U.S. Murder-Suicides Are More Common Than Thought

Follow Drugslib on

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 4, 2025.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, Aug. 4, 2025 — Murder-suicides — where a person kills one or more people before killing themselves soon after — are sensational, but very rare.

Or are they?

New research finds that these tragedies are occurring more often in the United States than has been recognized.

Many are taking place between intimate partners, according to a new study from Columbia University in New York City.

"Murder-suicide events involve a high level of violence with tragic consequences. We felt it was crucial to provide an updated assessment of how often these events occur in the United States, who is affected, and where they are happening. This information is vital for guiding effective prevention and intervention strategies,” said study lead author Katherine Keyes, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia.

Her team published its findings July 29 in JAMA Network Open.

The study was based on 2016-2022 data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, focused on 30 states.

A murder-suicide was defined as an event described by police reports and other information as one or more homicides, followed by the suspect’s suicide within a 24-hour period.

Overall, 5,743 deaths were linked to murder-suicides during the seven years studied — an average of 820 deaths annually— including 3,125 homicides and 2,618 suicides. White males made up the bulk of perpetrators.

Murder-suicide rates were highest in Alaska and Arizona, and lowest in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the team said.

“There is substantial variation in murder-suicide rates by state, which underscores the importance of tailoring prevention strategies to local conditions — such as gun legislation, mental health infrastructure, and domestic violence response systems,” Keyes said.

Children made up 14% of people killed. And in more than half of homicides, the victim was a current or former intimate partner of the perpetrator, Keyes’ team reported.

Guns were involved in nearly all perpetrator suicides.

What must be done to bring these numbers down?

“Given that the majority of victims were intimately connected to the perpetrator, strengthening domestic violence screening and intervention programs must be a top public health priority,” Keyes stressed in a Columbia news release. “And with nearly 90% of these events involving firearms, implementing and enforcing policies to restrict firearm access — such as extreme risk protection orders — may be especially effective in reducing these tragic outcomes.”

Sources

  • Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, news release, July 31, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-08-05 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords