YPJF Urges Nationwide Action on Dating Violence After Mina Kurdian Killing
A 15-year-old should not have to fear a dating partner. A family should not have to bury a child because threats, control, stalking, or violence were allowed to grow more dangerous.
The killing of Mina Kurdian, 15, in Arcadia, California, has become a national warning about teen dating violence and the urgent need to take young people seriously when they say they feel unsafe.
The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, issued this national public service announcement from Texas on October 24, 2026, following Mina’s death. The organization is working to identify ways to support Mina’s family, pursue a memorial in her honor, and urge communities across the United States to recognize warning signs before violence escalates.
Authorities identified Mina’s boyfriend, 20-year-old Paul Anthony Cruz Jr., as the suspect in her killing. According to published reports, he allegedly forced entry into the Arcadia residence and fatally shot Mina on October 22, 2026. The investigation remains ongoing.
Mina was only 15. Her death is an unimaginable loss for her family, friends, classmates, and community.
“Our hearts are with Mina’s family and everyone who loved her,” said Daniel Chapin, Founder and President of the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation. “Young people should be able to grow up, build friendships, and experience relationships without fear or control. We cannot undo these losses, but we can take young people seriously when they tell us something is wrong, respond to threats, and help them reach support before a situation becomes more dangerous.”
Dating violence often begins before physical harm
Dating violence does not always start with a visible injury. It can begin with control, isolation, threats, stalking, humiliation, pressure, or repeated violations of personal boundaries.
For teenagers and young adults, those warning signs may be easier for adults to miss. A controlling partner may hide behind constant texting. Jealousy may be framed as affection. Isolation may look like a young person “choosing” to spend less time with friends. Fear may be mistaken for moodiness or withdrawal.
Dating violence can happen in person, online, at school, at work, at home, or through a phone. It can affect young people of any gender, background, or community.
A relationship becomes unsafe when one person uses fear, pressure, threats, or force to control another person’s choices.
Warning signs can include:
A partner who demands constant updates about where someone is, who they are with, or what they are doing
Repeated calls, texts, direct messages, or location checks that feel unwanted or intimidating
Pressure to share phone passwords, private photos, or social media accounts
Jealousy that becomes anger, accusations, or punishment
Insults, humiliation, name-calling, or threats to ruin someone’s reputation
Attempts to isolate a teen from friends, family, teams, clubs, or trusted adults
Showing up uninvited at school, home, work, or a friend’s house
Threats of self-harm if the other person leaves the relationship
Threats to hurt the young person, their family, friends, pets, or a new dating partner
Physical aggression such as grabbing, blocking a doorway, pushing, throwing objects, or damaging property
Refusing to accept a breakup or treating “no” as something to overcome
One warning sign may not tell the whole story. A pattern matters. Escalation matters. Fear matters.
If a young person changes routines, becomes anxious about responding to messages, avoids certain places, or says a partner “will be mad,” adults should not dismiss it as drama.
Young people need to be believed before danger peaks
Many young people do not report dating abuse right away. They may feel embarrassed. They may worry they will be blamed. They may fear losing phone access, freedom, friends, privacy, or a relationship they still have mixed feelings about.
Some may not recognize the behavior as abuse. Others may know something is wrong but feel trapped.
That is why the first response is so important.
When a young person shares concern about a dating partner, the safest replies are calm, direct, and supportive:
“I believe you.”
“You do not deserve to be treated this way.”
“You are not in trouble for telling me.”
“We can make a plan together.”
“If there is immediate danger, we will get emergency help.”
The goal is not to lecture, shame, or take over every decision. The goal is to create enough trust that the young person keeps talking.
Parents and caregivers may feel fear or anger when they hear about threats or controlling behavior. That reaction is understandable. But yelling, blaming, or immediately taking away all devices can make a teen less likely to ask for help later. If a phone is the only way to document threats or contact support, removing it without a safety plan can also create risk.
A steady response can save time when time matters.
Families and schools can watch for changes that signal fear
The people closest to a young person often see changes before they know what those changes mean.
A teen in an unsafe relationship may become withdrawn or unusually secretive. Grades may fall. Sleep may change. They may stop attending activities they once enjoyed. They may seem nervous when a phone buzzes. They may ask to leave a location suddenly after receiving a message.
