According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, of the 1.5 million women sexually or physically assaulted by an intimate partner in 2015, 324,000 were pregnant when attacked, or about 21 percent.

Crystal Taylor was one of these women, and it took her family decades before they brought her killer to justice. If you’re a Dateline fan like me, you saw Crystal Taylor’s story last Sunday. Her sisters said Crystal told them when she got pregnant, “If anything happens to me, it’s Derek (her boyfriend and unborn baby’s father). ” Her sisters didn’t pay attention to this comment – until Crystal turned up dead. If you know someone who is in this situation or if you are, you are not alone. Say something. Tell someone.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month in the U.S. Many women, especially pregnant women, are in precarious situations.  To read more on the topic of maternal mortality in the U.S. in the Women’s Health article: “Death By Pregnancy: Why Are So Many Moms-To-Be Dying?” For more on Crystal’s story, click on the trailer.