Domestic Violence Awareness Week: How you can get help

This week is Domestic Violence Awareness Week. One out of every four women will become a victim of domestic violence and sometimes and there are several red flags for individuals in an abusive relationship. For a local woman, this is an issue that is very close to her heart. Carrie Madden lost her 19 year-old daughter on July 14th, 2014- just eight days before her 20th Birthday when an ex-boyfriend shot and killed her. Madden spends her free-time speaking to groups about her daughter MacKenzie and her friend Jonathan Sadler who her ex-boyfriend also killed that night in Logan, UT where she was going to school.

“it was an emotional roller coaster for our family you know the start of our emotional roller coaster,” said Madden- who sometimes gracefully tells her daughters memory and other times finds it difficult to hold back the tears. “I’ll never have those hugs from her, ” Madden said as tears streamed down her face.

The night Kenzie Madden died she went on a date with Jonathan Sadler “we didn’t know she was going on this date but it all makes sense now,” said Madden. Kenzie’s ex-boyfriend kept sending her text messages throughout the night “they weren’t threatening, just sort of harrassing,” Madden explained. Jonathan walked Kenzie backed to her apartment “what they didn’t know was that he had already broken into the apartment and was standing outside Kenzie’s bedroom sending those last few texts with an A-K 47,” said Madden.

Kenzie, an aspiring police officer and FBI agent interned for the Logan Police Department in 2013. At 19 years old she was set to graduate shortly after her death, Utah State University awarded her two Bachelor’s Degrees. There is also a scholarship in Kenzie’s name at the University.

If you or someone you know needs help, the Idaho Falls Domestic Violence shelter runs a 24-hour crisis line 208-235-2412. There are also many resources on the National Network to End Domestic Violence including a list of several red flags for people in abusive relationships.

If you’d like to donate to help out Kenzie’s scholarship fund or the domestic violence shelter- visit this link