Some warning signs show up in the relationship itself. A partner may wait outside classrooms, monitor conversations, demand public affection, interrupt friendships, or react with anger when the teen spends time with others. The partner may seem charming to adults while acting threatening in private.
Schools, youth programs, faith communities, sports teams, and after-school organizations can all play a role in prevention. That role does not require every adult to become an investigator. It does require adults to pay attention, document serious concerns, and connect young people with trained support.
Staff and volunteers should know what to do when a student reports stalking, threats, coercion, or violence. They should also understand that breakup periods can be especially dangerous when a controlling partner feels a loss of power.
A young person who says, “I am scared to end it,” or “They said they would hurt me if I leave,” needs immediate support from trusted adults and, when danger is present, emergency services.
A safety plan can reduce risk when a relationship turns dangerous
Leaving an abusive or controlling relationship is not always simple. A young person may face threats, stalking, retaliation, or pressure from peers. They may also still care about the person hurting them, which can make the situation more confusing.
A safety plan is a practical set of steps created with the young person, not forced on them without explanation. When possible, it should involve a trusted adult, school counselor, advocate, or trained hotline worker.
A basic safety plan may include:
Identifying safe adults to contact at home, school, work, and in the community
Saving threatening messages, voicemails, photos, or call logs in a secure way
Avoiding private meetings with the person who made threats
Changing routines when needed, including routes to school or work
Letting school staff know if someone should not be allowed on campus
Creating a code word or phrase that means “I need help now”
Checking privacy settings and location sharing on phones and apps
Planning how to leave a place quickly if the person shows up
Calling 911 if there is immediate danger
Digital safety matters. Many dating violence situations now include tracking, password pressure, fake accounts, unwanted messages, or threats to share private images. Young people should not be expected to manage this alone.
If a teen believes a partner has access to their phone, location, accounts, or passwords, an adult should help them seek guidance before making changes that could alert the abusive person. In some cases, sudden changes can increase risk if the person is monitoring the device.
Communities must treat threats as serious warning signs
One of the clearest lessons after violent loss is that threats should not be minimized.
A threat to kill, harm, stalk, force entry, use a weapon, or retaliate after a breakup is not ordinary relationship conflict. It is a warning sign. It deserves immediate attention from trusted adults, school officials, advocates, and law enforcement when safety is at risk.
Communities can help by replacing silence with clear action.
That includes teaching young people what healthy relationships look like before they begin dating. Respect, consent, privacy, honesty, and freedom to say no should not be treated as advanced topics. They are basic safety skills.
It also includes giving parents and caregivers language they can use at home. Many adults want to help but are unsure how to begin. A conversation does not need to be perfect. It can start with simple questions:
“Do you feel respected in this relationship?”
“Do you ever feel afraid of how they will react?”
“Do they pressure you to answer right away?”
“Have they ever threatened you or themselves?”
“If you needed help, who would you go to first?”
Communities should also avoid placing the burden only on the young person being harmed. Friends, classmates, and bystanders need guidance too. If they see threats, stalking, humiliation, or coercion, they should tell a trusted adult. Silence can leave a victim isolated.
Support must continue after the headlines fade
The days after a tragedy bring shock and public attention. Families then face grief that continues long after others move on.
YPJF has said it is working to identify ways to support Mina’s family and pursue a memorial in her honor. A memorial can help a community grieve, but the larger work must also continue through prevention, education, and early intervention.
Honoring Mina means refusing to treat teen dating violence as rare, distant, or private. It means listening when young people describe fear. It means responding to threats with urgency. It means making sure families know where to turn before danger grows.
For anyone experiencing dating violence or worried about someone else, help is available.
If there is immediate danger, call 911.
For confidential support in the United States, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, visit thehotline.org, or text START to 88788. Young people can also contact love is respect at loveisrespect.org for support focused on dating relationships.
No hotline or website can erase the harm already done to Mina Kurdian and those who loved her. But support can interrupt danger for someone else.
The call from YPJF is clear: take the warning signs seriously, believe young people when they say they are afraid, and act before a threat becomes another tragedy.
