Recently, a wife and mother was set to leave her husband and move with her three children into a new home. Her estranged husband was to help her move belongings out. The couple had problems, some of which had led to police calls, but no charges or arrests. Before she could move out, however, he killed her and their children.

Also recently, a man with a history of domestic violence allegedly tracked his girlfriend down to where she was hiding after fleeing his abuse, murdered the family of five sheltering her, and then kidnapped her and the infant child of one of his victims.

Unfortunately, the time when a victim of domestic violence is leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous time for the victim. The following are some resources of information for a victim of domestic violence contemplating moving out of the domestic violence situation.
When possible, it is very helpful to have a safety plan in place before going anywhere.

The following is link to helpful information about coming up with a safety plan. http://www.womenslaw.org/laws_state_type.php?id=13422&state_code=PG

In Kentucky, you can obtain a protective order 24 hours a day.
Only if it can be done safely, it can also be useful to discuss options with an attorney before pursuing a course of action. This is not always possible, though, and should only be pursued as an option if it does not endanger the victim.

A 24 hour domestic violence hotline is available at 1-800-544-2022.

In Lexington, Kentucky, Greenhouse 17 is a good resource. http://greenhouse17.org/

In addition, the following is a link to a variety of general domestic violence information and resources for Kentucky:
http://chfs.ky.gov/dcbs/dpp/linksforprevention.htm