View the original publication at SSN News

SARASOTA COUNTY – The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has given us a response following the Friday night murder-suicide in Venice, where a woman was fatally stabbed by her partner. 

The Sheriff’s Office tells SNN they do not have any record of the defendant contacting the agency to schedule a time to remove his personal property from the home. 

SPARCC in Sarasota County wants survivors in need they are not alone.

The Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center wants to ensure that anyone who needs help can find it here, no questions asked.

“We have an emotional support team here, we have counseling, we have an economic justice advocate as well that can assist a survivor to become independent financially, relocation services, and safety planning, we do a lot of safety planning,” said SPARCC Invest Advocate, Sigrid. 

SPARCC also has attorneys on hand to help survivors file injunctions on protections.

“We highly encourage survivors to come here and file an injunction for protection with us, rather than try and do it on their own, and with that they are eligible for legal representation to go to court with them,” said Sigrid. 

SPARCC wants to ensure language is never a barrier for survivors, the non-profit offers services in Spanish and will find a way to accommodate any other language. A shelter is also available for those in need for up to 8 weeks.

“The great thing about our shelter too is we are one of the few that have a kennel for animals, a lot of survivors are not going to leave their homes because pets are going to be abused or killed, if they leave them, they’re are afraid to abandon them so we have a kennel on sight at the shelter, sometimes that is the defining factor for survivors to leave their abusers,” said Sigrid. 

The free and confidential crisis helpline is available 24/7 for call and text at 941-365-1976.

If you feel you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.