6 women, 10 days. A national crisis.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of domestic violence that may be distressing to some readers.

Update: Since this story first went live, it has been reported that another woman has been killed in Muswellbrook, NSW, yesterday. A woman known to her is reportedly in custody. She is the sixth woman to be killed in 10 days in Australia, and the 58th woman killed in 2023.

On Monday morning, a woman's body was found at the Crown Towers hotel in Perth. 

A 42-year-old man who was known to the woman was also found with self-inflicted injuries. He was taken to hospital and is currently in police custody.

While the details of the woman's death are still under investigation, it is now known her name was Alice Rose McShera – a 34-year-old family law barrister. We don't know her passions, her hopes or her dreams. We don't know if she was a mother, or a sister, or a beloved daughter, granddaughter or niece. But one thing is already known: she is the fifth of six women to be killed in Australia in 10 days.

"Alice spent her life trying to help women going through brutal family law and domestic violence experiences, only to have her future snuffed out," journalist and femicide researcher Sherele Moody shared on X (formerly Twitter).

Less than 24 hours earlier, on Sunday night in Bendigo, Analyn Osias, known as Logee, was found unresponsive in a home along with two uninjured children.

We know that Logee was a mother of four who was later described by a close friend as a wonderful mother who did "everything" for her children.

She was taken to hospital but could not be saved. Within hours, police had arrested a 44-year-old man known to her.

On October 23, 65-year-old Thi Thuy Huong Nguyen's body was found by her daughter in the kitchen of her home.

We currently know very little about her life. We do know that emergency services could not revive her and her husband, Van Thanh Vu, 70, was also rushed unresponsive to hospital. Unlike her, he recovered. And was charged with murder on October 27. 

A week earlier, Police and paramedics were called to a house fire in Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide.

After extinguishing the blaze, they recovered the body of Krystal Marshall. The 38-year-old was described by one online tribute as "one of the most determined and passionate humans I've had the pleasure of spending time with".

Those who knew her said she was a kind and loving mother to two young daughters, an amazing friend and a valued member of her community.

A 48-year-old man who had been living with Krystal for several months has been charged with murder and arson.

And then there is Lilie James, whose face we are all too familiar with now.

Lilie, a 21-year-old water polo coach at St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney's CBD, was murdered at her place of work on October 25. The facts of her death, suspected to be at the hands of a man she worked with and reportedly dated for just five weeks, have been published at length in the past week - alongside details about the successes her suspected killer had had during his schooling.

Lilie had been a champion swimmer. She loved acting, dancing and going out with her friends. In a statement, her family described her as "vibrant, outgoing and very much loved", which is a sentiment shared by dozens of tributes shared by those who knew her. 

On October 30, Lilie's grandmother Barbara Adelt told Nine Radio that her family "just cannot understand why, why this would happen to her".

The reality is it could happen to any of us. And it does, so often. 

It has happened to six women in 10 days.

The currently unnamed woman in the Perth hotel room. Logee Osias. Thi Thuy Huong Nguyen. Krystal Marshall. Lilie James.

Five women's lives taken, allegedly, by men who knew them. In their homes or at their workplaces, in the places they should have been most safe.

And then there are the dozens of others, just this year. The annual average number of domestic violence related deaths equates to one woman killed per week in Australia. In 2022, male violence was responsible for the deaths of 57 women. With two months to go, 2023 has already matched that number.

It is a disturbing and devastating given that more women will be added to this list before the end of the year. We don't know their names, who they loved or what brings them joy yet. But we know that a person who should have loved them, in a place where they should have been safe, will turn those details into national news.

Six women in 10 days. Fifty-eight women in 44 weeks.

National news, of a national crisis.

If you or someone you know is in danger or there is an immediate risk of harm, call 000.

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.

If you have the means, you can donate to RizeUp Australia - an organisation that helps women and families move on after the devastation of domestic violence. To find out more about donating money and goods, visit their website. 

Feature image: Facebook.