For someone facing an abusive partner, the most dangerous step is often leaving. Unfortunately, Ohio’s latest domestic violence fatality data makes that reality even clearer.
According to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN), 134 people died in 101 domestic violence cases in Ohio between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. While that number is down from 157 deaths in 108 cases the year before, this statistic for the 2025-2026 reporting year still represents the second-highest total in the 11 years that ODVN has tracked these fatalities. In nearly half of these cases, the victim was trying to end the relationship.
For family law clients, these findings carry real weight. Moving out, filing for divorce, or seeking custody of shared children can raise the risk of violence when abuse is present in the relationship. Understanding the legal protections that are available, as well as how they work alongside a divorce or custody case, is an important part of leaving safely.
KJK has followed ODVN’s reports for several years, first in Behind Closed Doors: An Examination of Domestic Violence in Ohio (2021) and again in The Shadow Pandemic (2023). The pandemic-era spike the articles described has not receded. As revealed by ODVN’s 2025 – 2026 Report (the Report), the past two years are the deadliest that ODVN has recorded.
What the 2025-2026 Report Shows
The most striking finding concerns separation. In 49% of cases reflected in the Report, the victim was trying to leave the relationship when they were killed. Especially troubling, this statistic is up from 25% of cases the year before.
Firearms remain the leading cause of death, with the remaining deaths involving strangulation, stabbing, blunt force trauma, or traumatic brain injury.
Devastatingly, children continue to bear a heavy share of the harm. Five children were killed by a parent or stepparent, and three teenagers were killed by someone they were dating. As further described in the Report, fifty-three children witnessed a parent’s murder in connection with a domestic violence incident, which represents a 47% increase over the prior year. ODVN also reports that Ohio children witness domestic violence at a rate that is 28% higher than children nationwide.
Yet, despite these statistics, ODVN reports that the services that survivors and their families need to leave safely are already stretched extremely thin. According to Maria York, ODVN’s Director of Policy and Communications, nearly 19,000 survivors sought emergency shelter in Ohio in 2025, and more than half were turned away because no beds were available. Four domestic violence programs in rural Ohio, including parts of Appalachia and Western Ohio, have closed over the past four years.
The State’s Response
On October 22, 2026, Governor Mike DeWine announced new resources for survivors and the officers who respond to incidents of domestic violence. The announcement followed an Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) analysis of about two million violent crime arrests from 1974 to 2023. More than half of those arrests included a domestic violence charge, with domestic violence crime rates exceeding the state average in half of Ohio’s counties.
The new measures include $1 million for Ohio’s 55 OCJS-recognized domestic violence shelters, with each receiving a one-time grant of $18,000 for emergency housing and the immediate needs of survivors and their dependents. Additionally, three new grant programs will help law enforcement obtain ballistic shields for high-risk calls, train officers to assess a survivor’s risk of future abuse, connect high-risk survivors with advocates, and support partnerships that place victim advocates with officers at the scene. Governor DeWine also asked the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board to develop statewide guidelines for responding to and investigating domestic violence cases, drawing on the law enforcement handbook ODVN released in April.
These steps are a welcome development, though the shelter funding is modest against a system that turned away more than half of those who sought a bed last year.
At the Statehouse, at least two bills remain pending. Senate Bill 225, sponsored by Senator Susan Manchester, would expand eligibility for Ohio’s Address Confidentiality Program, which shields a participant’s home address from public records. SB 225 passed the Ohio Senate and is now pending before the Ohio House General Government Committee. House Bill 566, the Break the Silence Act, would require health care providers to screen privately for abuse and document related injuries when domestic violence is likely. HB 566 remains pending before the Ohio House Health Committee.
Leaving Safely: Legal Tools Available in Ohio
Because separation is often the most dangerous time, the legal steps a survivor takes when leaving should be coordinated alongside a safety plan, ideally with a trained advocate.
Civil Protection Orders
In Ohio, a domestic violence civil protection order (DVCPO) is a type of civil court order that can be issued to a victim of domestic violence and potentially other members of his or her household. In connection with a DVCPO request, the court holds an ex parte hearing the same day the petition is filed and may issue an immediate protection order (also known as an ex parte order). A full Hearing on the DVCPO then follows within seven or ten days thereafter, depending on the relief sought. If issued after a full Hearing, a DVCPO can last up to five years. In certain circumstances, a DVCPO can also address issues concerning temporary custody and parenting time, require the Respondent to maintain support, and give the survivor exclusive use of the home.
Temporary Protection Orders
When criminal charges are filed by the relevant prosecutor’s office against an accused perpetrator for an act of domestic violence, the criminal court may issue a temporary protection order (TPO). A TPO offers similar types of available relief as a DVCPO but is enforceable in the criminal matter. This, to some extent, gives a TPO more “teeth” in terms of enforcement. A TPO generally lasts only as long as the criminal domestic violence. Ultimately, at the conclusion of a criminal domestic violence matter, the court will be required to determine whether the accused perpetrator is guilty or not guilty of criminal domestic violence, and thereafter, issue sentencing and potentially other orders depending on the outcome.
Divorce and Custody
A survivor who is leaving a marriage or a shared household with children should coordinate any protection order with the divorce or custody case. In allocating parental rights, Ohio courts must consider a parent’s history of domestic violence as part of the child’s best interest. Survivors who fear being located may also apply for Ohio’s existing Address Confidentiality Program through the Ohio Secretary of State.
A court order is an important tool, but it is not a guarantee of safety. It works best as one part of a broader plan that includes advocates, law enforcement, and trusted people in the survivor’s life.
Next Steps
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available 24/7. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or thehotline.org. In Northeast Ohio, the Journey Center for Safety and Healing operates a 24-hour helpline at 216-391-HELP (4357). Survivors elsewhere in Ohio can find local programs through the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Even when shelter space is limited, advocates can still help with safety planning and connect survivors with other resources. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you have questions about a protection order, or about how domestic violence may affect a divorce or custody matter, please contact Janet Stewert Scalley (JS@kjk.com) or anyone in KJK’s Family Law Practice group.