Nine people in the Rio Grande Valley were killed by their partners in 2025. That is what the Honoring Texas Victims Report says. The Texas Council on Family Violence put it out last week.
Five of the victims were in Hidalgo County. Three were women and two were men. Three victims were in Cameron County. All three were women. One man was killed in Willacy County.
In 45 Texas counties, there was at least one killing like this. Hidalgo tied for seventh with Bell and Denton counties. Cameron tied for 10th with several other counties.
Across Texas, 160 people were killed by a current or former partner in 2025. Of those, 136 were women and 24 were men. The year before, the count was 161. The council warns that a drop of one does not prove violence is going down.
The report says 69.3 percent of the deaths involved guns. It says 33.8 percent were murder-suicides. More than half happened in a home the victim shared with the killer. Five victims were pregnant. The report says 128 children lost one or both parents.
The council named warning signs that came before many of these killings. They include access to guns. They include a breakup or an attempt to leave. They include stalking and threats to kill. They include threats of suicide, earlier attacks, and choking. They also include controlling behavior and rising violence. Another is breaking a protective order.
In some cases, the victim or the abuser had contact with police, courts, or doctors before the killing. Sometimes both did. The report calls these chances to step in.
Rosie Martinez is a director at the council. "Data does not lie," she said. "We know the numbers are there. We know the statistics."
She said money should not be used only after a death. "We need to use this to prevent," she said.
The council says its counts may miss some cases. It says no single statewide source tracks every one of these killings. It says uneven record keeping makes them harder to spot.
On Monday, District Attorney Terry Palacios spoke about a task force. He leads the Hidalgo County DA's office. He described an effort in 2025 to start the group with Mujeres Unidas. It would bring together prosecutors, investigators, advocates, and community leaders. Its job is to spot cases that could turn deadly.
"We haven't met too many times," Palacios said. "But we need to."
Palacios wants to track cases and build "identifiers" that flag serious violence or death. He wants to stop treating each assault or police call alone. He also wants police to log how many calls come from one home, even when no charges are filed.
Help is available. Mujeres Unidas offers emergency shelter and safety planning. It also offers counseling, legal help, and housing help. It helps sexual assault victims too. The crisis hotline is (956) 630-4878. It answers 24 hours a day.
