If you noticed that there were quite a few family murders lately you are right. In December, there were several suspected murder-suicides in the US, commonly known as familicides.

These incidents, often (but not always) involving middle-aged men, were triggered by separations or divorces.

Experts have identified easy access to firearms and a lack of violence-interruption programs as contributing factors.

Throughout December, news of suspected murder-suicides spread across the country, from Hawaii to New York and Arizona to Massachusetts.

Some of these incidents involved children, while others involved spouses or intimate partners.

The frequency of these incidents prompted authorities and local officials to raise awareness about the domestic violence crisis and encourage victims to seek help.

Examples of these tragic incidents include a police sergeant in New York who allegedly shot his wife and two young sons before taking his own life.

In Massachusetts, a couple and their 18-year-old daughter were found dead in what prosecutors described as a deadly incident of domestic violence.

In another case, an Instagram influencer in Hawaii was fatally shot by her estranged husband in front of their young daughter before he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The National Institute of Justice defines murder-suicide as when one partner, often male, kills the other partner and then takes their own life.

When children are also killed, it is referred to as familicide.

Experts have highlighted the characteristics of murder-suicides, stating that the perpetrators are typically middle-aged men with access to firearms.

They often have a history of domestic violence, exhibit threatening behavior, and may have a history of mental illness or substance abuse.

Firearms play a significant role in these incidents, with 92% of murder-suicides being committed with guns.

Due to the rarity of murder-suicides, there is no official database tracking their frequency in the US.

However, experts believe that outreach workers, rather than law enforcement, could play a crucial role in interrupting violent events and addressing this issue.

They emphasize the need for violence-interruption programs that provide support and intervention to prevent these tragic incidents from occurring.

Teresa Ann Black is set to face trial in DeKalb County for the murder of her 6-year-old son, William Dashawn Hamilton, 25 years ago.

After a major breakthrough in the case, Black was arrested in 2022 and jury selection for her trial began on Tuesday.

The trial is the result of a long-standing cold case investigation that finally led to Black's arrest.

Hamilton's body was discovered in a DeKalb County cemetery in 1999 but remained unidentified until 2019 when a facial reconstruction helped reveal his identity.

The trial represents the culmination of years of effort and perseverance in solving the case.

In 2015, an elderly person going by Seven was buried in a Chicago Catholic cemetery with only a numbered cement cylinder as a marker.

However, the person's true identity was recently discovered by the Cook County sheriff's office using post-mortem fingerprints.

Seven was identified as Reba C. Bailey, a Women's Army Corps veteran who had been missing since the 1970s.

This discovery brings closure to Reba's relatives and friends, and investigators plan to honor her with a new gravestone and military honors.

The case has prompted efforts to change state law regarding missing persons identification.