LITTLE ROCK, Ark — One in three women will be victims of physical abuse at the hands of a partner and many domestic violence situations are unreported.
31-year-old Shunterris Salter's family said they had no idea the severity of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Malcolm Ester. All they knew was that she had broke up with him Monday, September 13th.
Later that week she and her 8-year-old son JaMichael Petty were gone.
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Emotional cries filled a church in Helena, the hometown of Salter and Petty.
Ebony Elder, Salter's cousin, was tearful in remembering her.
"Terri would just be like, 'That's my cousin! That's my cousin! I mean she was just so extra and we would talk about everything, and I mean she was everything," said Elder.
She remembered being pregnant at the same time as her cousin.
She said Salter was pregnant with her daughter, Tyriona. The now 10-year-old who listened to the story stoically on the front pew of the church.
"JaMichael? I mean the boy was everything. He was like a little chocolate teddy bear. He was so sweet. JT was everything and then before COVID, we had the last little Thanksgiving at my house in Texas and he was like, 'My momma can't cook, she can just cook chicken,'" recounted Elder.
Salter and Petty were both shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend Malcolm Ester near their west Little Rock home. Family said the incident happened after Salter wanted to end the relationship.
Ester had previous run-ins with the law.
A protection order was filed in 2019 by another woman who accused him of stalking her, threatening her via text, and stealing her phone after the two were no longer in a relationship.
This is a common theme for abusers, according to the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The organization provides technical assistance, support, and training to domestic violence shelters statewide. They also provide trainings to law enforcement and medical professionals.
Executive Director, Beth Goodrich said they focus work on policy developments for any cause catered to abuse victims.
"If they’re thinking about leaving a situation, victims are 75 times more likely to be killed while they’re leaving or in the short time following leaving their abusers,” said Goodrich.
Lines of family and friends mourned as they said their goodbyes for the last time. 10-year-old Tyriona was notably quiet and took her time laying across her mother's casket before it was finally closed.
"People who have lost someone to domestic violence are probably going to question everything that they knew. They're going to go over and over in their mind what they could have done, what could have been different," said Goodrich.
"This crime, this tragedy is not your fault. It was not the fault of the person who was killed. It was 100% the fault of the person who chose to take their life."
Christopher Ramsey is the executive director of the Union Rescue Mission in Little Rock.
He said for situations like Salter's, the usual signs weren't there for others to notice.
"There are lasting psychological triggers that exist in the individual after they experience domestic violence that can be haunting. One can be door closing and they become terrified. They hear a car pull-up in the driveway, even if they find their way to safety," said Ramsey.
He said the effects of domestic abuse, particularly when there is a fatality, is the generational impact being seismic.
For children like Tyriona to be witnesses to the aftermath of those fatalities means there's a long road ahead for healing and recovery.
The three main types of abuse someone can experience is mental, physical, and emotional. Some of the signs of abuse to watch out for are isolation, humiliation, and physical aggression.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is: 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233).