Woman’s death in Wichita spotlights concern with rise in domestic violence cases

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Saturday’s death of a 19-year-old woman killed in Wichita and found in the trunk of a car is the latest case in a rising number of domestic violence cases. Police have ruled Zaiylah Bronson’s death over the weekend as a domestic violence homicide. Her family is now working to cover the cost of her funeral arrangements and burial expenses.

The Wichita Family Crisis Center, a provider of services for victims of domestic violence, said the number of incidents it’s seeing is concerning.

The family crisis center said, this summer, it’s seen the numbers increase, from those seeking shelter to also filing court orders. The answer to why this is happening has been elusive.

“That’s the never-ending question, is why these numbers are so high in our community and why they continue to increase,” said Wichita Family Crisis Center Executive Director Amanda Meyers. “We just don’t know.”

It’s been a busy few months for the center.

“It’s been a really rough summer,” Meyers said.

She said shelter stays are up 60% compared to last year. The Wichita Family Crisis Center provides one-on-one advocacy for safety planning and counseling.

“We know that there is such a need out there for help, for confidential shelter, for outreach, even for court advocacy,” Meyers said.

She said as those numbers grow, it also means more people seeking protective orders.

“The intensity of the kinds of situations we’re seeing have really grown. We are so grateful people are out there seeking protection orders or protection from stalking, protection from abuse,” Meyers said.

When Wichita police responded to an increase in violent crimes at the end of July, department leaders said domestic violence was an area seeing a jump in cases.

The most recent KBI domestic violence report for 2021 showed 22,593 domestic violence incidents in the state, equal to a domestic violence incident every 23 minutes. More than a quarter of those incidents happened in Sedgwick County.

“It may seem to be a situation of verbal abuse or financial abuse,” Meyers said. “If there is an exacerbating situation or circumstance that happens in the home or in the relationship, it can quickly escalate to severe physical violence.”

Meyers encourages anyone involved in a domestic violence situation or who knows someone in a domestic violence situation to reach out.

“It’s important to start and just have a conversation early,” she said.

If you’re in a life-threatening situation, call 911. There are also domestic violence hotlines including one for the Wichita Family Crisis Center, Crisis Line at 316-267-7233, or 316-267-SAFE. In Kansas, people can file for a protective order online at KSPOP.

You can find a list of more resources throughout the area below: