Ashley Luthern
Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ashley Luthern has covered public safety, crime and policing in Milwaukee since 2013 when she joined the Journal Sentinel staff. She was the Journal Sentinel's lead reporter on Precious Lives, a two-year collaboration between local media outlets exploring the causes and consequences of gun violence on youth in the city. That work was recognized with two first-place national awards from the Society for Features Journalism and was named a finalist for a Peabody Award. During the 2018-19 academic year, she was an O'Brien Fellow in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University where she investigated homicide clearance rates and what justice means for victims' families. The project was recognized with a first-place national Sigma Delta Chi Award for non-deadline reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists.
"Behind every case, behind every data point, was a person and a family," writes Ashley Luthern. "I wanted to make sure to honor the voices of the victims’ families and survivors throughout this project."
Uncover the silent epidemic: Domestic violence homicides in Milwaukee County. Shocking findings reveal the grim toll on victims, children, and bystanders. Explore the data behind the darkness.
At least 181 people, both children and adults, lost a parent in homicides related to domestic violence in Milwaukee County over the last seven years, according to a new analysis from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel undertook an analysis of homicides related to domestic, family and intimate partner violence in Milwaukee County from 2016 to 2022.
Domestic violence is taking a deadly toll in Milwaukee County and across the state. But there are dedicated advocates, survivors and other partners working to keep victims safe and interrupt the cycle of violence.
When Milwaukee officials announced a new program to help police identify who is most at risk to be killed by a partner in 2014, I thought it was the answer. Despite those efforts, people keep dying. Why?