Dad of Gabby Petito Has a Message for Supporters a Year After Her Body Left by Brian Laundrie Was Found
The dad of Gabby Petito, who was killed by her fiance, Brian Laundrie, had thanked those who supported their family as he marked the one-year anniversary of her body being found.
On the anniversary of the day his daughter's remains were discovered in Wyoming, Joseph Petito reflected on the loss and thanked supporters for standing by their family.
"I want to thank everyone for the love and support you have shown our families. It's because of all of you we were able to bring #Gabbypetito home," he wrote Monday in an Instagram post alongside the sentimental image of a young Petito proudly wearing a New York Jets jersey.
Joseph noted that this day was "particularly hard" for them and asked the public to take a moment to share a missing person's story "to help bring them home safe."
He said "every story deserves the same attention" as his daughter's, and then ended his message with a salute to the New York Jets.
"And yes, I shared this picture because the @nyjets won yesterday. #togetherwecan," he concluded. Gabby Petito was officially reported missing on September 11, 2021, which sparked a nationwide search.
Gabby Petito's Parents Hosted Audio Chat on Twitter Spaces
Gabby Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt hosted an audio chat on Twitter Spaces on the eve of the one-year mark of their daughter's remains were discovered.
According to The U.S. Sun, Petito's parents reflected and honored their daughter's life by raising awareness of domestic abuse. Schmidt said on Sunday night that "nobody had any idea" what her daughter was going through.
Joseph added that there were signs of domestic violence that can be spotted easily, referring to the domestic violence police stop in Utah on Petito and Brian Laundrie that was caught on bodycam. Joseph then encouraged the viewers to use the bodycam video as a tool to recognize domestic violence.
"Use that video as a learning tool... So we can get better. There's a perfect example right there. We can do better, and we should," he noted.
Gabby Petito's parents also urged their supporters to share pictures of rainbows to honor their daughter's life on the dreadful anniversary.
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie Deaths
Last month, Gabby Petito's family filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department in Utah after some officers failed to recognize that Petito was in a life-threatening situation when she had a fight with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, weeks before she was murdered.
Petito's parents also filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie's parents in Florida last March. The lawsuit claimed that the elder Laundries knew their son killed Petito and sought to help him flee the country.
Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19 last year. A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.
In January, the FBI revealed that Laundrie confessed to killing Petito in a message left in his notebook. In its final report on the case, the FBI said a review of the notebook revealed written statements by Laundrie claiming responsibility for Petito's death.
The FBI noted that its investigation has concluded that Laundrie was the only person responsible for Petito's "tragic death." Apart from the notebook, the FBI confirmed that they also found a "backpack" and a "revolver" upon further search of the area where Laundrie's remains were found.
Brian Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida on October 20, 2021. His autopsy report showed that he died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Gabby Petito's Parents Pay Tribute 1 Year After Her Body Was Found - From E! News