LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – If 2025 ended today, Las Vegas would have seen a 30% spike in homicides tied to domestic violence, per crime statistics from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.
It reopens the issue of how prevalent domestic violence is throughout the Valley.
Liz Ortenberger knows that all too well.
“Nevada is the second most dangerous place in the country for domestic violence homicides. Clark County is the most dangerous county in the country, and Las Vegas is the most dangerous city in the country,” Ortenberger said.
Ortenberger has served as the CEO of SafeNest for the last eight years, leading the mission to protect survivors throughout Las Vegas and Clark County.
Speaking frankly, she feels there just aren’t enough resources currently allocated to support survivors.
“Because we don’t have state income tax and the way that the state is funded. Organizations working in this space generally tend to not have the resources to meet the need,” Ortenberger said.
According to Ortenberger, there were 42 deaths connected to domestic violence in 2024 and 56 in 2023.
She feels things could trend toward a record year in 2025 for DV homicides which has her pushing for more emphasis on the issue.
Specifically three elements: connecting with the youth, investing in treatment for abusive partners and better supporting the thousands of survivors that call the valley home.
“Youth kids growing up in domestic violence households are 76% of the time going to repeat that cycle. So working with Clark County School District, there is absolutely an opportunity to deliver hope inside the curriculum,” Ortenberger said.
“We have been working with abusive partners for 30 years. The root cause of domestic violence is an abusive partner, not a victim, not a survivor. And until we start actually putting resources into that space, we’re going to continue to struggle.”
“Last year we had 22,000 arrests in Clark County for DV. That means that there is give or take 22,000 survivors who need help and support, usually with children. Not usually, but about 50% of the time with children as well. So it’s a massive number of resources needed to support the currently traumatized population.”
For Ortenberger, discussing resources primarily comes down to more housing for survivors.
She feels county and city leaders prioritize the homeless issue which takes away from domestic violence prevention.
While understanding how important addressing homelessness is, Ortenberger would appreciate a more balanced approach to tackling both problems at hand.
“We know from a 2006 study by the ACLU that the number one cause for female and children homelessness is DVD’s,” Ortenberger said.
“There’s sort of needs to be an ability for those people making decisions at the county and the city level to walk backwards into the prevention space.”
Ortenberger told FOX5 there are roughly 160 confidential beds in Clark County to house domestic violence survivors.
She says they need close to 400 to properly support survivors in the valley.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
