INDIANAPOLIS — It's been a heartbreaking few days for families in central Indiana.
In the past week, three people were killed. All of these cases are related to, or being investigated as, situations of domestic violence or intimate partner violence. All the victims and the suspects are believed to have been in previous or current relationships.
"Everyone deserves a healthy, safe, happy household, and if you don't feel like that is your household, please reach out for help," said Kelly McBride, the executive director of the Domestic Violence Network.
On June 2, a woman was found dead in her apartment in Greenwood, allegedly shot by her coworker who she's believed to have been in a relationship with.
On June 3, a woman is alleged to have used GPS tracking to a north side bar where police said she ran over and killed her boyfriend.
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Tuesday morning, 27-year-old Kyle Rigdon was in court. He's accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend Kayla Bowling with his car while she was biking last Wednesday morning along South Rural Street. Court records show that this isn't the first time Rigdon, the driver of the vehicle, has been accused of hurting a partner.
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According to court records, Rigdon was arrested in 2017 for walking into an ex-girlfriend's home, pushing her face against the door and preventing her from leaving the room or calling police. He pleaded guilty to domestic battery and was given a year of probation. Court records show Rigdon violated that probation and received 60 days of community corrections home detention with GPS monitoring.
Now, three years later, police say Rigdon hurt and, this time, killed a different ex-girlfriend in a hit-and-run.
It's part of a growing trend of intimate partner abuse in central Indiana that advocates say hasn't gone down to pre-pandemic levels.
Three days, three people dead in central Indiana, allegedly at the hands of their current or former partners.
"It's a very concerning trend and it's heartbreaking because we know domestic violence is preventable, and all three of these homicides could have been prevented and those families wouldn't have had to lose a loved one and have their lives torn apart," McBride said.
MORE: Help and resources in the state of Indiana provided by the Indiana Coalition for Domestic Violence.
McBride said domestic violence reports skyrocketed during the pandemic. Isolation from quarantine, job loss and increased drug and alcohol use are believed to have contributed to that spike.
"We did see a huge increase during COVID, up 200% in some zip codes," McBride said. "We've seen a little dip recently but not enough to say it's decreasing by any means. We're still seeing quite a few calls to IMPD for assistance and we're seeing homicides continue to escalate, unfortunately."
A report released in April by the Domestic Violence Network found domestic violence-related calls made to IMPD jumped from more than 18,000 in 2019 to more than 30,000 in 2020.
And those numbers aren't dropping.
The Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported 98 intimate partner violence-related fatalities from 2020 to 2021, an 181% increase from the previous year.
These are numbers that, McBride said, could be much higher.
“Collecting data in this world is very challenging,” McBride said. "It's the most underreported crime there is. But we know 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men will be victims of domestic violence. So combine those, 1 in 5 people are affected by domestic violence. That's a lot of individuals, a lot of community members who are impacted."
IMPD reported domestic abuse reports involving intimate partnerships hit more than 6,000 in 2021, up from nearly 5,700 in 2020 and around 4,700 reports in 2019. And so far this year, they've already taken just over 2,400 reports.
McBride said if you believe you or your loved ones may be in danger, reach out for help. Resources are available and advocates are ready to help you and your family get to a safe place.
"It can be really scary making that first step. But it's so brave of individuals who do make that first step and just call," McBride said.
Rigdon was in court Tuesday morning, the first time he came before a judge since his arrest Friday for his alleged role in the hit-and-run that killed Kayla Bowling last week. A judge granted prosecutors a 72-hour delay to allow them more time to formally charge Rigdon for these events.
Domestic violence and intimate partner violence experts say warning signs to watch out for in relationships include the relationship moving too fast, controlling behaviors in your partner like what they wear and who you go out with or talk to and asking for your passwords or access to your social media.
If you are in need of shelter and have a pet you don't want to leave with your abuser, Beacon of Hope can help.
Other resources can be found at the Julian Center, Coburn Place and the Domestic Violence Network.
If you need immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.