Los Angeles has recorded a suspected murder-suicide every month of 2026 except August, and more than half occurred in Westside communities, according to the Westside Current, which first reported the pattern.

The cases span neighborhoods across the region. Nearly all involved couples ages 45 to 55, the Westside Current reported.

At the same time, homelessness among domestic violence survivors has surged. Nearly 5,700 people told the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count that domestic or intimate partner violence contributed to their homelessness, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). That figure represents a 43% increase from the prior year and more than double the number reported in 2020, the Westside Current reported in August.

Eli Veitzer, CEO of Jewish Family Services Los Angeles (JFSLA), told the Westside Current that fear of homelessness keeps survivors in dangerous situations. When victims are financially dependent on their abusers, Veitzer said, they may feel they can manage the abuse better than life on the streets.

Veitzer said the number of domestic violence shelter beds has declined over the past two decades. Funding has not kept pace with costs, he said, and shelters have closed as a result.

Transitional housing gap

The shortage is especially severe in transitional housing, which provides longer-term support so survivors can rebuild their lives. Emergency shelters offer immediate safety, but transitional beds are far fewer, Veitzer told the Westside Current.

"Many times, women can't find transitional housing," Veitzer said, according to the Westside Current. "That puts pressure on them, and they end up back because they've got nowhere to go."

Minah Jones, 49, who escaped a decade of abuse with her children two years ago, told the Westside Current she spent two months bouncing between hotel rooms before finding an emergency shelter. Most shelters she contacted were full. Some had two-year waitlists, Jones said.

Jones eventually secured a spot in a transitional shelter just before her emergency placement ended. She and her children graduated from the program, and Jones said the counseling, therapy and financial management services helped her family start over.

A pattern across LA

The Westside Current cataloged nine suspected murder-suicides across Los Angeles in 2026. Cases occurred in Lakewood, Santa Monica, Porter Ranch, Venice, North Hills, Canoga Park and Westwood.

In March, the LAPD reported that Robbery Homicide Division detectives were investigating the deaths of a married couple found inside a Porter Ranch residence on March 2. Officers discovered a 55-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man with apparent gunshot wounds.

Santa Monica recorded three suspected cases in 2026, according to the Westside Current's reporting.

National context

A Violence Policy Center (VPC) study released in April analyzed murder-suicides during the first half of 2025. The study estimated roughly 1,052 Americans died in murder-suicides that year. Sixty-five percent of cases involved an intimate partner, 87% involved a firearm, and 92% of the perpetrators were male, the VPC reported.

Funding strain

The housing shortage has been compounded by a federal funding freeze. JFSLA's Hope Transitional Shelter, which houses women and children fleeing domestic violence, saw its federal grant expire March 31. A replacement contract expected to begin April 1 was never executed, leaving the nonprofit operating without reimbursement, the Westside Current reported in August. Veitzer said the organization faced a funding shortfall exceeding $300,000.

The freeze stems from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) decision in June to suspend LAHSA from administering federal homelessness grants. HUD's Office of Inspector General had launched an investigation into alleged fraud and financial mismanagement at LAHSA. LAHSA has disputed the allegations and sued to restore funding.

The JFSLA 24-hour crisis hotline can be reached at (818) 505-0900 or (323) 681-2626. The LA County domestic violence hotline number is (800) 978-3600.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.