To our readers: Please don’t look away from domestic violence
What our reporters found in an in-depth investigation into domestic violence is not pretty. It will be difficult for many of you to read.
Living in Fear: Resources for where to get help, or how to provide help
A collection of local resources related to domestic violence in Springfield and Greene County.
Living in Fear Part I: Black eye for Greene County
Living in Fear: Breadth and terror of domestic violence is everyday occurrence in Greene County
Domestic violence is a black eye for Springfield and Greene County. It affects thousands of lives here every year — yet a major obstacle to addressing it is that many people still don’t believe it’s widespread or much of an issue.
Living in Fear: Slide show provides excerpts from police reports
Court records provide a bleak and disturbing look at what happens across Greene County on a daily basis.
Springfield No. 1 in state for rate of reported domestic violence: Is that a good thing?
Data gathered by the Springfield Daily Citizen confirm the persistent belief by some that the city is the state’s hotbed of domestic violence — while others say the numbers don’t necessarily prove domestic violence is more common here than in other major cities in Missouri.
Deadly force: Strangulation is among most dangerous and lethal forms of domestic violence
Strangulation is one of the most abusive and lethal ways to demonstrate power and control in domestic violence situations. It is also among the most common. In local cases from 2022 reviewed by the Springfield Daily Citizen, about one-third of defendants were accused of strangling the victim.
Domestic violence calls pose uncertainty and danger for officers and victims
Springfield Daily Citizen reporters Steve Pokin and Jackie Rehwald rode with separate Springfield police officers on Easter — Sunday, April 9 — to observe officers Jeff Hook and Landon Hugo respond to emergency calls of domestic violence.
Domestic violence escalates, sometimes leading to deaths
Over the past five years, there have been at least 16 homicides or murder-suicides in Springfield that investigators say were domestic assaults.
Police gauge potential risk of murder with lethality assessment
Springfield police use what is called a “danger assessment” or a “lethality assessment” as a tool to quickly determine how likely it is a victim of domestic violence will be killed by their intimate partner.
Living in Fear Part II: Obstacles to leaving
Living in Fear: Laws protecting rights for both parents put domestic violence victims in a bind
When Missouri legislators changed family law in 2016 to prioritize co-parenting and focus on “frequent, continuing and meaningful contact” by both parents, critics say they opened a door that gives hardcore abusers the opportunity to continue the cycle of domestic violence.
Pregnancy is a dangerous time for women in abusive relationships
Domestic violence usually continues or increases during pregnancy, according to in-depth studies and local prosecutors.
RELATED PODCAST
Podcast: Behind the scenes of Living in Fear
Daily Citizen reporters Jackie Rehwald and Steve Pokin join Tom to discuss their investigation of domestic violence in Greene County. While abuse affects thousands of lives here every year, many people still don’t believe it’s widespread or much of an issue. LISTEN HERE.
Fear, and pressure not to snitch, often lead domestic violence victims to clam up — and charges to be dropped
Prosecutors say charges are often dropped in domestic violence cases because the victim declines to testify. Victims decide not to cooperate as often as 80 percent of the time after charges are filed.
Reporter’s notebook: Courtroom staredown shows why victims don’t always want to cooperate
After a recent courtroom experience, Reporter Jackie Rehwald says she better understands that victims of domestic abuse are reluctant to cooperate with prosecutors — they are genuinely afraid for their lives, and for their children’s lives.
Domestic violence takes many forms, but key is ‘the abuser wants to control the victim’
Domestic violence does not always just manifest itself in physical abuse. Victims often fail to realize all of the ways their abuser is exercising power and control over them.
Caught in the domestic violence crossfire: children at risk even when not the target of abuse
Experts say growing up in a home with domestic violence can lead to a cycle of abuse in which that child becomes a victim, or a perpetrator, later in life. This is just one of the many negative impacts domestic violence can have on children.
Pets are often collateral damage in abusive relationships
Abusers often use pets — including acts of cruelty — to control and abuse their victims, according to those who work with victims attempting to flee.
RELATED PODCAST
Podcast: Helping women get back on their feet after domestic abuse
Christina Ford and In Our Town Host Tom Carlson discuss her experience with abuse and how her Rebound Foundation helps women get back on their feet. LISTEN HERE
related columnS
Opinion: Someone you know is Living in Fear
I’m not someone who fits the idea you might have of a person who’s experienced any kind of intimate partner violence. But looks can be deceiving. It can happen to anyone.
Opinion: Broach the tough subject of domestic violence and ask ‘Are you good?’
After reading the first part of the Springfield Daily Citizen’s four-part “Living in Fear” series on domestic violence, I am shocked to know this rampantly continues in our community. We need to be willing to raise the issue with close family and friends to be sure they are OK.
previous daily citizen coverage on domestic abuse
Business community rallies to support shelter for domestic violence in iCare campaign
With Domestic Violence Awareness month just around the corner, Harmony House — Greene County’s only shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children — is again putting the issue in peoples’ faces with its eighth annual iCare campaign.
Pastors unwittingly send women back to abusers, domestic violence survivors say
Lisa Saylor, a domestic violence survivor, recalled going to her pastor years ago and telling him about the abuse she suffered at home. “The pastor asked about specifics,” Saylor said. “I didn’t hide anything from him. And so, in his knowledge which was very limited, he brought my abuser — my husband — into the…
Fewer spots will be permanent at Harmony House amid program revamp
Harmony House, Greene County’s only shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children, has been operating at reduced capacity the past two years to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite having to turn more victims away, the staff at Harmony House discovered they are now able to increase and improve the quality of services…
Coming up in Living in Fear series
- Part III: Systemic issues, to be published in early June, puts a focus on the criminal justice system and potential shortcomings.
- Part IV: Searching for solutions, to be published in late June, taps local, regional and national experts in search of ways to improve the system and reduce domestic violence.
We welcome your feedback. You can contact Steve Pokin or Jackie Rehwald through information included with each story, or you can email Chief Executive Officer David Stoeffler at dstoeffler@sgfcitizen.org or phone 417-837-3664. Or consider writing a letter to the editor to share your views.