Lacey Jones-McKnight death highlights need for violence prevention: officials - MetroNews Canada

In the wake of the recent murder of Lacey Jones-McKnight, officials said Thursday there's no better time to draw awareness to the issue of family violence.

Jones-McKnight was found dead in the car of her ex-fiancé on Oct. 25. Kristopher (Tray) Guenther is facing second-degree murder charges.

Abuse survivor Melody Bunt Witwer took time to reflect during a prevention campaign launch that she too could have been the victim of a homicide had she not had the support of a friend to help her out of her marriage.

"I think it just emphasizes the need for all of the resources that are available and the continued need to promote it and get the word out…so people know what to access before it escalates to that situation," she said.

As November is Family Violence Prevention Month, HomeFront executive director Kevin McNichol said the most important message is encouraging people experiencing violence to come forward.

"When we know, we can intervene and help change the outcome of some of these situations."

In the case of Jones-McKnight, police had dealings with the couple in the past but Police Chief Rick Hanson said earlier this week, there were no indication it was a high-risk situation.

"We self-reflect a lot when these things happen," said superintendent in charge of the specialized investigation division Sat Parhar. "It's been really hard on our communities and hard on our police officers."

Violence statistics:

• In 2011, the Calgary Police Service received around16,500 domestic violence calls.
• Only 3,700 of those calls led to criminal charges.
• About 200,000 adults report spousal abuse each year in Alberta, according to the Calgary Domestic Violence Committee (CDVC).