A Virginia Beach man was arrested for killing his mother and their family dog just days before Thanksgiving. T
his did not turn out to be a good holiday weekend for Tara Davis. The incident reportedly began as a domestic dispute and quickly turned deadly.
Virginia Beach murder
Police arrived at the Shelby Lane home to perform a welfare check on Thanksgiving Day when they discovered the gruesome murder scene.
50-year-old Tara Davis was found dead in the home. A search of the property also turned up the family dog, which was also murdered.
The murder investigation lead police to the deceased woman’s son, 27-year-old Jacob N. Davis of Virginia Beach. Neighbors told police that Tara was last seen on November 24 when her son was visiting the home.
Jacob Davis was charged with second-degree murder and animal cruelty. No other details are being released at this time. The investigation is ongoing while the suspect is being held without bond.
Rising drug and alcohol abuse
The COVID-19 pandemic is having another unforeseen side effect on Americans. Alcohol and substance abuse rates have skyrocketed.
The stay at home orders coupled with the increase in jobless claims have made many turn to the bottle. “There is data to indicate people are drinking more than usual,” said Dr. Mariann Piano, a substance abuse researcher. “And there’s no question that drinking too much every day leads to other problems.”
One report showed a 54% increase in national sales of alcohol for the week ending March 21, 2020, compared with 1 year before.
Online alcohol sales increased 262% from 2019. More than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance abuse problems.
One psychiatrist claims that COVID-19 has increased anxiety levels for many people, even if they are never infected by the virus. Dr. Adriane dela Cruz said, “There are all these uncertainties: ‘Will I still have a job? A lot of my patients talk about this idea that there’s a hamster wheel constantly going in their head and that alcohol quiets down the hamster wheel. All these factors have crashed together to make this a potentially difficult time. There’s no last call when you’re your own bartender.”
