On Thursday, November 3, 2022, the parents of Gabby Petito, who was murdered by her fiance Brian Laundrie in August 2021, filed a wrongful death lawsuit of $ 50 million against the Moab City Police Department. According to the statements of her parents, the aim of the suit was to honor the demise of Gabby Petito by demanding accountability and also as a means to work towards a systemic change where the actual victims and survivors of domestic violence are protected and also to avoid the repetition of such tragedies in the coming future. As per the arguments of Gabby’s parents, the officers’ interactions with their daughter Gabby Pettit and her fiance Brian Laundrie, two weeks before the actual murder were negligent.
Gabby Petito Death
As per the filed lawsuit, the police department is held accountable for failing to properly train the officers in issues regarding domestic abuse or violence. The police officers had an interaction with the couple two weeks before the death of Gabby and as per their interactions, Gabby was identified to be the primary aggressor in the case. The parents of Gabby Petito argue that the determination made by the police was improper and that they failed to protect their daughter against domestic violence.
A news conference was held by the family of Gabby Petito on Thursday and her family members including her father Joseph Petito and mother Nichole Schmidt were present at the event. During the event, Gabby’s mother claimed that their daughter could have been protected that day. She also added that laws are there for the protection of the victims, which were not followed in the case of her daughter, and that they didn’t want that to happen to anyone else again.
As their response to the lawsuit filed by the parents of Gabby Petito, the City of Moab has issued a statement that denies the responsibility for Gabby Petito death. The statement also said that they would defend against the filed lawsuit. The City expressed its sympathy for the great tragedy that happened to Gabby and the effect that it made on her family but they also made it clear that the Moab City Police Department was not responsible for the death of Gabby Petito which took place eventually. During their interactions, the officers acted with kindness, respect, and sympathy toward Gabby.
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The city also added that according to the arguments of the attorneys of the Petito family, they say that somehow the officers who interacted with Gabby and her fiance could see into the future, about a possible murder based on their single interaction which happened that day, which was impossible for anyone.
The Case of Gabby Petito Murder
Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old social media personality, was murdered by her fiance Brian Laundrie. The exact date of the murder is not known but is speculated to be on a day in late August of 2021. The couple was on a van life journey which started on July 2, 2002, across the United States during the murder. The trip was actually planned to last four months but Petito went missing in August.
Suspicion around her finance rose as he alone drove back Gabby Petito’s van without her to his parent’s home in North Port, Florida. His reluctance to comment about the mention of her missing also added to the suspicion. An arrest warrant was issued for Brian Laundrie for making a withdrawal with Gabby Petito’s credit card. But before his arrest, Barian left his home in Florida on September 13. Brian was reported to be missing later on September 17.
After the reported missing of Brian Laundrie, the remains of Gabby Petito were found by the police on September 19. The remains were found at the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Based on the autopsy reports, the cause of death of Gabby was determined to be manual strangulation. The police also organized an extended search of Brian Laundrie’s home and surroundings in Florida s he did not turn up for a month. During their search, the skeletal remains of Brian were found by the police in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021.
It was the FBL who announced that Brian Laundrie was the person behind the murder of Gabby Petito. According to the officials, they came to the conclusion from a notebook that was found near the remains of Brian. It was said that Brian admitted the murder in the found notebook. The police also concluded on November 23 that the cause of Brian’s death was due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The murder case of Gabby Petito gained massive coverage on social media primarily owing to their presence on social media. The couple used o update their social media handles with their adventures and lifestyles. This made many people curious about the whereabouts of the case. The footage of the interaction of the policemen of the Moab City Police Department also sparked the interest of many people in the case.