Article: Domestic Violence on the Rise? How You Can Find Help

SHAWNEE, Kan. — Police in the metro have recently worked several cases where it appears domestic violence led to death. A local advocate for abuse victims says there’s more of a chance of things turning deadly after a victim decides to leave the relationship.
A woman managed to escape a situation where she was held against her will inside a home at 81st & McGee in Kansas City. She told police her ex-boyfriend, Antonio Pena, had been holding her hostage. She said Pena beat and threatened to kill her.
Prosecutors recently charged Roger Chandler with second-degree murder. He admitted to police he beat his girlfriend, Gwendolyn Pahmeyer, before going to bed. He found her dead the next morning. Now, it appears that Lenexa police’s latest death investigation could be domestic violence-related. On Wednesday, Police arrested Dominic Camacho and are holding him on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Leslie Camacho. Her body was found in their home early Wednesday morning.
Local victims’ advocates say domestic violence is an ongoing problem.
“Last year we turned away more women and children than we were actually able to serve in the shelter,” said Ilene Shehan with Hope House.
Shehan says an even bigger problem is that the situation gets deadlier when victims decide they want out of the relationship.
“When a woman leave a relationship she is 75 percent more likely to be killed leaving the situation than she is if she stays in that situation,” Shehan said. “That’s because the abusive partner is losing control, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get that control back.”
Shehan says that statistic shouldn’t scare victims, but rather highlights the need for help.
“There are agencies, there are people out there who can assist them. They just need to make that call,” she said.
People at Hope House say you don’t even need to come to the shelter for help. Just make a call. Hope House may be contacted at 816.461.4188. Other domestic violence hotlines include: 816.461.HOPE and 816.HOTLINE.