The candlelight vigil to victims of domestic violence at Pahrump Family Mortuary last Thursday night was in memory of Christina and Renee.

The last names were kept anonymous to protect the victims.

About 30 people gathered to recite prayers, hear a few religious songs, listen to a testimonial from a domestic violence survivor and light candles outside at the cemetery in remembrance. The vigil was sponsored by the Interfaith Domestic Violence Task Force and No To Abuse.

President Bush in his proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, said one-third of American women who are murdered each year are killed by a current or former partner, usually a husband. One million women reported being stalked.

One survivor of domestic violence, Cathy Swan, relayed a tale Thursday night of how her husband pursued her in the 1980s in college until they married. But after their marriage, "He turned into a Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde," she said.

"He pulled a gun on me twice and I was really scared. He was more abusive mentally, verbally and physically," Swan said.

This survivor was taunted by her husband for being fat. When Swan gave birth to their first child, her husband became irritated at the baby's crying and threatened to shut up the baby.

"I knew if I didn't leave at that time, one of us would be dead: my daughter or myself," she said tearfully.

Rosalie Schenck recalled how she was married to her first husband for 21 years before she realized how he was manipulating her.

"Forgiveness allowed me to heal," Schenck said. She boasted she will celebrate her 31st wedding anniversary with her second husband in December.

Pastor Ron Fairburn said domestic violence touches many people. "It's a memory you don't forget," he said.

The pastor recalled when his mother remarried while he was 15 years old and fought with his stepfather. The physical abuse stopped after the fourth call to police but the verbal abuse didn't, Fairburn said.

The Rev. Missy Burns said some victims of domestic violence are like prisoners of war, they're being stalked wherever they go.

Lisa Lynn Chapman, director of No To Abuse, said Nevada leads the nation in the number of homicides by men against women. Chapman didn't think Pahrump had more of a problem with domestic violence than anywhere else, but then she suspects many cases go unreported.

"We have a lot of underreporting here because we have a lot of isolation out here, and so when you have higher density housing, people are more apt to call. When you've got acres between people you don't hear as much. That's one of the things we work with a lot, is isolated victims.

"Actually, this year we found someone who wasn't able to leave her home for two years. Finally someone said something and they got to us. We went and met them and got her."

Chapman said No To Abuse is seeing more domestic violence victims stopping in to talk to counselors, but not necessarily to stay at the shelter.

Nye County sheriff's deputies are good about escorting women who obtained protective orders back to their homes to protect them from abusive husbands while they retrieve their belongings and move out, Chapman said. That's the most dangerous time and most domestic violence homicides occur when victims are leaving the home, she said.

Chapman looked on, as the group gathered at the mortuary Thursday night. "This is one of those perfect times when people can come together and remember those who died, remember those who survived," she said.