Gabby Petito’s father has shared an emotional tribute to his daughter on the third anniversary of her death.
Petito, 22, was murdered by her fiancé Brian Laundrie on a cross-country road trip in 2021 that ended with her disappearance.
Laundrie, 23, returned home to Florida without her, sparking a search that ended with Petito’s body found on the edge of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
It was determined that she had been strangled a few weeks earlier, with her missing date of death being August 27, 2021. A warrant was issued for Laundrie’s arrest and her remains were found at a campsite weeks later, following an apparent suicide.
Petito’s father drew attention to the grim event on Tuesday at writing to his more than 90,000 followers on Instagram.
Gabby Petito’s father shared a tribute to his daughter on Tuesday to commemorate her death.
“Three years ago tonight you were taken from us,” the 45-year-old father wrote in a post that showed him and his late daughter enjoying a spa treatment.
“We can’t stop crying when we think of you,” she continued. “There’s no way to wake up from this nightmare.”
‘We carry on for you and all those you have inspired and nothing can stop us. I ask anyone reading this to share a flyer with the phrase #missingperson today.’
Words of comfort poured in through the comments, as viewers who followed the headline-grabbing case all those years ago showed their support.
“I’m thinking of your family,” one person wrote. “I can’t believe it’s been three years already.”
“You’re doing everything you can and she would be so proud,” added another. I’m so sorry for this horrible pain you feel on a daily basis.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!” another person said.
“She will never be forgotten.”
Petito, 22, was murdered by her fiancé Brian Laundrie on a cross-country road trip in 2021 that ended with her disappearance on August 27 of that year.
Laundrie, 23, returned home to Florida without her, sparking a search that ended with Petito’s body found on the edge of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Joseph had already written a tribute to his only daughter on August 27, with a photo of her posing in front of a waterfall.
“If their story has touched your heart, I ask you to share a flyer with the phrase #MissingPerson,” she wrote at the time. “Help someone return safely home to their loved ones who miss them.”
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, has also called on the public to shine a light on domestic violence.
Both parents said Laundrie posed an “emotional and mental threat” to their daughter in a lawsuit filed against the Moab Police Department after an officer pulled the couple over following an argument two weeks before Petito disappeared.
Filed in Utah’s Seventh District Court, the lawsuit cited transcripts of an interview between the officer following a call from Petito claiming she was being attacked by her 23-year-old boyfriend and seeks damages of more than $50 million.
It names Officer Eric Pratt as a defendant, alleging that both he and his department failed to fulfill their duties as peace officers by failing to make an arrest, even though Pratt later told other officers that Laundrie raised “more red flags than a Chinese communist rally.”
A Utah statute requires all officers to make an arrest or issue a citation in all domestic incidents.
Pratt, at the time, told other investigators that he considered Laundrie a threat but still let him go, the file states.
Pictured: Petito crying and visibly distressed as police questioned her during a traffic stop two weeks before she disappeared.
Attorneys for Gabby’s family, who are preparing a lawsuit against police in Moab, Utah, shared a photo showing the bruises Petito suffered before the traffic stop. The lawsuit alleges police failed to handle the incident properly.
Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt (pictured) filed the lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie earlier this year alleging the couple knew their daughter was dead and refused to tell them the location of her remains.
“I thought he was an emotional threat to her,” the officer, who is still on the force, reportedly told a Price police captain during an independent review of the incident, which was launched because of the lack of arrests. “I thought he was a mental threat to her.”
Interview transcripts produced by Petito’s parents further revealed how Pratt failed to adhere to proper police policy in letting Laundrie go, despite telling Price Police Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe that the suspected killer was displaying “red flags.”
Pratt allegedly told Ratcliffe that Laundrie was “a weird, unhealthy guy who “He had an unpleasant appearance,” the lawsuit states.
Body camera footage of the incident had already shown Petito was visibly shaken throughout the encounter with Pratt, telling him and officers that Laundrie had grabbed her face while gesturing toward her neck.
An image shared by Gabby’s family’s attorneys also showed the bruises Petito sustained before the traffic stop.
The wrongful death lawsuit has been pending for more than a year, and last month, attorneys for Petito’s family asked a Utah judge to allow it to proceed.
as his parents criticize the Moab Police Department for downplaying scrutiny over his alleged failures during a traffic stop in August 2021, just two weeks before his murder, as a way to make money.
Moab’s attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the case in April, arguing that police were protected by government immunity. They also accused Petito’s parents of simply wanting money, prompting a scathing response from the grieving father. The suit has not yet been dismissed.
Moab’s lawyers asked the judge to dismiss the case in April, arguing that police were protected by government immunity.
“Petito’s murder is an undeniable pain,” the department’s attorneys wrote in that filing.
“Laundrie’s crime was undeniably depraved, but the justice system is no substitute for a GoFundMe campaign,” they wrote. “Heartbreak is not enough.”
The Petito family team subsequently filed an opposition brief in July saying wrongful death claims against the government are protected under the Utah Constitution, and Joseph also issued his own personal response.
“Moab still doesn’t understand it,” he said. Fox News. ‘This case has never been about money.
“It’s always been about seeking accountability and fighting for change that saves lives. When law enforcement fails to follow the law, fails to protect, and refuses to learn from their mistakes, like the Moab Police Department, they put us all in danger.”
The case is still pending in Utah courts.
