Gabby Petito’s parents share heartbreaking pictures as they push fight for justice on 2nd anniversary since body found
TWO years have passed since the murder of Gabby Petito and her family is still dealing with the fallout and fighting for justice for their daughter.
Gabby went missing in August of 2021 during a road trip with her fiance Brian Laundrie.
While the pair was traveling from New York to Oregon on a "dream" trip, her disappearance drew international attention, culminating in her body being found on September 19.
Brian was eventually named as a suspect in her murder, and according to police was "hindering" the investigation.
He killed himself weeks later, leaving behind a note that took responsibility for Gabby's death by strangulation.
Marking two years since Gabby's murder, her parents shared heartbreaking new pictures on Tuesday.
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Joseph Petitio recently took to X, formerly Twitter, to memorialize his daughter's death and speak up for other missing persons alongside a photo of his daughter in her younger years.
"#GabbyPetito we miss you every day. 2 years ago today we got the worst news a parent can get. While our pain will never go away, we all can help others who have their loved ones missing," he said.
"Please share a missing person flyer and spread awareness for the #missing #togetherwecan."
Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt similarly posted to X a picture of her daughter among a desert landscape.
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"2 years ago, you were found in your final resting place. Though we decided it would not be, your spirit is always with us and forever will be," it began.
"In honor of this day, please share a #MissingPerson flyer or a #domesticviolence survivor story, #BeKind #TogetherWeCan #wewontstop," the mother asked of her followers.
Gabby's parent's pleas are on par with their continued work for the Gabby Petito Foundation.
The foundation aims to "address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations, through education, awareness, and prevention strategies."
It was founded nearly a month after the young woman's death and has been active ever since.
Domestic violence is the core of the foundation as during the investigation into Gabby's death, it was found the couple had been involved in a physically violent domestic dispute during their trip just weeks before her death.
The foundation is just one facet of how Gabby's family is still fighting for her.
'Failing to protect'
Following the information that the Utah Moab City Police Department had pulled over the couple during a domestic violence call, Gabby's family is suing the police department for failing to protect their daughter.
The police had pulled over the couple after receiving a call from a concerned citizen that a man was seen "slapping" and "hitting" their partner in a grocery store parking lot while chasing after her.
Body cam footage revealed that Gabby told the police she had been physically hurt by Brian, showing a cut on her cheek from the encounter.
Brian told the police she "gets worked up sometimes," and that he was trying to calm her down, leading them to conclude that he was the victim in the incident and allowing no charges to be filed.
The family has filed a suit claiming that the police wrongfully acted and failed to protect their daughter from her would-be murderer.
Part of those wrongful acts includes the responding officers failing to "understand and enforce the law of the State of Utah, [and] to investigate Brian's self-evidently false claims during their interviews with him."
It extends more broadly to the whole department, claiming it also failed to "properly train the officers to investigate domestic violence situations, and to properly assess the circumstances, including to identify Brian as the true primary aggressor."
The suit also claims that the responding officers did not "recognize the obvious indicators of abuse" and had they, "it would have been clear to them that Gabby was a victim of intimate partner violence and needed immediate protection."
The wrongful death suit is asking for $50million from the police department and is still in litigation.
'burn after reading'
Gabby's parents have also filed a lawsuit against Brian's parents, alleging that they knew he killed Gabby and helped him cover it up.
The lawsuit accuses the Laundries of emotional distress in relation to their daughter's death.
Earlier this year, a "burn after reading" letter Brian's mother sent to him was summarized in court documents related to the suit.
The undated letter "references bringing a shovel to help bury a body," according to court documents.
The Petito family's attorney Patrick Reilly addressed the letter in a court filing in early May.
"A reasonable inference is that the letter was written at a time when Gabrielle Petito was as yet unburied and Brian Laundrie could go to jail for the crime of murder," he said.
Gabby's parents have already won $3million from the Laundries in a wrongful death suit.
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On September 1, the Laundries' lawyer Steve Bertolino filed a proposal for a settlement to finally put their legal woes to an end, documents seen by The U.S. Sun reveal.
But it's unclear whether a settlement can be reached at this time.