Murder of Morgan Hill teen raises community awareness of domestic violence: 'There is always help'

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- A difficult but very important conversation happened in Morgan Hill Wednesday night, one week after searchers found the body of Marissa DiNapoli.

The 18-year-old had been missing for days, and her boyfriend is now accused in her murder.

Her family is now advocating for more help for survivors of domestic violence.

TAKE ACTION: Get help with violence, assault and abuse at home

A little over a week after DiNapoli's body was found at Anderson Reservoir, her family and community members spoke out in support of other victims of domestic violence.

Marissa DiNapoli's sister is a domestic violence survivor.

For the second night in a row on Wednesday, Monice Ramirez shared her story. She grew up in the foster care system and saw abuse between her parents. She thought it was normal.

"In December, though, of 2019, he brutally attacked me," Ramirez said, describing an attack that put her in the hospital for three weeks and caused permanent nerve damage to her face.

She says her sister Marissa's death is repeating a pattern, with Marissa's boyfriend now charged with her murder.

RELATED: Boyfriend of Marissa DiNapoli walked into US from Mexico after killing South Bay teen: investigators

Josette Benavidez-Hatcher is a seasoned caseworker at a mental treatment center in San Martin.

"There is always help, you know. I just want to give people the strength to admit it and come forward," Benavidez-Hatcher said.

She led the conversation, centered around recognizing early signs of intimate partner violence.

"Do they want you to text them every hour on the hour? Do they want to know where your location is all the time. And then, it comes to the physical aspect, you know. Nobody has the right to put hands on anybody," Benavidez- Hatcher said.

She says there are mental health teams that are dispatched on emergency calls -- why not create a specialized domestic violence team?

RELATED: Boyfriend arrested for murder of missing Morgan Hill teen Marissa DiNapoli, police say

"Instead of the police coming in and taking over, I think it could be like, 'How can we support you? What do you need from us?' taking a more loving, caring approach," Benavidez- Hatcher said.

Living Above the Influence is the organization behind the event.

The CEO, Dori Prado, plans to forward the feedback received from attendees to city leaders on what they can do to bring change.

Family members of Marissa, like Olga Campos, hopes by raising awareness and educating the community, they can make a difference.

"Oh, I'm just keeping busy and coming to events like this. Stay focused and have a purpose for Marissa's death," Campos said.

Marissa's older sister reiterated that common piece of advice: when you see something, say something.

"And now it's my time to hopefully make a difference and make a change, you know, like I didn't go what I went through, and I didn't watch my sister go what she went through for my family to not make a difference," Ramirez said.

Community Solutions has several resources to help.