Erica Bias, 26, was the loving mother of two young children ages 14 months and 5 months old.
She was a college graduate with a degree in sociology. Relatives say she was hard working and
supported herself and her two children. She and her two children lived with her sister in a basement
apartment.
She was also separated from her husband. Family says there had been problems over the last two to two
and a half years. They say she was going to divorce her husband and he didn’t like that.
It is reported that two months ago the estranged husband kicked in her glass and held her hostage for several
hours before leaving. He was arrested for that incident and spent about a month in jail, but was recently released.
Family says the husband was sending her text messages threatening to kill her and himself. Her father was with her on
Christmas Eve when she received another message and another threat. He tried to get her to make a report on the threats but
but she told her father, “He ain’t going to do nothing, Daddy. I’ll be alright.”
Tuesday, someone came in through an unsecured door in the apartment complex. And when the man came to the door to Bias’s
apartment, her sister opened the door a crack. Allegedly the man pushed the door open and forced his way into the apartment.
There was a struggle and Erica Bias’s throat was cut. The man may have received an injury also, as a trail of blood was found leading
to a nearby woods. Police responded to a call about trouble at the apartment and found Erica Bias lying on the floor bleeding.
Erica Bias died from her wounds.
Police have not name a suspect. But the family thinks they know who it is.
When all this happened police say there were four children in the apartment. Police are not sure if they saw anything.
local12.com wcpo.com news.enquirer.com
I would like to reiterate that no one has been charged with this crime, and though police say they have a suspect they have declined to name them.
With a long history like this and no major injuries, a person may be lulled into a false sense of security. Threats made and not acted on may give
the feeling that nothing is going to happen, that it is just talk and they won’t really do anything.
And maybe they won’t do anything this time or the next time. But when they do, it is usually too late to get help.
Take all threats seriously. Make a report, and if necessary make second and third reports. Follow through on prosecution. Get a protective order and
make sure it is enforced. As long as they are behind bars, they cannot threaten and cannot harm.
And above all, take yourself and your children to a place of safety. Not a relatives home, go to a home they cannot find, leave town or go to a shelter.
No matter how long it has gone on, it is a matter of life and death. Do not wait until ‘eventually’ comes.
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As I was writing this and before I even got it posted, the estranged husband of Erica Bias was found dead near the apartment complex where she was murdered.
The coroner has confirmed an apparent suicide. It is reported that he bled to death.
Erica Bias had taken out a restraining order on her estranged husband Marcus, 28. Police have confirmed he was a suspect in her murder.
Home Sweet Home 
Russ said,
January 3, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Been reading through many of the stories in this site. This particular one may have been prevented with a chain on the door, but who knows. Buy, and learn to use, and be ready to use protection.
Becky J said,
January 5, 2007 at 4:58 am
The problem i have encountered in the town i live in is that law enforcement just plain wont protect us, even if there is a restraining/protective order in place, and for the life of me i cant figure out how to change that, i have went to the police chief, wrote letters, demanded, and yet nothing. One time i even told the officer, who was doing his very best to talk his way out of even writing a report, that somehow, someway he WAS going to make a report before leaving my home, even if that meant a report because he was taking ME to jail!! so he wrote a report, didnt go arrest the guy who had made a threat against me (a friends estranged husband who thought i was the one making his wife leave him, not the fact that he tried choking her to death and threw her down the basement stairs) but regardless if anyone has any ideas that i can take to law enforcement officials and law makers to make this towns officers do there jobs i would be more than happy to hear them. But definatly if you are in danger get to a shelter, out of town whatever it takes because sometimes even if the police do do there best to protect you its sometimes to late by the time they arrive. Take your safety of yourself and your children into your own hands. Those of us who have survived this know what an inconvience it is but its our lives and the lives of our kids at stake so its worth that inconvience.
Kenya said,
May 8, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I know this is an old story, but it will never be old to me. Erica is not just another sad story to me, to me she will always be my friend. We knew each other in high school, and I was more than torn up when I realized who this was on the news when this story came out. You see, we became estranged once she graduated from Aiken. I did see her a few times after I graduated on the street, as she lived in Avondale and I in Green Township; these meetings were few and far in between.
I read your recount of the story, and could actually hear my friends voice when you mentioned how she responded to her Dad. I know there probably wasn’t a thing I could do about what happened, but I still feel a pang of guilt even today that I wasn’t in her life, that I didn’t try to get any contact information from her when I did see her on the street and keep in touch.
I will leave you with both a comment and a question. First the comment. If you see that your friend is involved in an abusive relationship, cling closely to that friend, no matter how much they may push you away. Not only do they need the help, but you never know if the last time you see them is the very last time you see them. Stay with them, support them, and encourage them to seek help.
Next, since you have followed this story so well, do you know if they ever figured out if Marcus was the one to commit the murder before he killed himself? When they first brought this story, they were reluctant to name him as a suspect. Then, once he killed himself, they only named him as a suspect. I know that it is most likely that he did it, and there is nothing to do to him if he did. But what about the possibility that the killer is still out there? Did they actually name Marcus Bias as the killer, or did they just leave things open-ended?