Waukesha domestic violence awareness display stolen
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha display honoring lives lost to domestic violence was targeted by a thief – a silhouette now missing.
Every year, Executive Director Angela Mancuso and volunteers with The Women's Center in Waukesha display life-sized cutouts of women who have died at the hands of their abusers.
"It’s really to create a conversation around domestic violence and the prevalence of it," said Mancuso.
It is a reminder of the dozens of lives lost in Waukesha County since the early 1990s. In 2020 alone, five additions were made to the memorial.
This week, Mancuso said someone stole one of the silhouettes right from the center's front lawn.
"When one is not here, we feel it," said Mancuso. "Bring her back. We want our silhouette back. She deserved better in her lifetime. She deserves better now."
The Women's Center domestic violence victim silhouette display.
Mancuso said the display went up on Friday, Oct. 1 and was taken at some point over the weekend. Each silhouette is marked with the date that the victim died.
The missing silhouette represents one of three women who died in the October 2012 shooting at Azana Spa in Brookfield.
"The reason we are so upset by this theft is because it was a human being," said Mancuso. "It was a person. She represented someone we all know. Someone who could be someone we all know."
The Women's Center domestic violence victim silhouette display.
The Women's Center said it helps, on average, 10,000 people per year. A lot of help comes through their 24-hour hotline – 262-542-3828.
Mancuso said whoever took the silhouette can return it undamaged, no questions asked.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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