Just over a month has passed since the tragic murder/suicide involving a local couple, WLWT News 5 in Cincinnati reported last week that new court documents from the Adams County Court of Common Pleas give new insight into Rachel Madden’s efforts to get out of her relationship.
As reported in the Informer, on September 14, 2022, at around 2:15 p.m. Adams County authorities were alerted that a woman was murdered at the Southern Ohio Lumber Company located on State Route 73. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman’s body inside one of the buildings, identified as 33-year-old Rachel Madden. Madden lived on Poplar Street in West Union.
Even though the suspect had fled the scene, the Adams County Sheriff’s Department had a description of the vehicle. The vehicle was being driven by 32-year-old Jason Madden, the estranged husband of Rachel Madden. Minutes later, Madden was pulled over by local authorities at the intersection of State Routes 41 and 32 in Peebles, where Madden discharged a weapon on himself, committing suicide before officers could approach his vehicle.
Madden had applied for a domestic violence protection order on August 16th, it was granted and went into effect on August 23rd. Rachel Madden wrote that the couple had several recent long fights and her husband Jason “freaked out” and showed up at the house several times. On August 9, Rachel said that Jason came into their job as she was leaving, where they argued. “When I tried to leave, he got in my car and we argued for 1 hour and 30 mins. I went to call 911 and he put his gun to his head and told me if I called then he would pull the trigger,” Rachel Madden wrote. WLWT reported that Jason Madden messaged her numerous times asking to blindfold her and have sex. “I felt like he was going to try and rape me,” Madden wrote.
Rachel Madden filed for the protection order on August 16th. The protection order, signed by Adams County Common Pleas Judge Brett Spencer did not require Jason Madden to turn over his guns, according to News 5. But rather, Spencer said the guns were to remain in possession of Jason Madden’s grandparents. Rachel Madden’s family members say that is who Jason Madden moved in with after moving out of the home the couple shared in West Union.
As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to a close, readers should be reminded that local assistance is available should the need every arise. Women Helping Women is a Cincinnati-based organization with an office in Adams County. To reach out for assistance, contact 513-381-5610.
Although there has been substantial progress in reducing domestic violence, an average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute. This equates to more than 10 million abuse victims annually. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been physically abused by an intimate partner, and 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been severely physically abused by an intimate partner. Millions of Americans live in daily, silent fear within their own homes. In addition, every year millions of children are exposed to domestic violence. Domestic violence incidents affect every person within a home and can have long-lasting negative effects on children’s emotional well-being, and social and academic functioning.
