Domestic Violence Headline News For the Week of Jan. 27, 2025

Mother of Two Still Missing in Michigan, Ex-Boyfriend Arrested

Ashley Elkins, 30, was last seen on Jan. 2 when she left her Warren, Mich., home around 8:30 a.m. to run errands. The hairstylist and mother of two young sons never returned home. The next day, her family reported her missing. Five days later, on Jan. 8, police arrested Elkins ex-boyfriend, DeAndre Howard Booker, 32, from nearby Roseville after authorities say he lied to police. 

Lieutenant John Gajewski with the Warren Police Department told PEOPLE magazine that authorities suspected a “crime of violence took place in Roseville” following a search of Booker’s home. On Jan. 8, Booker was charged with premeditated murder, evidence tampering, dismembering and mutilation of a corpse and concealing a death, though Elkins’ body has yet to be found. Nearly 50 police searched a landfill mid-January after they said evidence led them to believe they may find Elkins remains there. 

Elkins’ mother, Monika, told a local news station that she believed that before her daughter went missing, Booker had scheduled a hair appointment under a fake name, showing up at Elkins’ home, though he left after Elkins didn’t open the door. Stalking is a common tactic abusers utilize after a survivor leaves the relationship and is a serious red flag indicating escalation. Current or former intimate partners are responsible for 61 percent of stalking cases where a woman is the target. While stalking is illegal in all 50 states, statistics show less than 40 percent of stalking victims will report the crime to law enforcement, often because they’re afraid it won’t be taken seriously. 

Research from the National Institutes of Justice found 71 percent of stalkers whose victims are current or former partners ended up following through on threats of violence, assaulting their victims. For more information on stalking, read our guide on DomesticShelters.org, “What Is Stalking?”

Monika told PEOPLE that Elkins’ 7-year-old son continues to ask if his mother is coming home while the victim’s 10-year-old son is suffering nightmares. Children as young as 4 can suffer from PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms can include nightmares, as well as irritability, social withdrawal, problems with concentration, insomnia and persistent worry that the world is unsafe. For more information, read “Does PTSD Look Different in Adults and Children?” Elkins’ family has set up a GoFundMe for the two boys. 

Booker remains in jail on a $250,000 bond. 

Source: PEOPLE 

Father Murders 14-Year-Old Daughter Claiming “Honor Killing” 

Hira Anwar’s father claims his 14-year-old daughter, born and raised in New York, brought shame to the family by posting what he considered to be “objectionable” TikToks, as well as disagreeing with her clothing and lifestyle choices. On Jan. 27, Anwar-ul-Haq fatally shot his daughter in Quetta, Pakistan, luring his daughter there under the pretense of a family vacation. 

The horrific violence inflicted against women isn’t only limited to intimate partner abuse. In some cultures, “honor killings” are still practiced, perceived as a right parents have when their child, usually their daughter, dishonors them in a public way. This may be from refusing an arranged marriage, having sex outside of or before marriage, or getting divorced. Misogyny plays a prominent role in reinforcing sexist stereotypes, which often escalates into violence against women who do not adhere to these gender roles. For more information, read “What Fuels Domestic Violence? Part 2: Misogyny.”

Despite a 2016 law in Pakistan enforcing mandatory 25-year prison sentences for honor killings, these types of murders persist, with perpetrators utilizing loopholes in the law that allow family members to pardon murderers. That, and the fact that many honor killings often go unreported or are classified as suicides or natural causes, continues to make this type of misogyny-fueled crime hard to prosecute. For more information, read “The Barriers for South Asian Survivors.”

Source: New York Times

Two Young Girls Located After Father Kills Mother, Abducts Them

The two young daughters of a slain woman in Hanford, Calif., were found safe on Thursday and the man accused of kidnapping them and killing their mother was arrested. An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday for 3-year-old Arya Maldonado and 2-year-old Alana Maldonado after King’s County Sheriff’s Office found their mother dead from a gunshot wound in their home and the girls missing. Their father, 23-year-old Jonathan Maldonado Cruz, was believed to be fleeing with the girls to Mexico.

According to Everytown.org, an organization working to end gun violence, 70 women are shot and killed by a partner every month, and 4.5 million women in the U.S. have been threatened by an intimate partner with a gun. Additionally, a domestic violence survivor is five times more likely to be killed by an abuser when there’s access to a firearm.

Leaving an abuser when you share children can be especially complicated. Abusers who feel they are losing control of their partner may use the children as pawns to trap the survivor indefinitely. Survivors should always take threats of violence against their children seriously and talk to a trained domestic violence advocate about safety planning. For more information, read, “How to Escape an Abuser With Your Children.”

Source: Desert Sun

New Jersey Man Fatally Stabs Ex-Girlfriend and Her Two Children 

Napoleon Romero-Anduray, 31, was arrested Thursday in New Jersey, accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Luisa Urbano, 31, and her two young children, Juan Martin Urbano, 9 and Diana Ramirez, 5. The bodies of the three victims were discovered just after midnight on Wednesday when neighbors called to report a stabbing. Police say Romero-Anduray also tried to stab himself. Neighbors say that Urbano was dating the man but that the four individuals appeared to be “a happy family.” A GoFundMe, set up by a woman who says she’s the aunt of Urbano, called Romero-Anduray her niece’s ex-partner. 

Leaving an abusive partner is often the most dangerous time for survivors. Read “Will My Partner Be Violent After I Leave?” for more information. Survivors should always consider creating a safety plan with a trained domestic violence advocate before leaving an abusive partner. 

Source: Yahoo.com