The Shadow Pandemic: domestic violence reports still high 3 years after COVID-19 spike

CLEVELAND — Domestic violence experts say rates remain high three years after a pandemic spike, including in Northeast Ohio.

Melissa Graves, CEO of Journey Center for Safety and Healing, which provides counseling, shelter, and several other supports and services for domestic violence victims, said, "It has stayed there since COVID. It hasn't gone back down."

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine also found "alarming trends" emerged during the pandemic, including increased calls for help and arrests.

The United Nations referred to the increase in reports of domestic violence, particularly among women and girls, as "The Shadow Pandemic."

Lethality risk

Graves said survivors the agency assists fill out a 20-question Danger Assessment, which determines how likely they are to be murdered by their abuser.

Prior to the pandemic, Graves said the average score was 16.2.

Now, it's 19.6, "which is at extremely high risk that the situation is going to escalate to murder," she said.

Strangulation

Just as troubling, is the number of defendants charged under Ohio's new felony strangulation law. It took effect in April.

By the end of June, News 5 found at least 160 defendants in seven Northeast Ohio counties were charged with the crime.

114 of the defendants were in Cuyahoga County.

Non-fatal strangulation puts its victims at a 750% increased risk of being murdered.

A study found "Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with... over seven-fold odds of becoming a completed homicide."

"It's really dangerous in causing lethality and severe brain injury for the rest of your life," Graves said.

Homicides

Most troubling of all, is the number of domestic violence-related deaths in Ohio since the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, which tracks domestic violence homicides in the state, said Ohio is on track to meet or exceed the previous year's total.

It found between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, there were 112 domestic violence-related deaths in Ohio.

The total does not include the recent murder-suicide at a Giant Eagle supermarket in North Olmsted in June.

North Olmsted Police said Bernard Smith, 60, shot and killed his ex-wife, Susan Petterson, 63, inside the store, where she was working as a cashier.

Leslie's story

Leslie Terry said she could have one of those victims. During a nearly decade-long relationship, she said her former boyfriend repeatedly beat her.

"No matter what, if he would get upset, he would put his hands on me," she said.

She said she didn't know just how dangerous he was until a violent fight on a summer night many years ago. Terry said her ex-boyfriend strangled her until she blacked out.

"When I woke up, I didn’t know where I was at," she said. "It could have been fatal."

She said the attack left her with two black eyes.

Despite the evidence, she said she lied when her boss asked her if she was being physically abused.

"I was embarrassed," she said.

Leslie and her abuser's relationship eventually ended when he left their home. She now speaks out to encourage other victims to seek help and to give them hope for their futures.

She even wrote a book about her experiences titled, "My Story, My Life." It's a story she said she almost didn't get to tell.

"I'm just lucky I survived," she said.