Gabby Petito’s parents say ‘nobody had any idea what she was going through’ one year after vlogger’s body was found
EXACTLY one year ago, the body of 22-year-old vlogger Gabby Petito was found in Grand Teton National Park.
On this emotional anniversary, her still-heartbroken parents urge the public to pay attention to signs of domestic violence everywhere - because you never know who you might save.
On the eve of the one-year mark, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt participated in an audio conversation on Twitter Spaces where many online listeners reflected on Gabby's life which was tragically cut short by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, when he strangled her to death.
The former couple often works together to honor Gabby's life by raising awareness of domestic abuse.
"Nobody had any idea what she was going through," Nichole said on Twitter on Sunday night.
Joe added that there are signs of domestic violence that can be easily spotted, referencing the domestic violence police stop on Gabby and Brian that was captured on bodycam.
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Gabby's family has since launched a $50million lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department, blaming its officers for "failing to protect" the van-life blogger in the domestic violence call weeks before her murder.
However, during the Twitter Spaces discussion, Joe encouraged viewers to use the bodycam footage as a tool to recognize domestic violence.
"Use that video as a learning tool," the father said online.
"So we can get better. There's a perfect example right there. We can do better, and we should.
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"Let people know that they're not alone, and that might help get them through it. That's the important thing."
RAINBOWS FOR GABBY
While online, Nichole and Joe also encouraged their followers to share pictures of rainbows to honor Gabby's life on the tragic anniversary, which Joe said would be "really rough."
"If you see a rainbow, take a picture," Nichole said.
"Think of Gabby and her light."
She then added: "It's a little nudge to remind people, you know, to always stay kind because life is short and you never know."
GABBY'S STORY
Gabby experienced domestic violence from Brian Laundrie back in August of 2021.
The couple was on a cross-country camping trip in Utah when witnesses saw the domestic violence occur between Brian and Gabby.
New information from a witness The U.S. Sun spoke to revealed that Brian swung at her with a closed fist as well.
Gabby's body was recovered about one month later from causes of "manual strangulation," after Brian returned home to Florida in the van they were traveling in without her.
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Millions were then spent on the manhunt for Brian, with law enforcement ultimately uncovering his remains after he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In Brian's suicide note he claimed that he killed Gabby out of 'mercy' after she had received an injury and told Brian to go get help.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
