Gabby Petito’s parents share heartbreaking pictures as they fight for justice on the second anniversary since her body was found

TWO years have passed since Gabby Petito’s murder and her family is still dealing with the aftermath and fighting for justice for their daughter.

Gabby went missing in August 2021 while on a road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie.

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While the couple traveled from New York to Oregon on a “dream trip,” her disappearance attracted 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, he “hindered” the investigation.

Weeks later, he took his own life, leaving a note claiming responsibility for Gabby’s death by strangulation.

To mark Gabby’s two-year-old death, her parents shared heartbreaking new pictures on Tuesday.

Joseph Petitio recently joined X, formerly Twitter commemorate He provides information about his daughter’s death and, alongside a photo of his daughter in her younger years, advocates for other missing people.

“#GabbyPetito we miss you every day. 2 years ago today we received the worst news a parent could receive. Although our pain will never go away, we can all help others whose loved ones are missing,” he said.

“Please share a missing persons flyer and spread awareness about #missing #wecandotogether.”

Gabby’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, similarly Posted to X a picture of her daughter in the middle of a desert landscape.

“Two years ago you were found in your final resting place. Even though we decided this would not be the case, your spirit is always with us and will be forever,” it began.

“In honor of this day, please share a #MissingPerson flyer or story from domestic violence survivors, #BeKind #TogetherWeCan #wewontstop,” the mother urged her followers.

Gabby’s parents’ requests are consistent with their continued work with the Gabby Petito Foundation.

The foundation’s goal is to “address the needs of organizations that support the search for missing persons and to support organizations that support victims of domestic violence through education, awareness and prevention strategies.”

It was founded almost a month after the young woman’s death and has been active ever since.

Domestic violence is at the heart of the foundation, as the investigation into Gabby’s death found that the couple had been involved in a physically violent domestic dispute during their trip just weeks before her death.

The foundation is just one aspect of how Gabby’s family is still fighting for her.

“It’s not possible to protect”

After it was revealed that Utah Moab City police stopped the couple during a domestic violence call, Gabby’s family is suing the police for failing to protect their daughter.

Police had stopped the couple after a concerned citizen called that a man had been seen “slapping” and “hitting” his partner in a grocery store parking lot while chasing her.

Body cam footage showed Gabby telling police she had been physically harmed by Brian, with a cut visible on her cheek from the encounter.

Brian told police that she “sometimes gets upset” and that he tried to calm her down, leading them to conclude that he was the victim in the incident and that no charges could be filed.

The family has filed a lawsuit claiming police acted unlawfully and failed to protect their daughter from her alleged killer.

These unlawful actions include the failure of responding officers to “understand and enforce Utah state law.” [and] to investigate Brian’s patently false claims during her interviews with him.”

It extends more broadly to the entire department and claims it also failed to “properly train officers to investigate domestic violence situations and properly assess the circumstances, including identifying Brian as the true primary perpetrator.”

The lawsuit also alleges that responding officers “failed to recognize the obvious signs of abuse” and “it was clear to them that Gabby was a victim of intimate partner violence and needed immediate protection.”

The wrongful death lawsuit seeks $50 million from police and is still in trial.

‘burn after reading’

Gabby’s parents have also filed a lawsuit against Brian’s parents, claiming they knew he killed Gabby and helped him cover up the crime.

The lawsuit accuses the laundries of emotional distress surrounding the death of their daughter.

Earlier this year, a “burn after reading” letter that Brian’s mother sent him was summarized in court documents related to the lawsuit.

The undated letter “refers to bringing a shovel to assist in burying a body,” court documents say.

The Petito family’s attorney, Patrick Reilly, addressed the letter in a court filing in early May.

“A reasonable conclusion is that the letter was written at a time when Gabrielle Petito was not yet buried and Brian Laundrie could be going to prison for murder,” he said.

Gabby’s parents have already won $3 million from the laundromats in a wrongful death lawsuit.

On Sept. 1, the laundries’ attorney, Steve Bertolino, filed a settlement proposal to finally put an end to their legal troubles, according to documents seen by The US Sun.

However, it is unclear whether an agreement can be reached at this stage.