He had left America, but not the suffering behind. A woman who, according to new information, had faced constant domestic violence, leaving home and obstacles to having her son near her, ended up being murdered in a macabre way. Before her life was taken, she had knocked on the doors of institutions, asked for protection and warned of the danger that threatened her.

The murder of Arlinda Sylaj Zekaj, the 49-year-old woman who was hacked to death with an ax in Vitomirica, Peja, is bringing to light a much longer story than the tragic night of October 25.

Sinjali newspaper has provided new information about the victim's life, family conflicts, allegations of systematic violence and her efforts to ensure institutional protection.

According to this information, Arlinda and her husband had lived in the United States of America for about ten years. The family came from Deçani, while then lived in Vitomirica, Peja.

However, after returning to Kosovo, family relations allegedly worsened to the point that Arlinda faced constant violence.

Sinjali's sources claim that her husband kicked her out of the house, burned her clothes and separated from her.

But according to these reports, one of the most painful parts of this story was related to her son.

After the separation, Arlinda allegedly faced obstacles to take the child with her.

The sources say that, in a period when the husband had traveled to America, the son had remained under the care of a third person, while the mother had requested the intervention of the institutions to resolve the matter.

According to the same information, the requests for intervention were also related to the claim that the child was left without the care of the parent who had left the country.

For Arlinda, not being allowed to have her son around was not just a family dispute. According to the claims forwarded to Sinjali, she experienced this situation as a severe form of psychological violence.

This story also mentions the existence of a protective order, related to the violence reported by the husband.

However, the content, duration and manner of its implementation, as well as the decisions that have been taken regarding the care of the child, remain to be verified.

Another troubling element is related to claims of delays in handling institutional requests.

According to information received by Sinjali, an order was waited for about 24 days, while another request is claimed to have been rejected.

It has not yet been clarified which specific decision it is about, which court or institution handled the request and on what grounds the decision was made.

But what is already documented is that Arlinda, just three days before the murder, had urgently requested the intervention of the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Peja.

In the letter received on October 22, 2026, addressed to the Chief Prosecutor, the victim requested the taking of measures against the officials who, according to her, had failed to fulfill their duties, as well as the immediate execution of a court order.

In the document, she wrote that the danger to her life continued, while she demanded investigations against the officials involved, starting from the Center for Social Work.

“This is my last addition”, Arlinda wrote.

In the same letter, she had warned that the day could come when institutions would be forced to account only after her life was taken.

Three days later, she was killed.

On the evening of October 25, Arlinda was interviewed at the Police Station in Peja regarding a case of domestic violence and at around 20:58 she returned home from the police patrol.

About ten minutes after the police officers left, she was found unconscious in the bedroom.

Her brother-in-law, Albert Sylaj, is suspected of the murder, while the victim's husband, Jeton Sylaj, was detained for 48 hours after the interview. The eventual criminal liability of each remains a matter of investigation and judicial procedure.

Arlinda's story already raises questions that go beyond the circumstances of the murder.

What had happened to her requests for protection? What decisions were made about the boy? Was the protective order enforced? Which institutions had been notified of allegations of systematic violence and what actions had been taken

These questions require documented answers from the responsible institutions.

Allegations of institutional failures remain to be verified and do not in themselves constitute proof of the responsibility of any official.

Arlinda had not only sought to protect herself from violence. According to new information, she had also fought for the right to have her child near her.

Today, she no longer lives to tell her story.

What remains is her letter, the demands she made, and the obligation to find out not only who took her life, but also what happened to her warnings before it was too late.

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