Gabby Petito’s parents say “no one had any idea what she was going through” a year after the 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 are urging the public to look out for signs of domestic violence everywhere – because you never know who you might be able to save.

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On the eve of the one-year mark, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt hosted an audio chat on Twitter Spaces reflecting on Gabby’s life, which was tragically cut short by her fiancé Brian Laundrie when he strangled her.

The former couple often work together to honor Gabby’s life by raising awareness of domestic violence.

“Nobody had any idea what she was going through,” Nichole said on Twitter Sunday night.

Joe added that there are signs of domestic violence that are easy to spot, citing the police stop at Gabby and Brian’s domestic violence which was captured on a body cam.

Gabby’s family has since filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department, accusing their officers of “failing to protect” the Van Life blogger weeks before her murder.

However, during the Twitter Spaces meeting, Joe encouraged viewers to use the bodycam footage as a domestic violence detection tool.

“Use this video as a study aid,” the father said online.

“So we can get better. There is a perfect example right there. We can do better and we should do it.

“Letting people know they’re not alone and that might help them get through it. That’s the most important.”

RAINBOW 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 was going to be “really tough”.

“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 to always be nice because life is short and you never know.”

GABBY’S STORY

Gabby experienced domestic violence at the hands of Brian Laundrie back in August 2021.

The couple were on a cross-country camping trip in Utah when witnesses saw domestic violence erupt between Brian and Gabby.

New information from a witness who spoke to The US Sun revealed that Brian also attacked her with a closed fist.

Gabby’s body was recovered about a month later for reasons of “manual strangulation” after Brian returned to Florida in the van they were traveling in without her.

Millions were then spent manhunting for Brian, with law enforcement eventually uncovering his remains after he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In Brian’s suicide note, he claimed to have killed Gabby out of “mercy” after she sustained an injury and told Brian to get help.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues addressed in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.

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