The Calgary YWCA took out a newspaper ad about domestic violence after publicity surrounding the Ryan Jenkins case. (CBC)

A group that works with abused women in Calgary says the highly publicized Ryan Jenkins case is not a rare Hollywood story.

Police in California believe Jenkins, a former Calgary real estate developer and reality TV show contestant, killed his ex-wife.

Jasmine Fiore's mutilated body was found on Aug. 15. She had been badly beaten and preliminary reports indicate she was strangled.

After a continent-wide manhunt, Jenkins was found dead in a British Columbia motel on Sunday.

Friends and family said the couple's short marriage was stormy; Jenkins had been charged for hitting Fiore in the arm. He was also sentenced to 15 months probation in 2007 for assaulting a girlfriend in Calgary.

The YWCA of Calgary took out a small newspaper ad on Monday to remind people that increasing domestic violence in the city often goes unreported.

"Domestic violence is not a Hollywood story necessarily. It's a Calgary story, and it's a terrible, terrible tragedy. This is abuse that is unimaginable, but it is our everyday work here at the YWCA," said Arlene Adamson, chief operating officer of the YWCA of Calgary.

The ad, which features a woman's battered face, reads, "In the news … Calgary man accused of murdering ex-wife — a Hollywood model.

"Not in the news … 'In 16 years of doing this work, I have never seen such severity of abuse in Calgary.' — Jean Dunbar, YWCA of Calgary Associate Director of Services."

The group also says in the ad that abuse is up, while donations are down.

Demand for services increasing

Michelle Murray, director of the Discovery House Family Prevention Society in Calgary, said demand for its services has been on the rise since November, and many cases don't make the headlines.

"For every one woman who is killed, there are eight to nine women who are nearly killed. We're talking about being choked, being stabbed, being beaten to a point where your life is threatened," said Murray.

Adamson said the YWCA felt the Jenkins case could be used to draw attention to the problem.

"We felt it was relevant to speak at this point in time, because this story has become [a] national story, and all eyes are on it," she told CBC News.