Gabby Petito's Parents Have Been Pursuing Justice for Their Daughter
Amid the search for Gabby, her family repeatedly called on Brian Laundrie's family to provide more information.
Feb. 23 2024, Updated 2:43 p.m. ET
A fan of the nomadic lifestyle, 22-year-old Gabby Petito set out on a cross-country van adventure with her fiancé, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, in June 2021. They headed out from Florida, where the two were living with Brian's family at his parents' house.
Gabby shared updates with her parents, friends, and fans through Instagram and YouTube. But after she disappeared that August, Brian — who returned home to Florida in their van without her on Sept. 1 — became a person of interest.
Gabby's family, who live in Long Island, N.Y., reported her missing on Sept. 11. Two days later, Brian fled.
Sadly, Gabby's body was found near the Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Her cause of death was strangulation.
Brian was found dead in a Florida nature preserve from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Oct. 20. He had left behind a notebook in which he'd confessed to killing Gabby.
Below, we take a look at Gabby's family and what happened next.
A supporter holds up a sign in October 2021
Who are Gabby Petito's parents?
Gabby Petito was born on March 19, 1999, to Nichole Schmidt and Joe Petito. Before their divorce, the couple also welcomed a son named TJ.
Nichole went on to marry Jim Schmidt, while Joe went on to marry Tara Petito.
Gabby was the oldest of six, though TJ was the only sibling with whom she shared both parents.
Amid the search for their daughter in 2021, Gabby's parents said that Brian and his family impeded the search efforts by withholding information and refusing to take a more active role.
Nicole and Joe along with their respective spouses wrote a letter pleading with Brian's parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie to share information with law enforcement.
"As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us," they wrote, per The Independent. "As a parent, how could you put Gabby’s younger brothers and sisters through this."
"Gabby lived with you for over a year," they went on. "She was going to be your daughter-in-law. How can you keep her location hidden?"
Gabby Petito's parents have tried to pursue justice for their daughter.
In the time since Gabby's murder, her family has pursued several lawsuits.
One of the suits was filed against police in Moab, Utah, who, according to Gabby's family, failed to properly investigate a domestic violence incident when they pulled Gabby and Brian's van over shortly before her disappearance.
In another suit, Gabby's family sued Brian's family for emotional distress, claiming that the Laundries knew Gabby was dead before she was reported missing, knew where her body was, and were going to help their son flee the country. A settlement was reached in February 2024.
And back in November 2022, a Florida judge awarded Gabby's family $3 million in a wrongful death suit against Brian's estate.
Gabby's family also started the Gabby Petito Foundation with a mission 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," per the foundation's website.