If you or someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship, Women Helping Women and the YWCA both provide local resources and safe places for victims to stay. Abuse victims of any gender can reach out to both.
FAIRFIELD, Ohio -- Michelle Henry dedicated her life to helping others, her father said Monday night. The 37-year-old Fairfield mother of three, a self-proclaimed "daddy's girl," regularly took time out of her daily schedule to help Raymond Miller clean his car, mow his lawn and shop for groceries.
"(She was) full of energy," he said. "Full of life. Heart of gold -- loving, caring. Always trying to fix somebody else."
That self-abnegating nature and belief that she could "fix" her violent boyfriend, Logan Williamson, kept her chained to their relationship until the day he stabbed her to death, Miller said.
"My daughter died a cruel death for about three minutes," he said. "(She was) begging for her life, screaming for help. His death was much faster."
Fairfield police had responded to altercations at Gelhot Drive before June 22, but Henry's 911 call that day led them to a scene Police Chief Steve Maynard described as "very traumatic." Officer Brian Carnes, the first to arrive, found 37-year-old Williamson attacking Henry in the bathroom of their condo.
He shot Williamson multiple times, according to Maynard, but was too late to save Henry. She died at the scene.
Williamson died later at the hospital.
"I commend the officer for what he did," Miller said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough or quick enough."
Miller knew his daughter's relationship with Williamson had been violent, he said, but "she really thought she could fix him" despite the overwhelming fear that pervaded the last year of her life. Miller did what he could -- remained close to the situation, spent time with Henry and maintained a presence in her life. The last time he saw her, he kissed her on the cheek and told her that he loved her.
She would be dead 48 hours later.
"Death I can accept," he said. "It's the way she died that I can't accept."
Miller, heartbroken, said he hopes his daughter's story will be the push other victims of domestic violence need to realize what she struggled to understand: Abusers seldom change and violent relationships never improve for good.
"I got other people that have contacted me (saying) that they are going to get out because of what happened to my daughter," he said. "She is continuing to help people in her own way."
He and other family members will distribute purple ribbons to raise domestic violence awareness at Henry's visitation, which will be held 10 a.m.-noon Thursday at Ivey Funeral Home in Hamilton, Ohio. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Miller also encouraged those touched by Henry's life to donate to an account in her memory -- ask for Michelle Henry or Shelly Miller -- at Fifth Third Bank.
