A young mother of four found dead inside a Marietta home Thursday morning was strangled during a domestic dispute, police said.
The body of Xi-anna Graham, 24, was discovered inside a residence in the 600 block of Bonnie Dell Drive just before 4 a.m., police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said in a news release.
Christopher Scarboro, 27, was arrested in connection with her death, according to the release. He lived at the home along with Graham and her children.
Scarboro was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on charges of murder, aggravated assault and third-degree child cruelty, jail records show. He was denied bond.
During the past decade, an average of 126 Georgians have been killed each year due to domestic violence, according to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, a government agency. In 2017, the number climbed to 149, up from 121 in 2016, keeping Georgia in top 15 in the nation for deaths from domestic violence, according to the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a nonprofit that works closely with the state agency.
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“If you find yourself in an abusive relationship or know of someone who is a victim of an ongoing domestic violence situation we urge you to get help now,” McPhilamy said. “You may be saving your own life or the life of a friend.”
In the release, he urged abuse victims, as well as anyone who knows of someone being abused, to call 1-800-334-2836 for help.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of everyone involved in this tragedy,” McPhilamy said.
An investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Marietta police at 770-794-5372.
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