Violence Free Iowa has released the latest numbers on domestic violence deaths in Iowa. Spokesperson Ruxandra Marcu says the covers the 2025 fiscal year from October 2024 through September 2025.
Marcu says one pattern that sticks out is there were five victims younger than five years old.
She says the impact on children extends beyond the ones who are killed.
She says men continue to be the main figure carrying out the violence.
Marcu says every one of the five murder suicides were carried out by a man, using a firearm in each instance. Marcu says it is important to recognize that domestic violence can impact anyone and everyone, regardless of gender and age, but there is a clear pattern of men and boys being the primary aggressors.
She says 46% of the homicides were carried out with guns. The Iowa Attorney General’s office published domestic violence-related homicide information from 1995 through 2021. Violence Free Iowa, which had formerly been called the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, took over the reporting in 2025.
