September 15, 2022
  • Mid-morning on September 8, 2022, Ms. Karina Castro was brutally killed in a domestic violence incident.

    “As co-chairs of the San Mateo County Domestic Violence Council, Supervisor Groom and I are shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic and senseless death of Ms. Karina Castro in San Carlos on September 8, 2022. Ms. Castro is more than the headlines you will see about her death,” said Elisa Kuhl, Victim Services Program Manager of the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

    “To those who survive her, she is a mother, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a dedicated and loving friend. Members of the San Mateo County Domestic Violence Council would like to express our deepest condolences to Ms. Castro’s family and friends,” Kuhl said.

    In San Mateo County, there have been two domestic-violence homicides in 2022 and there were five in 2021. The San Mateo County Domestic Violence Council believes that one is too many.

    Intimate partner violence is corrosive and damages not just the survivor, but also affects children living in the home, family members, friends, co-workers and the community.

    If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, there is help. Visit: https://www.smcgov.org/dvc/resources

    Another option is the county’s single provider of comprehensive intimate partner abuse services, CORA, which is also available to support.

    CORA provides at no cost counseling, advocacy, legal services, emergency shelter and housing. For the community at large, CORA provides education and its 24-hour hotline (1-800-300-1080), which is always available. 

    Karen Ferguson, CEO stated, “CORA’s services are available 24 hours a day, every day, to ensure that anyone impacted by intimate partner abuse has access, free of charge, to the full range of services needed in order to help them move to safety. We are grateful for the community partners pulling together to support the survivors of this horrific crime.”

    “The County of San Mateo is committed to ending domestic violence and supports the multidisciplinary Domestic Violence Council. The goal of the Domestic Violence Council is to reduce and prevent domestic violence and enhance victims’ services,” said Supervisor Carole Groom.

    For more information about the Domestic Violence Council, please visit: https://www.smcgov.org/dvc.

    Media Contact

    Elisa Kuhl, (650) 599-7473 or ekuhl@smcgov.org
    Karen Ferguson, CORA, (650) 652-0800 or karenf@CORAsupport.org