Across Maryland, domestic violence advocates say the situation is getting deadlier and more desperate. Shelters and hotlines are juggling more high-risk cases, communities are mourning a string of intimate-partner killings, and several apparent murder-suicides this month have put a harsh spotlight on what experts call longstanding blind spots in how the state handles abuse. Survivors' groups and public-health officials warn the numbers point to both an uptick in violence and stubborn gaps in emergency housing and long-term support.
State numbers and recent cases
According to CBS Baltimore, the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence has recorded 47 deaths this year that were directly tied to intimate-partner violence, an increase from last year. The outlet reports that nearly 37% of those cases involved a suicide or attempted suicide.
In testimony to the Maryland General Assembly, MNADV reported 41 intimate-partner homicides in 2024 and said that 94% of murder-suicide cases involved a firearm.
One-day counts show rising demand
The strain on support systems is showing up in daily operations too. In a national, one-day survey of Maryland service providers, more people turned up seeking help in 2025 than in 2024. The National Network to End Domestic Violence's Maryland snapshot found that 1,449 victims were served on Sept. 10, 2025, compared with 1,229 on the survey day the year before.
Programs also logged 318 hotline contacts during the 2025 survey day and continued to report turning people away from emergency shelter and housing due to lack of space, a signal advocates say that local safety nets are still stretched thin.
Warning signs advocates want you to know
Tania Araya, director of programming at TurnAround Inc., told CBS Baltimore that "we see this more than we would like" and urged friends, family members, and health-care workers not to overlook early red flags.
Advocates say warning signs can include escalating isolation from friends and relatives, controlling behavior around money, transportation, or communication, and sudden spikes in anxiety or fear. TurnAround and other Maryland programs offer crisis lines, safety planning, and referrals to shelter, and their staff pages list services and contact options for survivors who are ready to reach out.
Policy and prevention
Public-health officials and lawmakers argue that stopping these deaths will take both stronger survivor services and better systems for spotting high-risk cases before they turn lethal. The Maryland Department of Health's violence-prevention fact sheet notes that roughly 65% of intimate-partner homicides from 2019 to 2023 involved firearms and points to the state's violent-death reporting system as a key way to monitor trends.
At the State House, advocates have pushed for expanded domestic-violence fatality review and more robust collection of data related to suicide and abuse. Those priorities were among the measures the state coalition emphasized in its testimony on HB 1012, arguing that better information could help shape smarter, life-saving interventions.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential support and referrals, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 or online at TheHotline.org. The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence maintains statewide resources at MNADV.
