Notes on these reports

Data relating to domestic violence can be difficult to acquire; sometimes the whole picture is simply not uncovered. The Domestic Violence Fatality Review Panel reviews cases where the manner of death is classified by the OCME as homicide, suicide, undetermined, or accident.

The majority of cases the panel reviews falls into the following categories:

• Homicide committed by current or former intimate partner, current or former roommate, or family member following an act of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking, with or without a prior domestic violence history;
• Homicide of an abuse perpetrator* following an act of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking incident to include those caused by officer-involved shootings or bystander intervention;
• Suicide committed by a victim following an act of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking; and
• Suicide committed by a perpetrator following an act of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking.

*Because this data includes the deaths of perpetrators (not solely the deaths of abuse victims), and because it is aggregated and not personally identifiable, this data can be murky to interpret. However, these three things are true:

1. Whether the victims of intimate partner violence identify as women, men, or nonbinary, the majority of perpetrators are typically identified as men, with some studies placing the number as high as 95%.
2. Men are also less likely to report being victims of intimate partner violence, just as LGBTQIA+ individuals consistently underreport their abuse.
3. There is no gender immune to domestic violence. For more information, please read our LGBTQIA+ research page.

Finally, please note that the year the report was released/is dated is not the same as the year from which the data is reviewed. Details are in each individual report above.