By Mary Ann Cavazos (Contact)
Sunday, July 6, 2008

CORPUS CHRISTI — Help is available to victims of family or dating violence.

Local law enforcement and victim advocates try to spread that message, but they say it is especially vital for the community to know in light of two recent fatal shootings of area women, Norma Lopez, the owner of a local alterations business, and former Corpus Christi resident Danielle Vargas.

According to family members, police and court documents, abuse was a factor in their relationships with the men accused of killing them.

The first step to ending abuse starts with reporting the incidents to authorities, said Susana Villagran Majors, a senior victim case manager with the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Majors is part of the Victim Assistance Program, which started in 2001 under the department’s Family Violence Bureau. The bureau, which has nine detectives and three victim advocates, specializes in tackling cases in which a suspect is either a family member or close acquaintance.

Many times, victims don’t want to report abuse because they are unaware they have legal options and support available to them, Majors said. Victims can receive counseling, information on crime victims’ compensation and help with filing criminal charges or applying for protective orders through the assistance program.

Corpus Christi Caller Times