover the type of treatment that’s needed.

Haelle said that proved to be true in her attempts to get Frankum help.

“There aren’t many options for good quality addiction care,” she said. “Addiction centers either have limited spots for those without resources or are just really expensive.”

On top of that, not all rehab centers are equipped to work with people with both mental illness and addiction, and the two conditions exacerbate each other.

Brenton said at times Frankum would be close to getting help and then wouldn’t take it.

“I honestly think that she was too scared,” Brenton said. “And ... like she had been an addict of everything for so long, I don’t think that she really knew anything different. So I really think it was probably just fear of the unknown, and she didn’t know how to get better, because she had never gotten better before.”

A downward spiral

Frankum’s grandfather died in January 2021, triggering a chain of events that she never recovered from. The house she had lived in much of her life was sold, and she ended up on the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many shelters that help those experiencing homelessness require some form of identification. Frankum wasn’t able to get a Texas ID because she couldn’t prove a place of residency, Haelle said.

Toxicity tests show that Frankum’s drug use increased during that time. In August 2021, she attempted suicide while in the Tarrant County Jail. A few months later, she accidentally overdosed. A stranger found her and called 911 in time to save her life.

Haelle’s persistence finally paid off, and a rehab center in Denton offered Frankum a scholarship. She agreed to go through the program, which was a huge step. She seemed anxious but excited.

On Dec. 15, 2023, Haelle drove her to Denton and dropped her off at the treatment center. Feeling optimistic about the direction Frankum was headed, Haelle came home and crashed. A few hours later, Frankum left rehab and took an Uber back to Haelle’s house.

The center wasn’t equipped to treat people with schizophrenia or psychosis disorders, according to Haelle. Even though she talked with the director up front about Frankum’s condition, she believes they accepted her because they thought her psychosis was caused by drug use.

Haelle said she had trouble getting the director to clarify the center’s policies, and Frankum was “an unreliable narrator” to explain what happened. But clearly, Frankum didn’t feel welcome there.

“This is part of why I say society failed her,” Haelle said. “When she finally was ready to get help, bad communication and policies about not taking people with certain conditions — people who, incidentally, are at highest risk for addiction — made it not work out.”

‘Wouldn’t have been in that house’

Arlington police aren’t sure why Frankum picked that house to break into in the middle of the night. Nor is it clear how she got inside.

The family living there had recently moved into the home, which had been vacant previously. Haelle thinks Frankum used it for shelter sometimes when she had nowhere to go. Maybe she didn’t realize people lived there now.

Haelle doesn’t blame the man who shot her. She’s convinced that if Frankum had better access to care — a safe place to stay, treatment for addiction and mental health issues — she would still be alive.

“She wouldn’t have been in that house in the first place,” Haelle said.

How to get help

For those struggling with substance use disorders, there is help available, according to Martins, the professor of epidemiology at Columbia University.

Treatment options depend on the type of substance but could involve a detox program, cognitive behavioral therapy or medication. Some facilities offer outpatient services.

Those with limited income or no insurance could see if they qualify for Medicaid. In Texas, Medicaid covers some types of addiction treatment and rehab. They could also see if any local charities or professionals would be willing to offer their services pro bono.

For family or friends trying to help someone who doesn’t realize they need it, Martins suggested taking baby steps toward the goal. The individual may not be willing to go into rehab, but they might be open to attending therapy. Talking about traumatic experiences in their past could help address the root cause of their addiction.

Martins stressed that there are no quick fixes for getting over addiction. It’s a long-term process that requires time and patience. Sometimes the first approach is reducing the substance — with the help of a medical professional — not removing it completely.

In spite of her own struggles, Frankum was always concerned about others, Brenton said. She thinks she would have wanted to share her story.

“Not for the attention part of it, but because she knew how hard her life was,” Brenton said. “And she always really wanted to help people.”

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