Domestic violence was responsible for 36 percent of victim fatalities in Prince William County in 2024, surpassing the national average of about 20 percent. The county also recorded two perpetrator murder-suicides during that year. In response to these figures, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors has endorsed the formation of the Greater Prince William Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT). This new team will begin operations in early 2026 and will serve Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
The DVFRT is a multidisciplinary group tasked with reviewing closed cases involving domestic violence-related homicides and homicide-suicides within the county. Its objectives include analyzing case details, identifying system gaps, recognizing strengths, and developing recommendations to improve community responses and prevent future incidents.
Ahead of the team’s launch, the Office of Community Safety collected data on domestic violence-related fatalities to better understand contributing factors. The office received technical assistance from the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative to help define the mission for DVFRT. The team’s efforts also support plans to revive the county’s previously active Domestic Violence Council, which became inactive during and after the pandemic.
“The development of this domestic violence fatality review team is really part of our office’s larger effort in creating data informed pathways,” said Dr. Tauheeda Yasin, Director of the county’s Office of Community Safety. “The data we have compiled really proves that there is a need for further development of coordinated response pathways. What we’ve been working on is the improvement of the ecosystem around prevention and intervention, as well as risk identification.”
Deputy County Executive Dan Alexander described establishing DVFRT as a significant step toward building a safer community: “milestone in our work to build a safer, more resilient Prince William.” He added that “the review team is part of a larger council focus on a holistic approach to how we deal with domestic violence, and it certainly reflects our office’s role as convener and capacity builder across systems,” Alexander said. “It’s very inclusive in terms of process and who we’re going to involve in this work. Certainly, it will expand beyond that to other governmental and non-governmental entities … to work on this issue.”
Alexander noted that as more data becomes available through DVFRT’s activities, coordination among agencies should improve along with broader prevention efforts.
Rachel Taylor from the Office of Community Safety highlighted ongoing efforts: “At the Office of Community Safety, we joined with our community partners in addressing this critical issue by reviving domestic violence counseling, conducting domestic violence resource mapping and conducting a gap analysis,” she said. “We’ve identified that there are scarce resources for victims that are within our county.”
The initiative includes participation from various agencies such as law enforcement; advocacy organizations; health care providers; representatives from criminal justice services; ACTS; Prince William Health District; Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office; Department of Social Services; judiciary members; community-based programs; and others.
Prince William County Executive Christopher Shorter stated: “This team represents the kind of collaborative and forward-looking work that truly strengthens a community,” Shorter said. “By bringing partners together to study these cases through a modern, evidence-based lens, this innovative approach allows us to learn from the past and build safer pathways for residents across Prince William County.”
Residents seeking information or support regarding domestic violence can contact ACTS at actspwc.org/domestic-violence or visit pwcva.gov/ocs for details about services offered by the Office of Community Safety.
