Gabby Petito's Parents File $50M Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Utah Police, Say They Could Have Saved Her Life

The parents of Gabby Petito on Thursday filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Utah's Moab City Police Department for "failures and negligence" that ultimately led to their daughter being killed by her fiance Brian Laundrie.

The lawsuit alleged that its officers were negligent in their interactions with Patito and Laundrie and failed to protect their daughter during an investigation into a domestic disturbance in August last year, just two weeks before her death.

In a statement, attorney James W. McConkie said the lawsuit aims to honor Petito's legacy "by demanding accountability and working toward systemic changes" that will protect victims of domestic abuse and violence.

Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, said they filed the lawsuit to ensure that the police department will impose changes to help other abuse victims.

"No one here, the four of us, don't want to be here. We'd give it up in a second if she was back," said Joseph in a press conference on Thursday.

Schmidt noted that they felt they needed to bring justice because their daughter "could have been protected that day."

She noted that there are laws in place to protect victims, and those laws were not followed. Schmidt added they do not want the same to happen to anyone else.

Gabby Petito Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit

On August 12, 2021, Moab police officers pulled over the vehicle of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie and questioned them after a 911 caller reported seeing a man slapping a girl.

The lawsuit alleged that the Moab officers failed to recognize "obvious signs" indicating Petito was a victim of domestic abuse and in a life-threatening situation at the time.

The officers allowed Petito and Laundrie to leave, ordering them to spend a night apart. Petito was seen to be visibly upset in the police body camera recording of the police's encounter with the couple.

The lawsuit accused the police department, three police officers, and 10 other unnamed individuals of "negligent failure" during an investigation.

The lawsuit also alleged that the Moab City Police Department failed to properly train its officers to evaluate domestic violence situations.

The lawsuit was initially announced in August in a notice of claim before being filed on Thursday. Notices of claims are necessary before people can sue government bodies.

Last year, Moab City Police Department Chief Bret Edge said that "insufficient evidence existed to justify criminal charges." The city of Moab noted that it intends to defend itself against the lawsuit.

In a statement, the city said they feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and described Petito's death as a "terrible tragedy."

However, it noted that it was clear to them that the city police department officers "are not responsible" for Gabby Petito's eventual murder. The city added that its officers "acted with kindness, respect, and empathy" toward the 22-year-old YouTuber.

The city said the attorneys for the family "seem to suggest that somehow our officers could see into the future based on this single interaction." The wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department is the recent legal filing involving the death of Petito.

Petito's parents filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie's parents in Florida last March, alleging that Laundrie's parents knew their son killed Petito and were trying to help him flee. In May, Schmidt also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie's estate.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's Deaths

Gabby Petito disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when Petito stopped communicating with her family on August 25, 2021, when she was near Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.

Laundrie was named a person of interest by the North Port police after returning home to Florida on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.

By September 17, 2021, Laundrie had also gone missing, and the North Porth Police said that they, along with the FBI, were searching for him and Petito.

Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park on September 19, 2021. A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was a homicide.

On October 20, 2021, Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. His autopsy report showed that he died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.

Last January, the FBI revealed that Laundrie confessed to killing Petito in a message left in his notebook. The FBI said they found the notebook, along with a "backpack" and a "revolver," upon further search of the area where Laundrie's remains were discovered.

The FBI noted that its investigation has concluded that Brian Laundrie was the only person responsible for Gabby Petito's "tragic death."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Parents of Gabby Petito File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Utah Police Department - From WPLG Local 10