Source: Missouri had third-most domestic violence reports in US
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jasmine King, a 22-year-old Jefferson City woman, became a victim of deadly domestic violence Monday night when the father of her child stabbed her in her apartment bedroom, police say.
Sergio L. Sayles is charged with first-degree murder, armed-criminal action, evidence tampering and first-degree stalking. He remains in the Cole County Jail without bond.
King is just one of the 41.8% of women who experience partner physical violence, sexual violence or stalking each year in the state of Missouri, according to statistics aggregator World Population Review. The most recent available year for data is 2018, when Missouri had 45,548 reported domestic violence incidents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation states that in 2020, per 100,000 people, 400 people were victims of aggravated assault. This is a slight increase from 2019, when there were only 359. Missouri was also well above the average of reported cases in the United States for the rate of aggravated assaults, with the U.S. only reporting 279 per 100,000 people falling victim to aggravated assault.
The Jefferson City offers numerous resources to help provide aid for those who are victims of domestic violence. These include:
- The Rape and Abuse Crisis Service
- Mid-Missouri Legal Services
- The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
True North of Columbia also helps women experiencing domestic violence.
"Here at RACS (The Rape and Abuse Crisis Service) we have the 24-hour hotline," Angela Hirsch, executive director of the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, said. "We also offer crisis intervention services to survivors who maybe have admitted to a hospital or medical office for injuries. We can dispatch an advocate to work with that survivor at that medical facility, and we offer crisis intervention. We also have court based advocacy services for anybody going through either the civil court or criminal courts as a result of a domestic or sexual violence episode. We have counseling services that are available to survivors."
Hirsch said one-in-four women and one-in-seven men experience interpersonal violence at some point in their life.
The phone number for RACS's 24-hour hotline is (573) 634-4911 or 1-800-303-0013
