A Statement in Response to Domestic Abuse Death Review Team’s 2022 Annual Report by the Metro Office of Family Safety

“The 2022 annual report by Nashville’s Domestic Abuse Death Review Team (DADRT) echoes what our family has been saying since Debbie Sisco and Marie Varsos were murdered almost three years ago: the system does not work for domestic violence victims. This is no surprise to our family. Many of these findings were researched and shared by our family to the Metro Office of Family Safety more than two years ago, which clearly demonstrated current laws, rules, and procedures were not followed. The report should place more emphasis on enforcing current laws and procedures rather than the issue of firearm dispossession, for instance. While the need for firearm dispossession was a factor in Marie’s case, fundamental protocol failures allowed the offender to feel undeterred in attacking my sister and our family. Nevertheless, we are pleased the report recommends GPS monitoring for DV offenders, which the state legislature is currently considering.”

-Alex Youn, on behalf of the family of Debbie Sisco and Marie Varsos