Overview
- Homicide detectives allege Lavanya Chappa was fatally stabbed at her Vermont home on Tuesday July 7 and her two children, aged 13 and seven, were in the house but were not physically harmed.
- Victoria Police have charged a 39-year-old man who they say was known to Ms Chappa and investigators are still clarifying the exact nature of their relationship.
- Some media reports have described the charged man as Ms Chappa’s husband and said he was taken to hospital under police guard, but those specific details have limited sourcing and remain unconfirmed by police.
- Ms Chappa’s family have flown in from India and her cousin’s online fundraiser has raised more than $47,000 to help her children and cover urgent costs.
- Advocacy groups and officials link the killing to a wider rise in domestic-violence homicides this year and are urging more funding and prevention measures to protect women and children.