Domestic violence is more than striking, stabbing or even shooting a partner, and it often begins long before the fatal blow is dealt, Utah officials say.

And that's the message they want to spread far and wide in 2007 to reduce the number of domestic-violence related deaths this year.

"I think domestic violence has changed so far as the way that we describe it," said Ned Searle, director of the governor's Office of Violence Against Women and Families. "So much of it now is the emotional and psychological and verbal abuse, and I think a lot of the citizens of Utah only recognize the physical part of it."

In its year-end report, the Utah Domestic Violence Council has identified 28 domestic-violence related deaths, including suicides that occurred as part of a domestic situation, in 2006. In 2005, the organization noted a record-high 33 such deaths.

A firearm was used as the primary weapon in 20 of the 2006 deaths, while two other fatalities were the result of stabbings and another from strangulation. Fourteen of the homicides occurred at the hands of a cohabitant, two happened in dating relationships and two mothers were killed by their sons, according to the council's report.

"Our report, of course, only deals with domestic violence-related deaths, and that is ... only the tip of the iceberg as it relates to domestic violence," said Mark Nash, chairman of the council's domestic-violence related deaths committee.

"There is a great deal of domestic violence outside of this, and, quite frankly, but for some good medical treatment, there would have been more entries on the list, probably," he said.

In the upcoming year, the Utah Domestic Violence Council will focus on the early-warning signs of domestic violence, including intimidation, threats, controlling behavior, isolation, violence outside the home and animal abuse.

The goal, officials said, is to prevent situations from escalating to the point where a situation would make it into next year's report.

"One aim of this list is to make people aware of what can happen if domestic violence isn't dealt with and recognized as a serious problem," Nash said.

Particularly alarming this year, Searle said, is the fact that a total of 16 Utah children bore witness to seven of the murders. "Not only are we losing moms and sisters, and some dads and brothers, but what are we doing to our children?"

In one case, the 11- and 8-year-old sons of Tonja Marie Nash ran to their mother's bleeding body after she was shot twice while trying to flee her Orem home. Keith Lamont Morton has been charged with aggravated murder and is awaiting trial on the capital charge.

"People don't want to intervene on domestic violence because they think it's a family issue. But if they realized what this is doing to kids, the next generation, they would," Searle said. "That's got to save money for the state. That's got to make our communities safer, our families stronger."

For resources or more information, call the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com